Joel Vilanilam Zachariah
Vestal, New York 13850
jzachariah@binghamton.edu | (206) 817-7712
Education
MS, Systems Science
Jan 2026 – Present
State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, New York, USA
B. Tech, Computer Science and Engineering (CGPA: 8.68)
Aug 2016 – Aug 2020
APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University at Thrikkakara, Ernakulam, Kerala, India
Research Interests
Data Engineering, Data Analytics, Complex Systems, Network Science, Healthcare Systems
Relevant Coursework
Introduction to Systems Science (SSIE 501), Applied Probability and Statistics (SSIE 505), Applied Soft Computing (SSIE 519), Collective Dynamics of Complex Systems (SSIE 523)
Professional Experience
Data Engineer
Nov 2022 – Jul 2025
Clue Digital, Ernakulam
- Designed and implemented scalable data pipelines using AWS services including S3, Glue, Lambda, and Athena.
- Integrated third-party APIs and modeled datasets for ingestion into an organizational data lake.
- Built automated workflows on Databricks to ensure reliable and timely data delivery.
- Applied data quality checks, validation logic, and transformations prior to client consumption.
- Developed analytical dashboards by aggregating data across geographical and temporal dimensions.
- Managed relational and transactional workloads using AWS Aurora and optimized SQL queries.
Cloud Engineer
Nov 2020 – Nov 2022
Deloitte USI, Bangalore
- Managed and supported AWS cloud infrastructure for enterprise data teams.
- Optimized processing workflows on AWS Redshift clusters, improving efficiency by approximately 20%.
- Designed system architecture and disaster recovery strategies to ensure high availability.
- Collaborated with cross-functional stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
Computer Skills
- Cloud Platforms: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform
- Data Tools: Databricks, AWS Glue, Athena, Redshift, SageMaker
- Programming: Python, PySpark, SQL
- Certification: Introduction to Generative AI (Coursera)
Significant Academic Projects
Natural Language Interface to Query Institutional Database
Aug 2019 – May 2020
- Developed a platform for faculty to query the university database using spoken English.
- Leveraged NLTK library to process the input string via POS tagging to generate an abstract syntax tree.
- Queried the structure using Apache TinkerPop to execute it against a graph database.
- The user-friendly interface simplified the insight derivation process for faculty to better understand student performance metrics.
Awards and Achievements
- Served as the chairman of the Debate club (2018-19) and formulated skill development sessions to empower students to improve their communication skills.
- Served as the Joint secretary of FOSSMEC (2018-19) - the open source community for our college. Organized activities to develop the culture of collaborative development.
- Presented a non-technical lightning talk at PyCon 2018 at Hyderabad on the topic of developing systems to nurture development skills irrespective of skill level.
Extracurricular Activities
Make A Difference - Education Volunteer
Regularly volunteered in shelter homes to teach mathematics to underprivileged children to help them improve their understanding and clear their exams.
Kochi Overboard - Founder
Passionate about creating welcoming spaces - founded a social mixer community in Kerala, India to help members socialize over shared hobbies like boardgames.