Frederick Kernot

London, UK · GitHub · LinkedIn · Full right to work in UK & EU

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Summary

Final-year BSc Computer Science student at the University of Surrey (predicted First Class), graduating July 2026 and available from September. A strong Python developer with applied experience spanning AI/ML, full-stack development and Linux infrastructure — from fine-tuning and evaluating LLMs to building and self-hosting containerised services. Comfortable across the engineering lifecycle: Git, automated testing, code review, CI/CD and Agile.

Skills

Languages
Python, Java, C, C++, JavaScript, SQL, CUDA C/C++, Bash
AI & ML
PyTorch, HuggingFace, scikit-learn, torchvision, Stable-Baselines3, Gymnasium, CNNs, computer vision (YOLO11, Depth Anything V2), reinforcement learning, NLP, RAG, LoRA, NSGA-II, model evaluation (ROC, AUPR, F1), hyperparameter tuning
Data
pandas, Matplotlib, SQL, data cleaning & quality, large-dataset analysis, data augmentation, Excel
Infrastructure & DevOps
Linux, Docker, CI/CD, Git, SSH, parallel & GPU computing (NVIDIA A100)
Web & Software Engineering
Django, React, REST APIs, full-stack development, Agile, automated testing, debugging, code reviews, OOP, functional programming
Security
cryptography & cryptanalysis (RSA / Coppersmith, Shamir Secret Sharing), web security, authentication, ethical hacking & penetration testing

Projects

Adversarial Reinforcement Learning for Cooperative AI — Dissertation

Python · PyTorch · Stable-Baselines3 · Gymnasium · Overcooked-AI

Built a three-stage co-evolutionary RL pipeline (40M timesteps) training cooperative agents to stay effective alongside imperfect or adversarial partners in Overcooked-AI. Evaluated across three seeds with a compute-matched ablation study, quantifying a 2–3× improvement over the self-play baseline and isolating which stages drove the gains.

LLM Optimisation & Evaluation

Python · HuggingFace · NSGA-II · LoRA · GPU (A100)

Implemented NSGA-II for multi-objective hyperparameter optimisation of an LLM, balancing validation accuracy against trainable parameter count. Analysed the resulting Pareto front to find a deployment configuration that cut parameters by 55.5% with matched accuracy.

Assistive AI for Visually Impaired Users

Python · YOLO11 · Depth Anything V2 · Computer Vision · COCO

Prototype assistive-vision system that processes camera or webcam frames through a multi-stage pipeline: detects accessibility-relevant objects with a fine-tuned YOLO11 model, estimates proximity with Depth Anything V2, scores risk, and outputs text-to-speech alerts plus annotated logs. Configurable via YAML, with evaluation scripts benchmarking model sizes on COCO and custom obstacle datasets.

Conversational Crime Data Platform

Python · pandas · Ollama · Local LLMs

Local RAG tool that melts and pre-aggregates large public London crime datasets with pandas to make lookups near-constant-time. Cut local-LLM hallucinations during conversational retrieval through regex-based entity extraction and precise context prompting.

Accessible Cybersecurity Education Platform

Django · React · Docker · JWT · Agile

Led a 7-person Agile team to design, build and deploy a containerised e-learning platform, standardising Git workflows, group code reviews and automated testing. Built the React frontend with secure JWT auth and RESTful endpoints, and accessible high-contrast UIs tailored to an elderly demographic.

Home Server & Automation

Linux · Docker · SSH · CI/CD concepts

Rebuilt one working machine from two scrap HP laptops, installed Linux Mint, and run it as a headless, Docker-based home server over SSH. Full setup documented as a rebuild/recovery runbook, including a layer-by-layer network debugging write-up.

Education

University of Surrey — BSc (Hons) Computer Science

Sept 2023 – July 2026 · Guildford, UK · Predicted First Class

Prior Qualifications

Access to HE Diploma in Computing: Distinction (45 credits at Distinction, 15 at Pass).
A-Levels: Mathematics (A), Physics (B), Economics (C).

Experience

Agency Staff — Host Staffing

Jun 2022 – Present

Delivered high-standard hospitality for clients including KPMG and Microsoft in fast-paced environments, with consistent reliability under pressure.

Administrative Assistant — Expert Tuition

Oct 2021 – Jan 2022

Organised 500+ exam papers into a structured folder hierarchy, improving access and demonstrating strong organisation.

Project Assistant — Heptagon Capital

Aug 2021

Pulled and analysed financial metrics across 10+ companies' annual reports to support investment decisions; early exposure to a regulated finance environment.

Barista — Ole & Steen

Jun 2021 – Jun 2022

Provided high-quality customer service in a busy café setting, demonstrating reliability and teamwork.

Extras

  • Mount Kilimanjaro Climb (Aug 2025): Raised £3,000 for Dig Deep (clean water charity), supporting communitiesin Kenya, demonstrating sustained personal commitment.
  • IKEEP Intrapreneurship Programme — Innovation Management (certification).
  • Builds personal projects in spare time; picks up new languages and tools quickly; uses AI coding tools day-to-day to develop and debug faster.