\item\small{Founded the startup and successfully led executive fundraising efforts, securing \$4.7M in capital to build a peer-to-peer identity and asset management system leveraging decentralized identifiers (DIDs), WebAuthn, and IPFS.}
\item\small{Directed technical strategy across 7 full-time staff (including a technical writer) and two specialist agencies --- a 6-person token-economics team and a 6-engineer mobile team --- with all reporting lines direct to CEO, co-developing a React Native mobile chat application powered by the decentralized Matrix protocol.}
\item\small{Architected a custom Layer 1 blockchain using the Cosmos SDK, optimizing data serialization and network communication with Protobufs.}
\item\small{Operated the Sonr Testnet across 4 geographically distributed validator nodes (San Francisco, New York, Virginia, Asia) with 4+ environments and 4 distinct validator profiles secured via KMS, sustaining 99\% operational uptime; ran the initial DevNet on Google Cloud and orchestrated Beam's self-hosted Matrix homeserver with Ansible, alongside Kubernetes, Docker, and Terraform infrastructure.}
\item\small{Drove massive open-source community growth, achieving the 4th highest global GitHub contributions (Oct 2021 -- Oct 2022) for the platform's MVP, and successfully onboarding over 120 first-time blockchain developers to the Motor SDKs during DevNet.}
\item\small{Actively shaped global web standards as a W3C Working Group Member for DIDs, WebAuthn, and WebAssembly (WASM); implemented the DID specification to full spec compliance and built the first W3C-conformant WebAuthn implementation tied to DIDs recorded on a blockchain, enabling passkey-based wallet identity.}
\item\small{Pivoted the company to B2B (2026), leading customer discovery for a white-label wallet system positioned as an open-source alternative to Privy, while winding down consumer operations.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Mobile App Developer}\hfill\textit{Aug 2020 - May 2021}\\
\textit{Leidos --- Herndon, VA, USA}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Engineered and deployed features for the official Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mobile Passport application, a high-visibility tool utilized by millions of travelers to expedite entry into the United States.}
\item\small{Leveraged the Flutter framework and Dart to build and maintain a seamless, high-performance cross-platform experience for both iOS and Android users.}
\item\small{Collaborated within a highly regulated, hybrid agile environment to ensure the application met strict federal security, privacy, and accessibility standards.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Data Science Intern}\hfill\textit{May 2019 - Aug 2019}\\
\textit{Unissant --- Herndon, VA, USA}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Engineered and deployed a machine learning fraud detection model utilizing AWS SageMaker to identify irregular patterns in healthcare data.}
\item\small{Developed a custom, client-facing web application using React, integrated with serverless AWS Lambda functions to interact with the predictive model in real-time.}
\item\small{Delivered a successful proof-of-concept (POC) to a consulting client, demonstrating the firm's technical capabilities in advanced data management and automated fraud prevention.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Software Engineering Intern}\hfill\textit{May 2018 - Aug 2018}\\
\textit{Hobsons --- Arlington, VA, USA}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Architected a robust backend monitoring system using Java and the Spring Boot framework to track data synchronization between CommonApp documents and the Naviance platform.}
\item\small{Built an internal frontend dashboard using JavaScript and AngularJS to seamlessly consume, display, and filter REST API JSON responses.}
\item\small{Empowered the sales team to independently troubleshoot and answer customer QA inquiries by creating self-serve tools, drastically reducing response times from several days to just a few minutes.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{iOS Developer}\hfill\textit{Jul 2016 - May 2019}\\
\textit{Britetwist --- Ashburn, VA, USA}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Founded an independent mobile app studio, driving end-to-end product development---from ideation and UI/UX design to full-stack programming---for three successful applications.}
\item\small{Scaled the company's portfolio to over 1 million total downloads, encompassing a peer-to-peer volunteer network (VolunTree) and highly engaging mobile games (Space Bolt, Yu\=e).}
\item\small{Achieved peak user engagement metrics, including 15,000 Daily Active Users (DAU) for Space Bolt and 1,250 Monthly Active Users (MAU) for VolunTree.}
\item\small{Fostered strong developer community engagement by authoring technical architecture and game development articles that accumulated over 40,000 reads.}
