Leuven, Belgium
A journal printed in inkSelected work · 2025—2026
Precision in the system. Feeling in the details.
I'm Shay — 陈乐涵.
An engineer working at the intersection of electronics, software, and AI, currently studying Engineering Technology (Electronics & ICT) at KU Leuven.
I build systems meant to exist beyond the prototype — from backend infrastructure and multi-tenant platforms to AI-powered workflows. I'm drawn to problems that demand both technical depth and independent judgment, and I care as much about why something is built as how it works.
Outside engineering, I'm a guitarist and the art & design director of Slow Erosion, where I explore the visual identity of music.
I have a soft spot for thoughtful engineering, unconventional ideas, and things made with intention.
Engineering
Production systems, small teams, real deadlines.
Leuven, Belgium
Full-Stack Engineer Intern
Built internal tools and operational dashboards to automate team workflows. Integrated campaign services with AWS S3 to reduce manual review, and shipped through GitHub code review and deployment.
Python · SQL · AWS S3 · Internal APIs
Belgium
Backend / AI Engineer
Architecting a multi-tenant B2B SaaS platform for European SMEs, with ownership of core backend and application services. Designing AI / RAG workflows that connect enterprise data, external APIs and LLM automation.
FastAPI · PostgreSQL · Docker · Coolify
Deployment and reliability. Further details under NDA.
Education
Leuven, Belgium
Selected works
Built, tested, put to work.
AI / DATA GOVERNANCE
Ask Your Data
From governance metadata to answers you can trace.
2026
Grand Prize, Collibra Track + Best Technical AwardLEUVEN, BE
WEB3 / DIGITAL OWNERSHIP
Aqua Seal
A quiet mark. Verifiable ownership.
2025
Grand Prize, CAMP Network TrackMONACO, MC
BACKEND / KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS
KNOQS
Shared infrastructure. Separate worlds.
2026—
Ongoing engineering practiceNDA
IAsk Your Data
A metadata-grounded assistant that turns Collibra governance data into traceable, context-aware SQL with Claude. A deterministic Pandas rule engine checks the numbers: 20 of 20 metric outputs verified.
Python · Flask · RAG · Collibra API · Databricks · Render
Grand Prize, Collibra Track + Best Technical Award
Next Level Challenge · Leuven · 300+ participants
Chen, S., {{ASK_YOUR_DATA_TEAMMATES}} (2026). Ask Your Data. Next Level Challenge Hackathon, Leuven.{{ASK_YOUR_DATA_URL}}
IIAqua Seal
Decentralised IP protection through invisible watermarks for images, audio and PDFs. A React / TypeScript frontend and FastAPI backend verify ownership against on-chain metadata using MetaMask, CAMP Network and Origin SDK.
FastAPI · React · TypeScript · Docker · CAMP Network
Grand Prize, CAMP Network Track
WAIB Summit Hackathon · Monaco
Chen, S., {{AQUA_SEAL_TEAMMATES}} (2025). Aqua Seal. WAIB Summit Hackathon, Monaco.{{AQUA_SEAL_URL}}
IIIKNOQS
A multi-tenant knowledge platform for European SMEs, connecting enterprise data and AI workflows. Product details are confidential under NDA.
FastAPI · PostgreSQL · Docker · AI / RAG
Ongoing engineering practice
Belgium · Confidential under NDA
Chen, S. (2026–). KNOQS. Backend / AI engineering, Belgium.{{MORE_PROJECTS}}
Recognition
A few milestones along the way.
- 2026
Grand Prize + Best Technical Award
Next Level Challenge · Collibra Track / Overall
ASK YOUR DATA / 300+ PARTICIPANTS - 2025
- 2019
Champion · Comprehensive Skills
Haidian District Youth Robot Competition
- 2019
First Prize
Haidian District Youth Robot Competition
- {{BEIJING_20_YEAR}}
First Prize
20th Beijing Youth Robot Competition · Online
- {{BEIJING_21_YEAR}}
Second Prize · Comprehensive Skills
21st Beijing Robot Competition
Music & art direction
The other side of the practice.
WUHAN, CN / EST. 2023
Slow
Erosion
Art & Design Director
Slow Erosion is a metalcore band from Wuhan, China, formed in 2023 by former members of DOPAINE. Its sound draws on the coldness of black metal, the vastness of post-rock and the haze of shoegaze — suspended between violence and dream, oppression and weightlessness.
I named the band Slow Erosion. The name speaks to the gradual wearing away of the self under systems, technology, capital and social order. It is the starting point for my art direction: a dark dream shaped around quiet dispossession, numbness and the slow loss of our capacity to resist. The end arrives as a low, prolonged sigh.
Naming & art direction / Shay Chen
Visit Slow Erosion
Early days, on stage
The Attic
High-school band · Guitarist
PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE
Performed with The Attic, my high-school band, for an audience of more than 500.
Visual archive / forthcoming
Wuhan, China · Formed in 2023 · Metalcore / black metal / post-rock / shoegaze
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Field notes
A little life, in the margins.
NICE, FRANCE
A pause by the sea in Nice. A little distance from the screen. The work is better when life gets a say.
OFF SCREEN / ON THE COAST
Toolkit
An index of things I work with.
A. Languages
- C++
- C#
- HTML / CSS
- Java
- JavaScript
- Python
- SQL
- TypeScript
- Verilog
B. Backend & data
- Databricks
- FastAPI
- Flask
- NumPy
- Pandas
- PostgreSQL
- RAG
- REST APIs
C. Frontend
- Chart.js
- Next.js
- React
- Tailwind CSS
D. Infrastructure
- AWS S3
- Coolify
- Datadog
- Docker
- Git / GitHub
- Jira
- Railway
- Render
- Vercel
E. Platforms & APIs
- Anthropic Claude
- Collibra
- OpenAI APIs
- Web3.js
F. Design
- {{DESIGN_TOOLS}}
Write to me.
Good work begins with a conversation.
Open to backend, AI and full-stack roles, and to art direction for music.