
Karnav Popat
I write code, and about code
Hi! I'm Karnav, a data scientist and software engineer from Calcutta, India.
I'm currently a fourth-year undergraduate at Ashoka University.
I studied Computer Science and Economics, and am writing my thesis on climate modelling and land valuation under Prof. Sandeep Juneja.
I'm currently working on projects at the Digitalisation & AI Centre
and interning at Lightspeed VC.
My research interests are in climate modelling, satellite imaging, digitalisation & privacy, and state capacity.
I've previously worked with Amuse Labs, Samagra,
CEDA, and
TCPD.
In my free time, I write, rollerblade, and support Chelsea FC.
My Stack
(Tech I've worked with)
Projects (in tech)

A small web game based on the Chrome Dino that I made for Bagi Munda's Player No. 1
Open Link
Using DILRMP data, I created a geospatial dataset of all land plots and ownership in India.
Open Link
Using cash flow and comparables analyses, I valued the portfolios of Indian REITs.
Open Link
I used nightlights to explain how the condition of the economy affects voter behaviour in India.
Open Link
I replicated Narayan & Shmatikov (2006) to prove privacy concerns with Indian EHRs.
Open Link
I used XGBoost and an LSTM to improve goal predictions and interpretability in football.
Open Link
Using remote sensing & geospatial clustering, I showed that urban green spaces improve quality of life.
Open Link

I built a (now-defunct) API, website and browser extension using course reviews and grades at Ashoka.
Open Link
A toy compiler and interpreter based on Robert Nystrom's Crafting Interpreters.
Open Link

A reimagined implementation of the classic arcade game in Javascript and the JS Canvas.
Open LinkProjects (other)

As a strategy intern with Bloom, I investigated new market opportunities.
Open Link
For my winning entry in the IEEE-Ashoka Datathon, I researched biases in healthcare.
Open Link

For my winning entry in the Equilibrium Datathon, I studied interventions in rural India.
Open LinkTeaching
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[POL-2094] Data Science for Social Science Research
Spring 2025
TA under Prof. Anustubh Agnihotri
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[CS-2710] Computer Organization & Systems
Spring 2025
TA under Prof. Bhargab B. Bhattacharya
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[CS-1390] Introduction to Machine Learning
Monsoon 2024
TA under Prof. Sandeep Juneja
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[CS-1203] Data Structures & Algorithms
Monsoon 2023
TA under Prof. Debayan Gupta
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[FC-0306-02] Foundations of Computer Programming
Monsoon 2022
TA under Prof. Subhashis Banerjee