\item\small{Engineered a revolutionary "Gasless Onboarding" pipeline by writing custom Cosmos AnteHandlers to intercept and validate WebAuthn (Passkeys/Biometrics) credentials directly at the mempool level, completely abstracting away seed phrases and transaction fees for new users.}
\item\small{Designed a capability-based authorization system integrating User-Controlled Authorization Networks (UCAN) and Decentralized Web Nodes (DWN) to provide granular, time-bound, and delegatable access to IPFS-backed encrypted data vaults.}
\item\small{Bridged Web3 ecosystems by implementing full EVM compatibility alongside CosmWasm smart contracts, supporting multi-chain token mappings and cross-chain operations via IBC protocols.}
\item\small{Built enterprise-grade DevOps infrastructure leveraging Kubernetes (Starship), Docker, and Devbox to orchestrate multi-node testnets and local development environments, utilizing GoReleaser for automated, multi-architecture CI/CD pipelines.}
\item\small{Integrated automated legal compliance tooling directly into the blockchain CLI, generating cryptographic proofs and automated filings for Wyoming DAO LC amendments.}
\item\small{Implemented advanced Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) systems, including Bulletproofs (Range Proofs and Inner Product Proofs) and cryptographic accumulators, leveraging the Fiat-Shamir heuristic for efficient, non-interactive verification.}
\item\small{Designed Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and Distributed Key Generation (DKG) protocols, enabling decentralized infrastructure through Threshold ECDSA/Ed25519, FROST, and Gennaro signature schemes without single points of failure.}
\item\small{Engineered highly secure, constant-time elliptic curve arithmetic across multiple standards (secp256k1, Ed25519, BLS12-381, NIST P-Curves), strictly enforcing safeguards against side-channel timing attacks, signature malleability, and nonce reuse.}
\item\small{Hardened system security by integrating AES-GCM authenticated encryption and Argon2id memory-hard key derivation, backed by an exhaustive suite of automated security tests, race-condition checks, and performance benchmarks.}
\item\small{Led the architecture and hands-on development of Beam, a cross-platform end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) mobile messaging application built in React Native, directing a 6-engineer cross-functional team across mobile, infrastructure, and product.}
\item\small{Architected and managed a self-hosted Matrix homeserver, customizing the decentralized Matrix protocol to deliver end-to-end encrypted (E2EE), censorship-resistant messaging with self-custodied message history.}
\item\small{Engineered a passkey-based authentication layer as a drop-in replacement for the Matrix authorization server, swapping centralized email/phone login for WebAuthn passkey wallets and Sonr Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) to enable passwordless, self-sovereign onboarding and cryptographic key exchange.}
\item\small{Abstracted decentralized routing and cryptographic key management behind a Web2-grade chat UX, guiding frontend and product teams to deliver a frictionless messaging experience over fully decentralized identity and transport infrastructure.}
\item\small{Architected "Motr," a WebAssembly (WASM) cryptographic enclave compiled from Go, designed to run entirely in client-side Web Workers. This sandboxed environment securely handles Multi-Party Computation (MPC), data signing, and UCAN token generation without ever exposing private keys to the main application thread.}
\item\small{Built an edge-native orchestration layer using Cloudflare Workers, utilizing Durable Objects, KV namespaces, and Service Bindings to manage persistent cross-platform sessions, smart routing, and state synchronization across the decentralized network.}
\item\small{Pioneered a "Web2-to-Web3" authentication bridge by integrating WebAuthn (Passkeys/Biometrics) and standard OAuth 2.0 flows directly into the SDK, allowing developers to offer passwordless, seed-phrase-free onboarding to their users.}
\item\small{Implemented account-isolated client persistence leveraging Dexie.js (IndexedDB) to create a robust offline caching layer for cryptographic states, delegated capabilities, and decentralized web node (DWN) records.}
\item\small{Directed the comprehensive token economic design for the Sonr Network, collaborating directly with 6 PhD economists from Prysm Group to architect a sustainable, highly secure Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) ecosystem.}
\item\small{Architected the core financial model and token mechanics, defining critical macroeconomic parameters including dynamic token allocation, circulating supply schedules, token velocity, and staking reward emissions to maximize long-term fundamental value.}
\item\small{Designed the on-chain governance and utility flow, establishing robust mechanisms for protocol voting, validator reputation scoring, and decentralized treasury/grant management. Modeled these frameworks using empirical data and opportunity cost analyses against major networks like Uniswap, Compound, and Algorand.}
