Hi! This is Shikha. Welcome to my website.

I am a recent graduate from the University of Chicago with a Master's in Digital Studies of Language, Culture, and History, an interdisciplinary degree that integrates tools from data science into the humanities. I am a firm believer in intersectional education, which breaks down traditional boundaries between disciplines, recognising their interconnectedness and mutual dependence in shaping holistic knowledge.

About Me

I am a computational linguist, as well as an enthusiastic reader, painter, and writer. I am a curious reader, always on the lookout for books and new literary genres to explore. My deep love for languages and literature has been a constant throughout my life, driving me to explore and appreciate the nuances of human communication. This passion seamlessly extends into my professional work, where I leverage computational techniques to uncover patterns and insights in linguistic data.

My passion for painting stems from a deep appreciation of the shades of nature around me. It allows me to capture and convey emotions and ideas visually, while writing provides an outlet for my thoughts and reflections. Exploring diverse literary genres, delving into philosophical and spiritual literature, and expressing creativity through art are activities that I find immensely fulfilling.

I have a strong commitment to social causes, particularly those related to women's and children's education. My work in the non-profit education sector focuses on initiatives that empower underprivileged children, reflecting my dedication to making a meaningful impact through education and empowerment.

Additionally, I enjoy meditating, watching movies, and running. These activities help me maintain a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle, nurturing both my creative and reflective sides.

Professional Overview

I am a trained NLP specialist with one year of hands-on experience in NLU/NLG, bringing a robust interdisciplinary background that fuels innovation across various domains. Adept in machine learning, deep learning, data visualization, Python, and SQL. I excel in translating technical expertise into tangible outcomes. I have spearheaded impactful projects across academia, non-profit, and research sectors and have a strong reputation for being tenacious, ethical, positive, and autonomous.

Education

The University of Chicago, Chicago, USA
M.A. Digital Studies of Language, Culture, and History (STEM)
Sep 2023 - Jun 2024
Core Subjects: Programming, Statistics, Data Visualization, Data Analytics, Database Management, Data Publication, Machine Learning, AI and the Humanities, Corpus Statistics, Digital Humanities, Cultural Analytics.
Specialization: Natural Language Processing and Deep Learning with text.

Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
M.A. English
Aug 2019 - Jul 2021
Core Subjects: Critical Theory, Cultural Studies, Approaches to Literary Criticism, Post-Colonial Literature, Literary Movements, Indian Literature in English, Literary Genres.
Specialization: Academic Writing and Cultural Studies.
Dissertation: A comparative study from Dostoevsky to Kafka: Socialist-Feminism in the representation of female characters.

Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
B.A. English Honours
May 2016 - Jun 2019
Core Subjects: English, Psychology, Public Administration.
Honours: English Literature.

Work Experience

AI Linguistic Engineer, Meta  via Teksystems, California              July 2024-Present

• Developed and fine-tuned prompts by evaluating language consistency, tone, accuracy, and fluency in English and Romanized Hindi.
• Compiled comprehensive quality reports for generative AI models, enhancing the NLP pipeline.

Digital Research Specialist, Textual Optics Lab, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
Jun 2024 - Aug 2024

• Researched and curated a distinctive compilation of 30,000 lines from non-digitized Hindi manuscripts.
• Implemented cutting-edge NLP methodologies to uncover language evolution, thematic trends, stylistic variations, and cultural influences.

Assistant Professor in English, University Institute of Liberal Arts and Humanities, Chandigarh University, Mohali, India
Jun 2023 - Aug 2023

• Maximized engagement on Canvas LMS, boosting comprehension by 15% in linguistic and literary concepts through multimedia integration.
• Led interdisciplinary workshops and seminars focused on interdisciplinary research, tailored for the humanities, nurturing collaboration among diverse academic fields and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Provided personalized guidance to students through tailored feedback, encouraging iterative refinement to enhance their work.

