PhD Student 路 Computer Science
Ryan Garfinkel
CS PhD student at UCF researching how to make AI systems more reliable and trustworthy. Learning through experimenting and engaging with students.
About Me
Hi, my name is Ryan Garfinkel and I'm a first year Computer Science PhD student at UCF studying under Dr. Paul Gazzillo and Dr. Aashish Yadavally.
I'm cautiously optimistic about AI and its potential: with the right engineering and oversight it can make systems more capable.
My research involves combining LLMs with formal reasoning because I believe it makes agents more reliable. Right now, I'm focusing on the security around AI with guardrails and protecting development pipelines that build and deploy our software.
For the past four years, I've interned in industry, gaining hands-on experience with the SDLC, and mentored students as a ULA. I've also traveled and competed in hackathons with my friends.
Education
Machine Learning, Software Engineering, AI Knowledge Systems, Programming Languages, Enterprise Computing
- UCF ORCGS Doctoral Fellowship
- President's Honor Roll
- Pegasus Bronze Scholarship
- Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
Featured Projects
KBootRepair
Iterative, agent-based tool that combines LLM boot suggestions with formal reasoning to repair unbootable Linux kernel configurations.
Python 路 Linux 路 Google Gemini
Courtly
Supreme Court oral argument simulator powered by a nine-justice AI panel that stress-tests legal reasoning and delivers full reasoned rulings.
Next.js 路 MongoDB 路 Google Gemini
Performance Evaluation Engine
Clash Royale/GitHub tool to evaluate performance for busy software developers.
Next.js 路 Vercel 路 React
News
- Sep. 2026Presented KBootRepair poster at the 2026 UCF Research Computing Symposium.
- Aug. 2026Started the PhD in Computer Science at UCF, researching AI and formal reasoning.
- May 2026Graduated from UCF with a BS in Computer Science and a minor in Data Science.
- Apr. 2026Completed my undergrad thesis, KBootRepair, and submitted it to the UCF STARS database.
Technologies
JavaScript
TypeScript
Python
C#
Java
C
HTML
CSS
React
Next.js
Angular
TailwindCSS
Storybook
Jest
Unity
Node.js
Express.js
Flask
Socket.io
MongoDB
SQL Server
MySQL
PHP
Postman
TensorFlow
ScikitLearn
LangChain
Docker
Git
GitHub Actions
Linux
Azure
Vercel
Digital OceanJavaScriptTypeScriptPythonC#JavaCHTMLCSSReactNext.jsAngularTailwindCSSStorybookJestUnityNode.jsExpress.jsFlaskSocket.ioMongoDBSQL ServerMySQLPHPPostmanTensorFlowScikitLearnLangChainDockerGitGitHub ActionsLinuxAzureVercelDigital Ocean