Portfolio · Open source projects · LinkedIn · Email
I'm Nicholas, an engineer and software builder in Canberra. I work on renewable energy, physical prototypes and software. I like clear requirements and results that someone else can check.
Most of my projects start with one question. How far does grid frequency fall when a big generator trips? Do prediction market prices mean what they say? I build the smallest thing that answers it, test it against real data, and write down where it stops working.
Available now for graduate or junior roles.
| Project | What I built | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Calibration Atlas | A study of how well 11,881 Polymarket prices forecast. It found two bugs in my own analysis, and a holdout test now checks the one lead that survived. | Interactive explorer. 97 tests in CI. |
| Powerflow Playground | An AC power flow solver I wrote from scratch, with generator reactive limits. It runs live in the browser. | Live demo. Matches pandapower to about 5×10⁻⁹ pu. |
| grid-clock | A tool that lines up audio recordings in time from the hum of the power grid. | Tested on 130 real phone clips. 0 false matches in 6,598 pairs. |
| Bushfire suppression capstone | I led a team of five through design, prototyping and drop tests. | Physical prototype. All six selected performance measures met. |
| IQdle | A daily visual puzzle game, with response data for every answer and an item analysis pipeline. | Play the live game. |
| Decision Lab | Interactive engineering studies that keep AI advice apart from operator authority and tested interlocks. | Interactive models. Invariant tests on two models. |
Each project has tests, a README that states its limits, and code you can run.
Power grid and energy
- Why the lights stay on: what keeps grid frequency up after a big generator trips, compared with the 2019 Kogan Creek trip. Live
- nem-mcp: an MCP server that gives AI assistants live data from Australia's electricity market.
- carbon-aware-au: runs a command or a CI job when your NEM region's grid is cleaner.
- nem-pulse: a daily NEM dataset that a scheduled GitHub Action keeps up to date.
Forecasts, data and checks
- coherence-scanner: finds where linked Polymarket and Kalshi prices break the rules of probability.
- leakguard: a linter that points at lines where test data can leak into a model.
- cite-check: checks that the sources in a report say what the report claims.
- Hansard, by meaning: searches parliamentary energy debates by meaning, in the browser. Live
Models and everyday tools
- ember: bushfire physics you can explore, on real terrain west of Canberra. Live
- Cat Compass: a cat care app with feeding plans you can trace to their sources. Live
- termrescue: stops mouse moves from typing escape codes into your shell after an SSH link drops.
- Quiet Signal: a scoring API, a review queue and linked audit receipts for generated device summaries. Synthetic data only.
- Start with the need. Turn what people need into requirements. Compare concepts. Decide how to check the result before I build it.
- Build and test. Use models, code or physical prototypes to test assumptions before a large decision.
- State the limits. Keep simulation apart from field evidence. Say what is uncertain and where a person must review.
Software: Python · TypeScript · React · FastAPI · SQL · Docker · scikit-learn · Git
AI: Local LLMs (Ollama, Open WebUI, omlx) · a private home AI setup over Tailscale · retrieval augmented generation · model evaluation · MCP servers
Engineering: Requirements · Trade studies · Test plans · Power flow · KiCad · CAD · 3D printing
Australian National University
- Bachelor of Science: Computer Science major, Physics minor. Awarded July 2026.
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours): Renewable Energy Systems major. Coursework complete. Formal graduation expected November 2026.
MissingSchool and Robots4Good · Engineering placement · February to April 2026
Classroom systems design, procurement, telepresence fleet diagnostics, and a private local AI environment on reused hardware.
Based in Canberra, Australia. For systems, energy or software roles, email nicholasjn@protonmail.com.