Welcome! I'm Shane Whelan, a second-year Computer Science student at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland, and a dedicated VCU Software Developer on UCD's Formula Student
Team.
As coโfounder of SmartCert (soon to be rebranded as StudyMate), I am committed to leveraging
technology to empower students in achieving excellence in their Leaving Certificate examinations.
I invite you to explore my portfolio and review my professional credentials below.
Education
BSc in Computer Science
University College Dublin
Current GPA: 3.73
UCD Entrance Scholar
Leaving Certificate
625 Points
100% in Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science
Projects
StudyMate
Educational Platform
An AI-powered study assistant helping students prepare for Leaving Certificate examinations through personalized learning plans.
Developed the embedded C++ software for the UCD Formula Student electric vehicle's VCU using an Arduino Due. This project involved architecting CAN bus communications
for the Bamocar D3 motor controller and Orion BMS 2, implementing torque control and regenerative braking strategies for the Emrax 208 motor, and ensuring compliance
with FSUK safety rules like APPS/Brake plausibility checks.
Spearheaded the deprecation of a legacy microservice by migrating its core logic into a high-throughput, real-time messaging platform, improving system reliability for
Apple Push Notifications (APNs). Engineered a new APNs binding adaptor in Java, piloting the modern apns-http2 library to reduce network errors and operational
overhead. Designed and implemented a thread-safe, in-memory APNs client caching solution using Google Guava to boost performance and enable accurate, comparative load
testing. Conducted load tests using the Artillery framework to validate superior latency and throughput under load.
2024 - Present
VCU Software Developer & Vice Captain of Powertrain
UCD Formula Student (UCDFS)
Promoted to Vice Captain of Powertrain while developing core VCU software for the EV team. Leading powertrain engineering initiatives and focusing on CAN bus
communication, Bamocar/Emrax motor control, Orion BMS integration, and FSUK safety protocol implementation on Arduino Due. Responsible for technical leadership and
coordination within the powertrain subsystem.
2023 - Present
Co-founder
SmartCert (StudyMate)
Developing an educational platform to help students excel in their Leaving Certificate examinations through innovative technology solutions and AI-powered study
assistance.
2023 - 2024
Computer Science Tutor
Self-employed
Providing personalized grinds in programming, mathematics, and related subjects to help students achieve academic excellence in their studies.
2022 - 2023
Sales Associate
Homestore + More & JD Sports
Developed strong teamwork, communication, and customer service skills in fast-paced retail environments while managing customer relations and sales targets.
Latest Articles
Dive into my technical explorations, project breakdowns, and insights from the world of software development and engineering.
A comprehensive walkthrough of setting up Linux Mint on a dedicated SSD, covering the critical AHCI vs RST configuration challenge and the complete installation process
from USB creation to final setup.
Building a Formula Student VCU
Deep dive into embedded C++ development for electric vehicle control systems.
Coming Soon
AI-Powered Study Platforms
The technical architecture behind StudyMate and modern educational technology.
Coming Soon
Tools & Technologies
A comprehensive toolkit spanning software development, hardware engineering, and hands-on technical skills.
Programming Languages
Python
Java
C
C++
Web Development
HTML5
CSS3
JavaScript
Tools & Platforms
GitHub
LaTeX
MySQL
Azure
Notion
Photoshop
Development Environments
Arduino
Raspberry Pi
VSCode
Sublime Text
Eclipse
Hardware & Engineering
Electronics
Soldering
CAN Bus
Let's Connect
Ready to collaborate or just want to chat about tech?
I'm always excited to discuss new opportunities, share ideas about software development, or talk about Formula Student engineering. Drop me a message and I'll get back to you
soon!