Emi Soroka
Education
- Apr. 2021 - present
- PhD. Aeronautics and Astronautics; Stanford University.
Advisors: Sanjay Lall and Mykel J. Kochenderfer - Sep. 2019 - Mar. 2021
- M.S. Aeronautics and Astronautics; Stanford University.
Relevant Coursework: Convex Optimization, Optimal Control, Automated Reasoning, Machine Learning, Large-Scale Computation & Optimization, Probability Theory, Theory of Modern Statistics. - Sep. 2015 - June 2019
- B.S. Aerospace Engineering, minor in Computer Science; University of California Irvine.
Honors: summa cum laude. GPA: 3.932
Publications
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Satisfiability.jl: Satisfiability Modulo Theories in Julia E. Soroka, M. Kochenderfer, S. Lall. Preprint, 2023.
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Designing a Hardware-Agnostic Interface Between Route and Trajectory Planning in Self-Driving Cars E. Soroka, S. Lall. CCTA 2022.
Awards
Centennial Teaching Assistant, Stanford University; June 2021. Centennial Teaching Assistants are selected by student nomination for outstanding teaching in the School of Engineering.
- Charles Lee Powell Fellowship, Stanford University; Sep. 2019.
- The Charles Lee Powell Fellowship supports students in the fields of engineering science, computer science and applied mathematics.
Research
Online Learning in Long-Tail Situations, PI: Sanjay Lall, Stanford University; Jun. 2023 – present.
- Proposed a framework for autonomous vehicles to navigate long-tail situations by learning temporal logic rules in real time from observations of other drivers’ actions.
- Implemented intersection traffic rules using the CommonRoad software suite, modifying CommonRoad Python software to support new features.
- (in progress) Applied conformal prediction to compute statistically rigorous confidence intervals for trajectory predictions.
- Proposed using conformal prediction to compute temporal logic rules that describe predicted trajectories with a given confidence level.
Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) package, PI: Sanjay Lall, Stanford University; Jan. 2023 - Aug. 2023.
- Developed a Julia package providing a novel high-level interface for specifying SMT problems in Julia. The software compiles the high-level specification to the low-level \textsc{smt-lib} format and performs two-way communication with solvers using pipes and Julia’s Process library.
- Configured GitHub workflows to deploy code, build documentation, and enforce unittest coverage with Codecov.
- Publication: Satisfiability.jl: Satisfiability Modulo Theories in Julia (preprint)
- GitHub repository
Motion Planning with Temporal Logic, PI: Sanjay Lall, Stanford University; May 2022 - Jun. 2023.
- Applied signal temporal logic (STL), a language for expressing logical statements about time series data, to express optimization problems with Boolean combinations of constraints.
- Represented STL constrained problems using mixed integer methods. Linearized constraints and reduced the number of binary variables, resulting in faster solve times.
- Prepared Python code comparing Gurobi, Mosek, and Z3 for solving linear problems with STL constraints. Compared different solution methodologies to identify promising research directions.
- Implemented the Satisfiability Modulo Convex algorithm in Julia to solve nonlinear convex problems with STL constraints.
Autonomous Vehicle Planning Interface, PI: Sanjay Lall, Stanford University; Aug. 2021 - Jul. 2022.
- Surveyed autonomous driving standards and vehicle software designs to design an interface between low-level and high-level motion planning algorithms in autonomous vehicles.
- Prepared simulations in Python using CasADi to solve motion planning problems.
- Publication: Designing a Hardware-Agnostic Interface Between Route and Trajectory Planning in Self-Driving Cars in CCTA 2022.
Teaching
- Advanced Julia Course Development, Stanford University; Nov. 2023 – present.
- Advised by Eric Darve.
- Collaborated with another PhD student to develop a student-initiated one-unit course on Julia programming. This course will be offered in Stanford’s ICME department in Spring 2024 and will prepare students to develop publishable research code in Julia.
- (in progress) Prepared course materials on topics including functional programming principles, the Julia abstract syntax tree, macros, and best practices in scientific computing.
- Teaching Assistant, Stanford University; Mar. 2021 - Mar. 2022.
