Industry Advisory Board
Members Bio
Sarika Padmashalli
Sarika Padmashali is an Engineering Leader at Adobe, serving as a Senior Full Stack
Development Engineer and driving innovation in knowledge graphs and intelligent content
management platforms. With a proven track record of architecting scalable systems,
modernizing legacy tech stacks, and integrating AI-powered solutions, Sarika is shaping
the future of digital content.
Previously, as a founding software engineer on Netflix’s Privacy Infrastructure team,
Sarika built scalable products and led high-impact, cross-functional initiatives across
security, platform engineering, and privacy-enhancing technologies, strengthening
Netflix’s privacy posture at scale.
Beyond engineering, Sarika is passionate about mentorship, building high-performing
teams, and driving strategic technical vision. They actively collaborate with academic
and industry leaders to advance computer science education.
Outside of work, Sarika is a sports enthusiast who enjoys running, tennis, biking, traveling, hiking, and has recently taken up golf. A natural team player, she brings the collaborative spirit of sports into her career, fostering innovation and teamwork. A natural team player, she brings the collaborative spirit of sports into her career, fostering innovation and teamwork.
Hardik Ruparel
Hardik Ruparel is a cloud software engineer, 9th Annual Shorty Impact Award winner,
researcher, and innovator specializing in cloud computing. Based in San Jose, CA,
he works at Nutanix as a Software Engineer, developing advanced features for their
cloud storage products, including seamless data replication and multi-cloud integration.
He is also the founder of EasyReferrals, a web platform that helps students globally seek job referrals, easily and faster. In its early stage, the platform is already seeing some great traction among students. Committed to "Responsible Technology," he is self-funding the platform to ensure job search resources remain accessible and free for students.
Hardik’s research in cloud technology has been featured at numerous international conferences, and he has served as a reviewer for many international journals and conferences, contributing significantly to advancements in these fields. Driven by his vision to make a positive change in the society using technology, Hardik also developed- “Meri Dukaan,” a mobile gaming app that improves financial literacy among rural youth in India, China, and Singapore.
Additionally, Hardik is a cloud coach and mentor, having guided over 250+ students globally with resume reviews, interview strategies, and cloud career mentorship. For his contributions, he has received multiple international awards in US and in India.
Junzhou Wang
Junzhou Wang, a Principal Scientist and Data Operations Manager at DNAnexus, drives innovation at the intersection of data strategy and operational excellence. He manages large-scale population-level data ecosystems, developing Trusted Research Environments (TREs) and scalable data platforms. Junzhou optimizes workflows, fosters collaboration, and delivers measurable outcomes that align with organizational goals. His leadership ensures secure, compliant, and high-impact solutions for complex challenges.
