# Michael Zhu

> Builder

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/michaelzhu1

michaelwzhu@berkeley.edu

## Work Experience
### Founder @ Flow Labs
Jan 2025 – Present
Consumer app studio

~ 1500 users, $3000 in revenue.

1. practicedebate.ai
DebatePro: AI-simulated, real-time voice debate training for competitive debate students

2. ascendapp.io | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ascend-peptide-tracker/id6755852284
Ascend: peptide and health tracking app

### Software Engineer @ Atlassian
Jan 2023 – Jan 2024
- Built core components for Atlassian's AI-powered Rovo search product, including the query suggestion system with recent search filtering, keyboard accessibility, and analytics instrumentation
- Developed frontend and backend features for third-party search integrations (Google, Microsoft, Slack), including GraphQL connector work, ATI field refactoring, and search result formatting fixes
- Drove FedRAMP and FIPS compliance efforts across multiple codebases, migrating cryptographic implementations from MD5 to SHA-256, upgrading feature flag libraries, and updating security configurations

### DATA100 uGSI (Undergraduate Student Instructor) @ UC Berkeley Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society
Jan 2022 – Jan 2023
- Teach data analysis + visualization, probability, feature engineering, and machine learning modeling
- Provide personalized help on labs and homework problems to students in office hours

### DATA100 Tutor @ UC Berkeley Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society
Jan 2022 – Jan 2022

### DATA100 Academic Intern @ UC Berkeley Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society
Jan 2022 – Jan 2022

### Software Engineer Intern @ Atlassian
Jan 2022 – Jan 2022
- Built a visualization to analyze message trigger similarities, differences, and other insights for 800+ messages
- Created and implemented a greedy algorithm to store trigger overlap details within a tree data structure
- Engineered 5 UI changes to improve Engagement Platform usability for 5 million monthly users

### Machine Learning Research Assistant @ UC Berkeley Complexity Science for Nuclear Security
Jan 2022 – Jan 2022
• Implemented hyperparameter search with Optuna to decrease original code size by 200 lines and runtime by up to 56%
• Wrote 6 unit tests for machine learning models that predict nuclear activity from reactors for security
• Created new Tensorflow callback and refactored existing callbacks to create custom model visualization

### Technical Consultant @ Valley Consulting Group
Jan 2021 – Jan 2022
Serving as a Technical Consultant at a UC Berkeley based management firm working exclusively with industry-leading technology companies in the Silicon Valley. VCG is composed of UC Berkeley's brightest undergraduates, receiving nearly 1,000 applications each year at acceptance rate of just 1%.
Past clients include Google, Microsoft, Airbnb, Salesforce, Dropbox, LinkedIn, and more.

### Technical Consultant for Airbnb @ Valley Consulting Group
Jan 2021 – Jan 2021
Conducted market research and Airbnb host interviews to learn and present findings on the Airbnb security and surveillance market

### Data Analyst @ Sports Analytics Group at Berkeley
Jan 2020 – Jan 2021
- Consulted for the Denver Nuggets to improve brand health by analyzing language and sentiment on 30,000+ tweets
- Analyzed quantitative differences in team performance during the NBA Bubble in published article
- Utilizing python and SQL to perform data analysis and statistical research on sports teams, players, and trends

### Software Engineer Intern @ Rivian
Jan 2021 – Jan 2021
- Built a private REST API using VPC endpoints in AWS Amplify through Cloudformation to boost data security
- Engineered 5 UI improvements in project management tool using React.js, HTML, CSS for 300+ monthly users
- Reversed base64 encoding in AWS Pinpoint to reduce file size by 25% and support images in all mobile platforms

### CS70 Academic Intern @ UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS)
Jan 2021 – Jan 2021
- Taught induction, graph theory, modular arithmetic, RSA, and probability to a class of 500 students
- Engaged in group instruction through homework parties and individual help through office hours

### Software Engineer Intern @ Kolmostar
Jan 2020 – Jan 2020 | Fremont, California, United States
- Utilized AWS S3 to build an API gateway to streamline data collection pipeline for GPS coordinates
- Increased packet transfer rate by 20% by using AWS Lambda to track & upload transfers to PostgreSQL database
- Displayed data transfer properties in a browser through a Python HTTP server

### Co-Founder and CEO @ Evolution Basketball Training
Jan 2016 – Jan 2020 | Fremont, California, United States
- Work as a basketball trainer and coach for students of all ages from elementary schoolers to adults
- Focused on developing skill, leadership, teamwork, and communication
- Grew my client class to 20+, while generating $10,000+ in profits


## Education
### Bachelor of Arts - BA in Computer Science
University of California, Berkeley

### Irvington High School


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/michaelwzhu

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Source: https://flows.cv/michaelzhu1
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/michaelzhu1/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-03-29