Hello! My name is Leah.
I'm a student at the University of Chicago.
I study Computational and Applied Mathematics and
Philosophy.
I love (nearly) all technology. I'm interested in the future
of human life & connection in a changing technological
environment.
I work across software, hardware, design, and
people-organizing. I also rock climb and
listen
to
a
lot
of
music.
Email me at
[email protected]!
My GitHub is
@theaquarium.
My LinkedIn is
/leahvashevko.
Work
-
2024-NOW: I'm an FPGA engineer for the UChicago Space Program, where I am building a high-speed signal receiver for an experimental laser communications satellite. -
2025–NOW: I work at the UChicago Computer Science Instructional Laboratory, where I create web and computer vision tools to help lab staff manage inventory and spaces. -
2025: I did graph theory research as part of the UChicago Mathematics REU. I wrote a paper on quasirandom graph sequences (listed below). -
NOW: Building human-first AI-powered tools?
Publications
-
2025: “An Overview of Quasirandom Graph Sequences.” L. Vashevko. -
2025: “Development of a Polarization-Based Optical Communications Ground Station for the PULSE-A CubeSat.” (Accepted to the Small Satellite Conference). With J. Prieto Asbun et al. -
2025: “PULSE-A: Polarization-Modulated Optical Communications at the CubeSat Form Factor.” (Accepted to IEEE Aerospace Conference). With L. Hanssler et al.
Projects
-
2022–2024: Organized the Wonderland and Beantown Bash hackathons in Boston with 300 total participants. -
2021–2024: Created nshs.site, a schedule generator tool used by 400+ students and teachers at my high school. -
2022–2023: Co-created abSENT, an app for students at my high school. Reached 1k+ users in 3 months and was a runner up for the Congressional App Challenge. -
2021–2023: Created StatRings, a customizable Fitbit watch face with 2900+ reviews on the Fitbit app store. -
2022: Built Matrix Math, a visualization tool for performing linear transformations with matrices. -
2021: Redesigned ShareX-Custom-Upload, a self-hosted screenshot and file uploading tool. -
2020: My team won NASA's Space Apps Challenge, the largest hackathon in the world. -
ALWAYS: I love all gadgets. Talk to me about gadgets. Talk to me about home automation! I ♡ my Home Assistant setup. Talk to me about 3D printing! Talk to me about hardware!
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