To reach me: l2liang [at] cmu [dot] edu
I am a second-year master's student at Carnegie Mellon University. I spent a wonderful time at the Distributed Systems Research Group, working with Prof. Leonardo Sousa from January 2025. Before Carnegie Mellon, I worked as a back-end software engineer at TikTok, where I contributed to the Global E-Commerce Fulfillment Group from July 2021 to October 2023.
I’m passionate about exploring distributed systems architecture, cloud computing and using data-driven approaches to tackle software engineering challenges. I document and share my learning journey through blogs on related topics.
I am constantly seeking opportunities to build things that excite me and impact people.
Experience
Carnegie Mellon University
In my second semester at CMU, I was a member of the Distributed Systems Research Group, advised by Prof. Leonardo Sousa, focusing on scalable microservices, distributed transactions, and cloud-native orchestration.
Also in the Foundations of Database Design course, I led a team project to replace the B-Tree component of a teaching database with a fully functional B+Tree engine. Our system supported secondary indexing and end-to-end integration across all layers. The project was ranked #1 among all teams.
In my first semester at Carnegie Mellon, I have built a strong foundation in computer systems through hands-on projects such as Cache, Malloc, Shell and Proxy Lab. Additionally, I am exploring data-driven approaches to tackle software engineering challenges by applying machine learning and optimization techniques.
TikTok
In the summer of 2023, after being promoted at TikTok, I decided to pursue further studies abroad and prepared to start my master’s degree at CMU.
Before that, I worked as a full-time BackEnd Software Engineer at TikTok from 2021 to 2023, contributing to the TikTok Global E-Commerce Fulfillment team. As a core member of the R&D team, I led the development of multi-end merchant fulfillment capabilities, successfully launched 23+ MVP and large-scale cross-functional projects. In 2022, I took charge of the Fulfillment OpenAPI business and led the efforts in building Fulfillment system stability.
Northeast Normal University
Prior to that, I was part of the Intelligent Information Processing Laboratory at NENU under the supervision of Prof. Junping Zhou, focusing on algorithmic solutions for the Top-K clique problem. Additionally, I was actively involved in engineering development and open source projects and was the initiator of the NENU-Courses sharing project.
Work Experience
TikTok, Shenzhen, China [07/2021 - 10/2023]
Back-end software engineer, Full-time
TikTok Global E-Commerce Fulfillment Group
Research Experience
Carnegie Mellon University, Distributed System Research Group [01/2025 - present]
Advised by Prof. Leonardo Sousa. Working on the design of scalable microservices-based systems, with a focus on distributed transaction processing, reliable messaging, and container orchestration. Current research explores how to maintain consistency and failure recovery in event-driven architectures, using techniques such as the SAGA pattern, CDC, and Kubernetes-based service management.
Education Background
Carnegie Mellon University, Mountain View, CA [08/2024 - present]
Master’s degree, M.S. in Software Engineering
Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China [09/2017 - 06/2021]
Bachelor’s degree, B.Eng. in Software Engineering
Awards and Honors
- Exceed Expectations (E) Performance Rating and Promoted, TikTok, 2023
- Global E-Commerce Spot Bonus Award, TikTok, 2022
- President’s Scholarship, Northeast Normal University, 2020
- Innovation Star Award, Northeast Normal University, 2020
Last updated: May 2025