About

Raj Palkar is a highly skilled Software Engineer with over 5 years of experience in the industry. He is currently working as a Software Development Engineer II at Amazon, specializing in Alexa Devices. Raj graduated with a Master's degree in Computer Science from Purdue University, where he discovered his passion for Computer Science. During his Master's program, he interned at Amazon in the Installment Payments team and was later offered a full-time SDE I role, where he quickly grew into an SDE II role while contributing to Amazon Alexa. Raj's interests are broad, ranging from software engineering, machine learning, and information security to interdisciplinary fields like bioinformatics. He is a skilled Python developer and has experience working with AWS, including Step functions, EC2, and S3. Raj's expertise also includes Shell scripting, TypeScript, JavaScript, Node.js, Webpack, Jest, C++, and web performance optimization, including dynamic imports, code splitting, and caching. Raj has worked on various projects during his time at Amazon, including building and improving the standardized command line interface (CLI) tool used by internal developers for Alexa NU model development. He has also reduced the operational time of a process essential to NU by more than 50% through automation. Raj has been a core contributor to the Alexa built-in launch on Samsung Smart TVs and further releases on LG Smart TVs, which were highlighted in Devices and Alexa section of Amazon's 2020 First Quarter Results. He has also represented Amazon Alexa as an Exhibitor at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020, Las Vegas. Raj's education background includes a Master's degree in Computer Science from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Computer Engineering from KJ Somaiya College of Engineering, Vidyavihar. He also holds Higher Secondary Certificate (H.S.C) from S.E.S High School & Junior College, Thane, and Secondary School Certificate (S.S.C) from the same institution. Overall, Raj is a highly skilled and motivated Software Engineer with a passion for technology and a drive to succeed. He is always looking for new opportunities to learn and grow and is open to connecting with like-minded professionals.