Hello, I'm
Mehmet Mercan
CS Honors ’27 @ Purdue | ECE, Math minor | Digital Design, Embedded Software Engineering | Hackathon winner
Detail-oriented Computer Science student at Purdue University with hands-on experience in software development, automated testing, and system integration. Most interested in Digital Design and Embedded Software Engineering.
About Me
Detail-oriented Computer Science student at Purdue University with hands-on experience in software development, automated testing, and system integration. Most interested in Digital Design and Embedded Software Engineering.
I thrive at the intersection of systems engineering and creative software development. My experience ranges from programming safety-critical microcontrollers for Formula Electric vehicles to creating performant, beautiful web experiences.
Experience
Organizer & Board Member
Hello World
Jan 2026 – Present · West Lafayette, IN
- Working towards securing $50,000+ from corporate sponsors, up from $40,000 last year.
- Inviting companies and their recruiters to interact with the competing students and share their own company's initiatives.
Electronics Team Member
Purdue Electric Racing
Sep 2025 – Present · West Lafayette, IN
- Developed embedded firmware for the team’s Formula-style electric vehicle using an STM32F4 Discovery board.
- Implemented low-level control of dashboard LEDs and driver inputs using GPIO configuration and interrupt-driven routines.
- Designed and tested safety-critical firmware to process pedal torque requests using ADC sampling and signal filtering.
Embedded Software Developer | Harmonicore Project
Embedded Systems @ Purdue
Aug 2025 – Dec 2025 · West Lafayette, IN
- Implemented Fast Fourier Transform IP blocks in SystemVerilog for real-time, low latency Digital Signal Processing workloads.
- Designed Register-Transfer Level designs for algorithmic logic flow and integrated modules with FPGA-based hardware systems.
- Optimized HDL modules for resource-constrained environments, increasing processing efficiency under limited multipliers.
Developer
The Data Mine-Purdue University
Aug 2025 – Dec 2025 · West Lafayette, IN
- Processed and analyzed large datasets using Python (Pandas, NumPy) and R, extracting insights to guide decisions.
- Implemented high-performance computing (HPC) optimizations and containerized workflows for efficiency.
- Built structured datasets via web scraping and cleaning pipelines, enabling downstream analytics.
Software Developer
Purdue Lunabotics
Aug 2025 – Nov 2025 · West Lafayette, IN
- Implemented autonomous navigation algorithms inspired by A* search to traverse simulated lunar terrain quickly and efficiently.
- Converted legacy competition codebase from ROS1 to ROS2, reducing latency by 20% and improving system responsiveness.
Research Intern
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Jul 2024 – Aug 2024 · New York, NY
- Built an automated defect detection system for silicon wafers using Python, OpenCV, and a 3D printer-mounted camera.
- Optimized the image processing pipeline to improve defect detection accuracy and throughput across multiple wafer types.
- Collaborated with research mentors to enhance the project’s sustainability for ongoing semiconductor studies.
Founder, Blogging Department
Statice Health International
Jan 2023 – May 2025 · Syosset, NY
- Created and managed a public health blog raising awareness on conditions such as PTSD, epilepsy, and cancer.
- Trained and mentored dozens of volunteer writers; edited over 20 articles for clarity, accuracy, and accessibility.
- Blogs reached 150M+ total readers.
Assistant Teacher
K12 STEM Camp
May 2023 – Aug 2023 · Melville, NY
- Taught elementary school (K-5) children the basics of robotics in an interactive and fun environment.
- Focused on making STEM concepts—programming, engineering, and mechanics—fun and easy to understand through hands-on activities like building simple robots and programming them to complete tasks.
Alumnus, Mentor (FRC 9016)
FIRST
Sep 2022 – Present · Syosset, NY
- Mentored 10 teammates in debugging, quality assurance, and system integration, contributing towards the team’s continued success.
- Developed finite state machine automation in Java, leading to the #1 ranked autonomous routine in regional play.
- Integrated computer vision for localization using SolvePnP, leading to the team’s first Regional Championship [NYLI2, 2024].
- Led team of 40+ members across 6 competitions, qualifying for the World Championships three years consecutively.
Discovery
Understanding constraints, user goals, and hardware limitations.
Architecture
Mapping out data structures, APIs, and critical safety routines.
Execution
Writing clean, optimized code—from C++ to Next.js.
Validation
Rigorous testing across devices, sensors, and environments.
Projects
Formula-style Electric Vehicle
Embedded firmware for the Purdue Electric Racing team's Formula-style EV. Developed low-level control for dashboard LEDs, driver inputs, and safety-critical pedal torque requests.
FRC 9016 Autonomous Routine
Finite state machine automation and computer vision localization for the FIRST Robotics Competition team 9016.
Harmonicore DSP Modules
FPGA-based digital signal processing modules for real-time autotuning as part of Embedded Systems @ Purdue.
Automated Defect Detection System
An automated defect detection system using a camera mounted to a 3D printer platform for Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Lunar Excavator Navigation
Autonomous navigation and LiDAR integration for the Purdue Lunabotics lunar excavator.
Sumobot
A personal project integrating Arduino Uno, KiCAD, C, Embedded Systems, and PID Control.
FocusUp!
A project built during the Hello World Hackathon (placed 5th overall among 410 participants) meant to help correct posture using vision-based tracking.
Skills
Languages
Hardware & Embedded
Data & Tools
Soft Skills & Languages
Education
Bachelor's degree, Computer Science (Honors College), Minors: ECE, Math
Purdue University
2027
- GPA: 4.0
- Focus: Digital Design, Embedded Software Engineering
- Relevant Coursework: Discrete Math, Object Oriented Programming, Programming in C, Linear Algebra, Statistical Methods
High School Diploma
Syosset High School