Paul Ngaruiya

finished with Information Technology at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and versatile technologist spanning full-stack development, cybersecurity operations, IT systems administration, AI-powered automation, and quantitative finance research. Hands-on experience deploying production web applications, automating backend workflows with AI/LLM tooling, and conducting security assessments across networked systems. Currently developing systematic quantitative trading signals on the WorldQuant Brain platform alongside backend AI engineering work.

Known for high attention to detail, structured technical documentation, and a proactive, project-ownership mindset.

Backend AI Engineer - Intern at FlyRank AI (2026-06 – Present)

Contributing to backend AI engineering work as part of a focused internship program.

Quantitative Researcher (Independent) at WorldQuant Brain Platform (Present)

• Design and submit systematic quantitative trading alphas using Fast Expression (FastExpr) syntax.
• Develop fundamental financial-ratio signals wrapped in group_rank(ts_rank(...), industry) patterns.
• Manage a pipeline of submitted alphas while monitoring and minimizing self-correlation against prior submissions.
• Use the WebSim platform for backtesting and signal validation.

Junior Software Engineer Intern at Dukatech Solutions Limited (2025-09 – 2026-04)

Contributed to full-stack development of software systems for SME clients, from requirements gathering through deployment.

• Built and maintained backend services and databases for client platforms, including MongoDB, React.js, and the MERN stack.
• Developed new features for company mobile products, including the Shopokoa merchant and customer apps.
• Integrated Safaricom Daraja and other third-party APIs into client-facing applications.
• Enhanced existing systems with new features and performance improvements; supported debugging, testing, and optimization of production applications.
• Collaborated with senior developers to implement secure coding practices and system-reliability controls.
• Participated in system updates, feature rollouts, and client change requests; maintained documentation and version control via Git/GitHub.

Web Development Trainer at CodeYetu #kidsthatcode (2024-01 – Present)

• Mentored and trained 20+ learners in backend development, database/schema design, and API integration.
• Evaluated student code submissions for logical correctness, identifying edge-case bugs and structural errors.
• Guided students on secure coding practices, deployment workflows, and Git/GitHub collaboration.

Freelance IT & Systems Engineer at Freelance (2023-01 – Present)

• Installed, configured, and maintained Linux and Windows systems and database servers (MySQL/PostgreSQL) for multiple clients.
• Designed and deployed 10+ full-stack applications (Flask/Django and Node.js/React) with integrated SQL databases and secure backends.
• Performed database backups, performance monitoring, and query optimization for client applications.
• Conducted vulnerability assessments and system security-control implementation to protect client data.
• Automated server maintenance, backup, and validation scripts using Python and Bash, reducing downtime by roughly 50%.
• Configured secure hosting, access controls, and deployment pipelines for SME web systems.

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology – Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) (2023-01 – 2026-12)

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) – Kiaguthu Boys High School