Santhosh Kumar

Aerospace · IIT Bombay

SANTHOSH KUMAR

Aerospace Engineer building the intersection of Aerospace & Intelligent Systems — AI/ML developer, robotics enthusiast & researcher.

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Who I Am

About Me

I'm an Aerospace Engineering student at IIT Bombay, passionate about bridging the gap between classical aerospace engineering and cutting-edge AI/ML.

Alongside engineering, I actively engage in cryptocurrency trading and market research, with a focus on macroeconomic dynamics and global financial trends.

I'm driven by curiosity and enjoy exploring emerging technologies,ideas, and interdisciplinary domains.

M.Tech — Aerospace Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
2024 – 2026 CPI 9.04 / 10
B.Tech — Aerospace Engineering
Anna University (ACT, Chennai)
2020 – 2024 CGPA 8.65 / 10
What I've Built

Key Projects

01
Aerospace Surface Defect Detection
YOLOv8 PyTorch FastAPI Transfer Learning
  • CNN-based vision system detecting cracks, deformation, paint peel & rivet damage.
  • Trained with transfer learning, data augmentation & class balancing.
  • Deployed low-latency FastAPI inference backend + image-upload web interface on Render.
Live Demo
02
Sizing & Regional Deployment Analysis of Electric Commuter Aircraft for Short-Haul Operations (M.Tech Project)
Guides: Prof. Avijit Chatterjee · Prof. Hemendra Arya
Electric Aircraft FlightRadar24 Python
  • Algorithmic sizing framework estimating weight, power, energy & performance from mission profiles.
  • FlightRadar24-based mission analysis for real climb/cruise/descent energy estimation.
  • Payload–range trade-off analysis identifying Indian routes for early electric deployment.
In Progress
03
Guidance, Navigation, and Control of a Fixed-Wing Autonomous UAV
6-DOF Linearization Autopilot Waypoint Nav
  • Developed a MATLAB/Simulink-based UAV simulation framework covering 6-DOF dynamics, estimation, guidance, and control
  • Implemented nonlinear flight dynamics with quaternion-based kinematics, including aerodynamic, propulsion, and disturbance models
  • Computed trim conditions and linearized models, and designed a multi-loop autopilot (PID) using successive loop closure
  • Integrated state estimation (Kalman filtering), path planning, and guidance algorithms for waypoint tracking and autonomous navigation
View Project
04
Multimodal Airline Support Agent
OpenAI API Claude API RAG Function Calling
  • Multimodal customer-service agent with text, image & audio I/O.
  • Function calling tools for PNR lookup and real-time flight status.
  • Multi-model routing orchestrated with RAG over airline FAQs.
View Project
05
AI Knowledge Worker — RAG System
LangChain FAISS Chroma Streamlit
  • RAG system ingesting & querying documents using vector databases.
  • Hybrid search + re-ranking for improved retrieval performance.
  • REST API + Streamlit UI with source citations.
View Project
06
Quadrotor UAV — Nonlinear Modeling & PID Control
MATLAB Simulink 6-DOF Newton-Euler
  • Nonlinear 6-DOF quadrotor dynamic model using Newton–Euler equations.
  • Hierarchical PID attitude & position control with rotor-level control allocation.
  • 3D trajectory tracking validated in closed-loop simulation.
View Project
07
E-Commerce Platform
Django AWS PayPal S3 / RDS
  • Full-stack online store with user authentication & roles.
  • PayPal payments + AWS (S3, RDS, Elastic Beanstalk) integration.
  • Responsive UI with email verification flow.
View Project
08
Real-Time Chat Application
Django Channels WebSockets TailwindCSS
  • Multi-user real-time chat using WebSockets & Django Channels.
  • Scalable architecture with persistent message storage.
  • Responsive TailwindCSS UI with live updates.
View Project
Track Record

Experience & Leadership

Research Intern — Electric Propulsion
Sphere Tech Innovations, Chennai Sep 2023 – Apr 2024
  • Designed & fabricated a low-power Applied-Field MPD Thruster (W cathode, Cu anode, permanent-magnet applied field); full 3D/assembly in CATIA.
  • Built an instrumented vacuum rig (rail-based load-cell thrust stand, Arduino) + automated Python logging; peak thrust ≈ 0.30 N @ 40 V.
  • Ran parameter sweeps (current, 50–120 mT field, mass flow); integrated ZVS + flyback HV supply; co-authored conference paper.
Teaching Assistant — AI and Data Science
IIT Bombay · Prof. Prabhu Ramachandran Jan – May 2025
  • Assisted in exams & crib sessions for 100+ B.Tech students.
  • Evaluated assignments and written exams.
Teaching Assistant — Aircraft Design
IIT Bombay · Prof. Avijit Chatterjee Jan 2026 – Present
  • Conducting quizzes, exams, crib sessions and evaluating answer scripts for 100+ students.
Teaching Assistant — Aerodynamics Laboratory
IIT Bombay · Prof. Viren Menezes Jul – Nov 2025
  • Guided 80+ B.Tech students in "Analysis of Unsteady Wave Motion in a Shock Tube" lab.
  • Clarified concepts and evaluated lab reports.
Interview Coordinator
IIT Bombay Placement Cell Oct – Dec 2024
  • Coordinated with 250+ member team for interviews of 2300+ students.
  • Assisted in conducting tests for 20+ firms and handling student queries.
Student Companion — ISCP
IIT Bombay Jul 2025 – Present
  • Selected from 330 mentors via competitive interview.
  • Mentored 4 first-year PG students academically, socially & extracurricularly.
Toolkit

Technical Skills

⌨️
Programming
PythonC++ SQLBash LaTeX
🤖
Robotics & Control
ROS 2Gazebo PX4RViz PIDState-Space MATLABSimulink
🧠
ML Frameworks
PyTorchTensorFlow scikit-learnKeras
💬
GenAI & NLP
LangChainTransformers WhisperOpenAI API Claude APIGemini API Llama
📊
Data & Tools
NumPyPandas MatplotlibSeaborn JupyterGit LinuxDocker
🗄️
Vector DBs & RAG
FAISSChroma PineconeEmbeddings Hybrid Search
☁️
Cloud / DevOps
AWS S3RDS SageMakerLambda RenderCI/CD MLflow
🌐
Web & UI
DjangoFastAPI GradioStreamlit HTML/CSS/JSTailwindCSS
✈️
CAD & Aerospace
CATIA V5XFLR5 SUAVEAircraft Sizing Performance Analysis
Thoughts

Blog

December 1, 2025
Getting Started with RAG Systems
Exploring the fundamentals of Retrieval-Augmented Generation and how to build production-ready RAG systems with hybrid search and re-ranking...
Read More
November 15, 2025
Electric Aircraft: The Future of Aviation
A deep dive into hybrid electric propulsion systems and their impact on sustainable aviation, backed by real sizing research...
Read More
November 1, 2025
Building Multimodal AI Agents
Learn how to create AI agents that process text, images, and audio using modern LLMs and function calling frameworks...
Read More
Get In Touch

Let's Connect

Open to research collaborations, and conversations about aerospace, AI, or anything in between.

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