Shreyas Kharbanda
I build systems and infrastructure that make frontier technology useful and accessible at scale.
I’m currently a founding engineer at Deft Robotics, building the infrastructure that brings learning-based robots out of the lab and into production.
Previously, I studied computer science at Cornell with Rachit Agarwal and at Purdue with Pedro Fonseca, working across operating systems, distributed systems, and data center networking. I also spent a summer at Microsoft working on hypervisors. My research has led to two papers1,2, with more in the works, and a CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher honorable mention.
Outside work, I’m Sneha’s fiancé, Ellie’s cat dad, a son, a brother, and usually exploring a new hobby.
If you’d like to collaborate, exchange ideas, or grab coffee, say hello.
Robotics & AI
Models are getting increasingly capable, but capability alone doesn’t make an agent useful. Whether it’s a physical or a digital agent, the real test is whether it can consistently meet a quality bar outside a controlled environment. I’m interested in the systems and infrastructure that close this gap: real-time runtimes, data and training pipelines, and evaluation infrastructure.
World War II
Military strategy alone doesn’t explain how World War II unfolded. Competing ideologies, national interests, industrial capacity, and the ability to coordinate entire societies all shaped its course and the world that followed. I’m interested in how these forces interacted under pressure and how different decisions might have changed the outcome. I’ve been exploring some of those counterfactuals on WorldOS.
Martini
The first drink I ever had was a martini, and I hated it. Somehow, it became my favorite. In an episode of Last Meals I loved, Alton Brown recalls his dad saying he’d appreciate martinis when he grew up. Maybe I’ve finally become a functional adult. Now I’m experimenting with different gins, vermouth ratios, smoke, and brine to make a signature version of my own.
Pink Floyd Discography
David Gilmour’s guitar solos got me into Pink Floyd, but their experimentation is what keeps me interested. They kept reinventing their sound, like on The Great Gig in the Sky, which is almost entirely wordless, to express what felt true to them. Their music takes on things that matter, like war, greed, and mortality, and makes me constantly take stock of what I want to express.
Symbolist Art
Symbolist painters stopped painting the world exactly as it looks and painted ideas, dreams, and myths instead. I got into it through The Angel of Destiny, a calm painting of something that should feel ominous. It’s by Odilon Redon, who spent years drawing only in charcoal, mostly floating eyes and strange creatures, before switching to color in his fifties. I’m starting with him and working my way through the movement.
Formula 1
Formula 1 is man and machine pushed to the limit. Every team works under the same rules, so the gap comes from engineering, strategy, and drivers making split-second decisions at 300 km/h. I’m interested in where that limit actually sits and how teams keep finding a little more. I’m also a Ferrari fan, which keeps my tolerance for continuous adversity in good shape.