- Courses:
Industry Experience
- Engineering and IT Intern, Second Order Effects Inc.
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(Summer 2019)
- Developed Python software for a Raspberry Pi in an embedded device. Implemented new features, wrote unit tests, and corrected issues within existing codebase. Wrote and executed test procedures.
- Tracked progress using Jira tickets and prepared weekly reports for clients.
- Resolved issues with Jenkins pipeline to successfully deploy updates.
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(Summer 2018)
- Developed C firmware for an automated PCB test system with an STM32 microprocessor and multithreaded Python application to receive data and send timed sequences of commands to the PCB.
- Authored documentation for users and future developers.
- Conducted test campaign to validate clients’ hardware.
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(Summer 2017)
- Designed PCB housings and test fixtures in Solidworks; created technical drawings for manufacturing.
- Modified an existing circuit to meet new customer requirements. Prepared LTSpice simulations. Conducted PCB layout, assembly, testing, and characterization of circuit performance.
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(Summer 2016)
- Configured version control, project wikis, file sharing, VPN, and remote backups on Linux servers.
- Documented server configuration, troubleshooting, and recovery.
Student Technician, Office of Information Technology, UC Irvine; Winter 2016 - June 2019 (Academic Year)
- Assisted UCI faculty and students with email, school websites and services, and the campus Internet.
- Assisted in training new students and providing after-hours support.
Projects
TimeCrunch Scheduling App; Dec. 2019 - Sep. 2022.
- Developed software to visualize course enrollment data, allowing office hours and club events to be scheduled around classes.
- Managed development of a web app, collaborating with other UC Irvine students.
- Developed a web scraper for Stanford’s ExploreCourses catalog.
- CanSat Competition Team, UC Irvine; Aug. 2017 - Aug. 2019
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(2017) Founded UCI’s CanSat team. Recruited students and collaborated with others to design, build, and test the CanSat’s mechanical systems, ensure requirements compliance, and prepare Preliminary Design Review and Critical Design Review documents. UC Irvine was accepted to compete, successfully launched a CanSat, and placed in the top 20 teams.
Created software to manage team inventory, budget, and purchase orders, improving team efficiency. -
(2018) Designed a custom PCB with an ATMega processor to interface with off-the-shelf sensors and XBEE wireless modules. Taught new students about PCB design. Led integration of CanSat mechanical and electrical systems.
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(2019) Planned an independent launch of UC Irvine’s CanSat in the Mojave desert. Worked with other student teams to learn amateur rocketry skills in addition to completing the CanSat. Successfully completed the launch in August 2019.
- Autonomous Racing Robot, UC Irvine; Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017.
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Worked in a team of 3 to design and build a robot capable of following a pre-programmed course. Implemented feedback control and sensor calibration to overcome unreliable data.
- Maker Faire Project and Presentation; Spring 2012 - Spring 2014
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Designed and built an Arduino-powered Turret (from the game “Portal 2”) that detected motion, played sounds, and fired Nerf darts. Was selected for the 2014 Bay Area Maker Faire to give a 15 minute presentation on the project and how anyone can become a maker. Won the Editors’ Choice award for the project and presentation.
Volunteer Work
AIAA Social Chair / Club Treasurer, Stanford University; Jan. 2022 - Jun. 2023.
- Planned social and professional events for the Aeronautics and Astronautics department including student-faculty lunches, interdisciplinary socials, and the Aero/Astro Campout, a student-run weekend retreat for 70 participants.
- Managed the event budget and aplied for external grants. Implemented cost-saving measures, reducing spending by $300 per quarter without compromising social offerings.
Dean’s Graduate Student Advisory Council, Stanford University; Sep. 2022 - Jun 2023.
- Participated in faculty meetings to present new student-led initiatives tackling problems in the School of Engineering and request advisors’ participation.
- Led development of an intranet help website collecting resources for struggling graduate students.
IEEE Event Coordinator, UC Irvine; Sep. 2018 - June 2019.
- Collaborated with other students to plan educational and social events. Prepared content and taught workshops on LaTeX, Excel, and Google Script. Wrote weekly newsletters promoting club events.
- Implemented checklists to standardize event planning and prevent tasks from being missed.