Work in progress · content still being filled in
Matt Martel · Astrophysics + AI · UIUC
I'm an astrophysics student at Illinois who got hooked on AI automation and optimization. I like taking a messy, manual problem and turning it into a system that runs itself — and occasionally simulating a star for fun.
Pick one to inspect it. These are real projects — products, automations, and research from the last couple of years.
Designed and built it solo
A Pokédex for real animals: snap a photo, an AI confirms the species, and you unlock it in a numbered Dex and pin the sighting on your own map.
Built the whole thing end to end — auth, the photo-upload + AI identification flow, the sighting map, and a quests/social layer. Live at wilddex.app.
So instead of a skills bar, here's what I actually reach for — and how I tend to work.
What I reach for
How I work
I'd rather spend a day on a reusable tool or memory pattern than write the same script five times. New work should be a composition, not a rewrite.
Most of my work starts with a repetitive task someone is doing by hand. Hand it to a script or an agent; keep the judgment for people.
Whether it's a star's HR diagram or a model's predictions, I want to see the data before I trust the result. Plots over assumptions.
Get something real working end-to-end, then make it faster, clearer, and more correct. A demo beats a plan.
The honest, current version — updated when things change, not a frozen bio.
Currently
Spending summer 2026 at the Options Clearing Corporation, working on AI applied to security.
Adding to my live app that identifies real animals from a photo and unlocks them in a Dex.
wilddex.appFinishing hands-on training with the Illinois Astronomical Society to run public observing nights.
Looking for 2027 internships and roles in AI/ML, data, or software where I can build and ship real things.
Background
U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Urbana, IL
Expected May 2027. Coursework across physics, computation, and math.
The Options Clearing Corporation · Chicago, IL
Working on AI applied to security at the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization.
Freelance · Small-business clients
Built agentic automations and integrations for small businesses — chaining LLMs, APIs, and ETL into multi-step workflows.
SIGAIDA (AI & Data Science) · Champaign, IL
Weekly ML/data-science workshops and applied machine-learning projects with the group.
Illinois Astronomical Society · Champaign, IL
Telescope operation (certification in progress); guiding visitors at observatory open houses.
Sigma Nu Fraternity · Urbana, IL
Ran a $65k annual budget and two formals at $35k+ each — vendors, logistics, the lot.
05 · Contact
I'm open to 2027 internships and full-time roles — and always up for a good problem, a collaboration, or a conversation about space, models, or games. The best way to reach me is LinkedIn.