J. Simon Richard

Ph.D. in Computer Science

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

• Research Focus: LLMs, Formal Methods, & Programming Languages

B.S. Computer Science and Mathematics | 4.0 GPA

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH

• WPT Leadership Award
• Outstanding Mathematics Student Award
• Student Achievement Award (Engineering)

Graduate Researcher Program (GRP) Intern — Cyber Security

The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA

• Explored cyber-security and systems-engineering-related research topics in an aerospace setting, focusing on problems that program verification can inform.
• Gained exposure to CHERI, a memory-safety-focused hardware architecture.
• Wrote internal funding proposals for university-led research.

Senior Math / Computer Science Project: "Large Language Model Reasoning and AutoFormalization"

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
Advised by Dr. Aditi Singh, Dr. L. Felipe Martins and Dr. Shawn D. Ryan

• Created a novel framework for proposition autoformalization
• Built a system integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) with the LEAN 4 Proof Assistant (via tool use), enabling the verification of definitions and proofs generated by the LLMs
• Managed a team of three other Computer Science and Data Science seniors, directing research and engineering efforts.
• Explored the foundations of formal theorem proving and the LEAN 4 proof language.

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
Advised by Dr. Ivan Soprunov

• Wrote exploratory and proof-oriented code using SageMath (an extension of Python).
• Reasoned in the context of geometry (2D and 15D), combinatorics, linear algebra, and group theory.
• Refactored research code, improving readability, usability, and performance.

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
Advised by Dr. Satish Kumar

• Critically evaluated a hybrid quantum-classical machine learning technique using cross-validation and extensive hyperparameter tuning.
• Reproduced the model architecture from scratch using PyTorch and Pennylane.
• Published findings concluding that the classical-only models perform just as well as models using the hybrid quantum-classical methodology.

R&D Intern

MIM Software, Beachwood, OH
Advised by Dr. Soroush Pahlavian

• Reviewed and presented on current literature.
• Reproduced several methodologies for adapting an open source 2D image segmentation model in order to segment 3D medical scans using publicly available code and data.
• Fine-tuned those models using a proprietary CT scan dataset.
• Summarized findings in a technical report and presented the results to MIM's R&D Team and Chief Science Officer.

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

• Host lab sessions, guiding students through hardware and software labs
• Grade labs, homework assignments, exams

Computer Peer Teacher (CPT) Coordinator

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH

• Managed a team of 8 CPTs, including hiring, training, class assignments, & time sheets
• Improved IT infrastructure and cybersecurity.
• Organized 8 computer science events, coordinated with faculty and peer programs.
• Received the Washkewicz Peer Teacher (WPT) Leadership Award

Computer Peer Teacher (CPT)

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH

• Provided 1-on-1 assistance to students learning Python, Java, and C
• Helped organize computer science events.

Peer Math Tutoring

Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH

• Tutored other students in the area of mathematics up to and including Calculus 3, both online and in-person.

Data & DevOps (IT) Intern

The Sherwin-Williams Company, Cleveland, OH

• Worked directly with stakeholders to build and launch a NextJS + Snowflake analytics proof-of-concept serving $100M customer portfolio
• Set up CI for Snowflake schema codebase
• Proved concept for AI-generated KPI reports
• Deployed/debugged web app & Tekton on Kubernetes
• Set up frontend tracing with Grafana Faro
• Delivered rapid, consistent value

Software Engineering Intern

MIM Software Inc., Beachwood, OH

• Contributed to a 1M+ line code base by implementing UI features and bug fixes.
• Added support for a legacy file format that will allow the company to drop support for older versions of their flagship product.
• Participated in biweekly stand-up meetings as a part of the Agile development process.
• A publicly released co-op report is available upon request.

Software Engineering Intern

Integrated Mill Systems Inc., Willoughby, OH

• Developed a PLC data-logging service for the Raspberry Pi using Python / Bash Scripting, Docker, Rust, and sockets.
• Wrote a data-visualization web app using React and d3.js.