Vivek Prakriya‘s tutorial analysis has explored the intersection of machine studying and quantum area principle, together with work that used AI to establish subatomic particles.
Subsequent up: potholes, and extra.
A local of Redmond, Wash., Prakriya is seeking a seat on the City Council in his hometown east of Seattle, hoping to leverage his expertise abilities to resolve issues throughout infrastructure, transportation, and reasonably priced housing.
At 20 years previous, Prakriya can be among the many youngest folks ever to carry elected workplace in Washington state. However he’s already sort of used to blazing such a path — he entered the College of Washington after center faculty and, now in his fifth yr, he’s pursued levels in pc science, arithmetic and physics.
He was additionally the founding engineer at a startup referred to as Data2 earlier than interning this previous summer time at Amazon, the place he labored on agentic AI workflows within the funds division.
“I’ve so many concepts for applied sciences I need to deliver to town,” Prakriya mentioned. “Authorities simply strikes slower than startups.”
Prakriya is a product of Redmond public colleges. Within the metropolis that’s dwelling to Microsoft, he nonetheless lives in the home his dad and mom purchased after they began on the firm. His father Mahesh just retired after virtually 29 years and his mom Tara, who first began in 1997, is at the moment vice chairman of Microsoft’s Floor division.
Prakriya bought the bug for metropolis authorities final yr, when he was interested by what the council did and he began going to conferences. He was so enthralled, he got here again week after week, and began studying metropolis paperwork, just like the funds and the great plan.
He took a place on the Metropolis of Redmond’s Human Companies Fee in April, and he has concepts for implementing synthetic intelligence instruments to enhance processes, resembling making a chatbot the place folks can kind inquiries of their native language and get entry to the sources that they want in that language.
Prakriya additionally thinks tech can be utilized to enhance town’s allowing course of or to assist Redmond attain its housing targets. As a math-driven particular person, he finds it troublesome to make selections with out information.
“I need to be on council to set that imaginative and prescient, to advocate for concepts like this,” he mentioned. “That’s the important thing purpose why I’m operating.”
Within the Aug. 5 primary election, Prakriya received 49% of the vote for Council Place No. 2. He’ll face incumbent councilmember Steve Fields, who received 32% of the first vote, within the basic election on Nov. 4.
Prakriya has secured endorsements from various political veterans, together with Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), former Washington Gov. and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Redmond Mayor Angela Birney, Redmond Metropolis Council President Vanessa Kritzer, and a bunch of state senators and representatives.
Serving on the council is a part-time place, and Prakriya is definite he’ll pursue a full-time profession in tech, maybe at Amazon or the startup the place he’s had expertise. He’s centered on profitable the race in entrance of him earlier than he’ll talk about a future in politics.
When not working, at school or campaigning, Prakriya is an avid skier who took up the game at age 2. He’s a longtime Seattle Seahawks fan who was there for the legendary playoff comeback win towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers when he was 10. And as a musician, he was in a Beatles cowl band referred to as The Erasers that received a battle of the bands competitors in Redmond.
Requested how residents of town react when a fresh-faced child knocks on their door to debate his run for Metropolis Council, Prakriya laughed.
“I grew a beard, so I look slightly bit older,” he mentioned.