\item\small{Aligned protocol incentives with network security, structuring the token to act as a seamless means of payment across Sonr's Highway modules, registries, and buckets, while ensuring validators are properly incentivized to maintain decentralization via Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC).}
\item\small{Bridged academic theory and engineering execution, successfully translating complex economic models---such as price shock absorption, lockup vesting, and subsidy schedules---into actionable smart contract and Layer-1 state machine logic.}
\item\small{Spearheaded the launch of the Sonr DevNet at premier collegiate hackathons, including PennApps XXII and UC Berkeley's CalHacks, to drive grassroots adoption of decentralized identity protocols.}
\item\small{Designed and hosted hands-on technical workshops aimed at abstracting away the friction of Web3 development, successfully onboarding dozens of first-time blockchain developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) without requiring deep cryptographic expertise.}
\item\small{Provided direct architectural mentorship and SDK support (utilizing the Sonr Motor API and DID modules), enabling developers to seamlessly integrate decentralized identity, secure messaging, and token marketplaces within 48-hour constraints.}
\item\small{Fostered a thriving early-stage ecosystem that produced highly innovative dApps, including Ptolemy (an on-chain/off-chain validator reputation scoring system), Faiza (a decentralized, token-incentivized health forum), and WalkWithMe (a secure, DID-authenticated peer-to-peer transit network).}
\item\small{Engineered deep native OS integrations by writing custom iOS Share Extensions (Swift) and Android Intent filters, allowing users to seamlessly share photos, videos, and files directly from the OS-level share sheet into the decentralized libp2p network.}
\item\small{Integrated a custom Go-based networking core using Gomobile, creating strict type-conversion bindings to translate low-level libp2p data streams, cryptographic keypairs, and Namebase decentralized routing into Dart.}
\item\small{Designed a reactive, high-performance UI/UX utilizing the GetX framework for state management, combined with complex Lottie and Rive animations to provide intuitive, real-time feedback during peer discovery and file transfers.}
\item\small{Built a robust local caching layer using Moor (SQLite) to securely store decentralized identity profiles, transfer history, and media metadata offline.}
\item\small{Automated the entire CI/CD pipeline by configuring custom Makefiles, Fastlane lanes, and GitHub Actions to fetch core framework submodules, manage code-generation (build\_runner), and seamlessly deploy App Bundles and iOS Archives to the Play Store and App Store TestFlight.}
\item\small{Developed and published a fully functional, low-poly 3D space adventure game to both iOS and Android platforms in 26 hours.}
\item\small{Engineered a custom algorithm for procedural generation, ensuring unique 3D planet environments for every individual game session.}
\item\small{Designed an in-app economy and digital storefront allowing users to exchange earned currency for game assets.}
\item\small{Authored two technical articles detailing the game's rapid development process, accumulating over 40,000 reads.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Swiper No Mauling}\hfill\textit{2019 - 2019}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Engineered a financially viable, AI-powered computer vision application designed to help farmers autonomously monitor livestock and prevent predator attacks.}
\item\small{Implemented the YOLOv3 object detection model using Python and TensorFlow to accurately identify predators and assess hostility levels within live camera frames.}
\item\small{Integrated the Twilio API to build an automated, real-time alert system that immediately dispatches SMS notifications to farmers the moment a threat is detected.}
\item\small{Designed an architectural roadmap to transition the computationally heavy detection model to a cloud-based infrastructure, with planned expansions for wildlife researchers to track events of interest.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Space Bolt}\hfill\textit{2016 - 2018}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Designed and developed an endless-runner space game, successfully scaling the player base to 15,000 daily active users and 850,000 total downloads by 2018.}
\item\small{Engineered a custom API and server-side caching system to generate, retrieve, and distribute shareable gameplay GIFs.}
\item\small{Integrated Facebook leaderboards to drive user engagement, retention, and global competition among players.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Timebo[AR]d}\hfill\textit{2017 - 2017}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Collaborated at HackHarvard 2017 to build a native iOS Augmented Reality application designed to capture, store, and share physical whiteboard sessions.}