Non-Profit Experience

SBI Youth For India Fellow, Social Work Research Centre: Barefoot College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Aug 2021 - Sep 2022

• Lived and worked with marginalized communities in a remote location for 13 months.
• Conducted a comprehensive survey and analysis to address rural youth’s financial and educational challenges, to spur crowdfunding initiatives.
• Founded Rajasthan’s first Women Digital Village Library, with a library, computer center, and an e-governance center for surrounding villages.
• Collaborated and formulated a library committee, inclusive of members of stakeholders from different castes, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Facilitated training sessions for local stakeholders, promoting effective model implementation through coordination and communication.
• Designed, implemented, and evaluated Digital Learning Centres, increasing educational access by 53% and replicating the learning center in five villages, demonstrating scalable execution.
• Planned, scheduled, and coordinated multiple activities, resources, and timelines to achieve project goals effectively and efficiently.
• Spearheaded crowdfunding for sanitation facilities, prioritized community health, and championed inclusivity with initiatives fostering equal educational access in multiple villages.
• Consolidated Tilonia Learning Club, a peer-to-peer learning initiative serving the community at The Barefoot College Tilonia, fostering mentorship, performance, and dialogue across a diverse audience including NGO staff, fellows, professionals, and local residents.
• Orchestrated in writing and directing the play ‘Kisan Martaban’ regarding the dilemma of farmer suicide in India.
• Mentored individual members of the group to enhance their communication skills to present sessions and discussions.
• Led and supervised a team of twenty youths in establishing Nalu's inaugural 24/7 library, known as Jagriti Kendra or Village Learning Centre (VLC).
• Allocated duties to each member, to model the library into a completely youth-run enterprise.
• Solidified community resilience in the face of a six-week protest by local caste apartheid and united the locals for non-discriminatory practices.
• Instructed a group of twenty girls to improve their English language skills.

Research Experience

Research Assistant Digitization, Textual Optics Lab, University of Chicago
Apr 2024 - Jun 2024

• Working to build an original corpus of un-digitized Hindi literary poetry for the Philologic base to perform corpus statistics to understand the various dimensions of language evolution, thematic trends, stylistic variations, and cultural influences within Hindi poetry.

Natural Language Processing, Project Brahman(ब्रह्मण): Unraveling India's Spiritual Landscape through NLP
Mar 2024 - May 2024

• Utilized NLP techniques such as Named Entity Recognition (NER) to meticulously model, identify, and extract crucial entities including locations and personalities.
• Integrating geotagged data to generate dynamic maps, facilitating interactive exploration enabling users to explore and connect with India’s spiritual heritage interactively.

Data Publication and Web Development: Website Curation: Digital Portfolio from scratch
Mar 2024 - May 2024

• Curated a dynamic website utilizing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to showcase project portfolios and enhance professional visibility.

Machine Learning and Data Visualisation: Yoga Pose Image Recognition Project using CNN
Jan 2023 - Mar 2024

• Implemented a comprehensive approach by leveraging 7,000 annotated images to apply diverse methodologies including feature engineering, meticulous preprocessing with Keras, and clustering analysis.

Corpus Building and Corpus Statistics: ByteEthics: Decoding AI's Moral Fabric through NLP
Jan 2023 - Mar 2024

• Transformed diverse texts into TEI corpus, applying NLP techniques for sentiment analysis, keyword extraction, and topic modeling to unveil cultural nuances, historical shifts, stakeholder perspectives, and interdisciplinary connections, fostering transparency for future research.

Database Management: Celestial Tapestry: Pioneered Semantic Ontology of Lunar Astresims
Sep 2023 - Dec 2023

• Formulated an ontology for the Semantic Web, consolidating disparate data into a structured framework of 1,681 axioms and 375 classes, enhancing accessibility and enriching cultural and astronomical insights.

Hobbies and Interests

Outside of my professional endeavors, I am an enthusiastic reader, painter, and writer. I find joy in exploring diverse literary genres, expressing creativity through art, and delving into philosophical and spiritual literature.