\item\small{Developed a feature mapping 2D whiteboard drawings into navigable, cloud-stored 3D models using just two screen taps.}
\item\small{Implemented a "time machine" versioning system, enabling users to step through and view saved virtual frames in real-time.}
\item\small{Provided a scalable solution for teams and students to archive architectural diagrams and course notes for future collaborative editing.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Like.ly}\hfill\textit{2017 - 2017}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Engineered a predictive analytics tool leveraging scikit-learn supervised regression models (linear regression, SVR, polynomial features) to forecast Instagram post engagement and likes.}
\item\small{Developed an intuitive user interface by building a cross-platform mobile application using React Native and Expo.}
\item\small{Aggregated public Instagram post data via the official Instagram API with OAuth authentication to train the model and optimize prediction accuracy.}
\item\small{Integrated the Microsoft Computer Vision API to analyze visual post content and extract key features for the machine learning pipeline.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Pool}\hfill\textit{2019 - 2019}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Designed and engineered the frontend architecture for an event-sharing mobile application utilizing the Flutter framework and Dart.}
\item\small{Translated complex Dribbble UI/UX designs into fully functional programmatic widget hierarchies, implementing custom TableView cells, dynamic navigation, and animated backgrounds using the simple-animations library.}
\item\small{Authored and published a two-part technical series ("A Deep Dive into Flutter") in Medium's Flutter Community publication, detailing the application's structural development to educate developers on cross-platform best practices.}
\item\small{Architected a scalable, modular codebase designed to seamlessly integrate with future Node.js and MongoDB backend implementations.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{VolunTree}\hfill\textit{2015 - 2017}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Engineered an iOS application to digitize and legitimize volunteer hour tracking for high school students via a peer-to-peer verification system.}
\item\small{Scaled the platform to 1,250 monthly active users and achieved 15,000 total downloads in 2016.}
\item\small{Integrated social and community features enabling users to follow peers and discover over 15 daily volunteer opportunities.}
\item\small{Built an organizational portal allowing local non-profits to post updates and connect directly with the student volunteer community.}
\item\small{Implemented an export feature allowing students to seamlessly transfer verified hours to their schools for academic credit.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Floadt}\hfill\textit{2013 - 2015}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Developed a unified social media client designed to aggregate and display Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds within a single, Pinterest-style user interface.}
\item\small{Engineered advanced social management features, including cross-platform scheduled publishing, feed filtering to hide specific users, and mutual-follower verification.}
\item\small{Gained deep, hands-on experience in network architecture and complex REST API integration prior to major platform policy changes that restricted third-party developer access.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{4pt}
\textbf{Superball}\hfill\textit{2011 - 2012}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Developed and launched a puzzle-based casual game for iOS using the Cocos2D framework and Objective-C at age 12.}
\item\small{Navigated the constraints of early iOS development by successfully managing memory allocation manually, prior to the introduction of built-in automated memory management.}
\item\small{Designed the complete game loop, mechanics, and user interface tailored specifically for the mobile casual gaming market.}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{6pt}
{\bfseries Publications \& Talks}\\[2pt]
\rule{\linewidth}{0.4pt}\\[4pt]
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*, nosep, topsep=2pt]
\item\small{Nukala, P. (2022). What Web3 can learn from the Mac and the iPhone. Fast Company. \href{https://www.fastcompany.com/90814899/web3-lessons-mac-iphone}{[link]}}
\item\small{Nukala, P. (2019). A Deep Dive into Flutter, Parts 1-2. Medium, Flutter Community. \href{https://medium.com/flutter-community/deep-dive-in-flutter-b0b827440a49}{[link]}}
\item\small{Building in the decentralized web with Sonr. Workshop, ETHGlobal HackFS (2022). \href{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy6Xkh9Mvcs}{[link]}}
\end{itemize}
\vspace{6pt}
{\bfseries Education}\\[2pt]
\rule{\linewidth}{0.4pt}\\[4pt]
\textbf{Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Mathematics}\hfill\textit{2017 - 2020}\\
