Knowledge Base
Complete information about Leo's career, skills, and projects
Personal Information
Name: Yuchao Zhang (Leo Zhang)
Email: leozhang2056@gmail.com
Phone: +64 27 385 0794
Location: Auckland, New Zealand (North Shore, Hillcrest)
Visa: Post-Study Work Visa — Open full-time work for any employer, valid until 05/2029
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-zhang-305626280/
GitHub: https://github.com/leozhang2056
Professional Summary
Core Profile
Full-stack software engineer with 10+ years shipping production software across Android, modern Java backends, and AI integration. Master of Computer and Information Sciences from AUT with First Class Honours.
Android Focus
Android engineer with 10+ years of production mobile delivery for enterprise IM and field deployment scenarios, expert in Kotlin/Java and API integration. Strong in full lifecycle delivery from requirements to post-release support.
AI Focus
AI engineer with hands-on experience in applied AI, computer vision, and full-stack delivery, focused on deployable, iterative engineering. Built production AI systems including virtual try-on (diffusion models), image classification (YOLO), and predictive maintenance. Expert in LLM applications and vision pipelines from prototype to production.
Java Focus
Backend software engineer with 10+ years in Java delivery including Spring Cloud, MyBatis, and microservices. Expert in enterprise backends for manufacturing and messaging, with focus on uptime, latency, and release rhythm.
Technical Skills
programming
mobile
ai ml
backend
frontend
iot
devops
Featured Projects
ChatClothes Virtual Try-On
AI/ML - Master's ThesisMultimodal AI virtual try-on combining diffusion generation, YOLO12n-LC classification, and LLM agent control via Dify workflow orchestration.
Metrics: fid: 28.5 (19% improvement), classificationAccuracy: 94.2%, modelSize: 8x smaller than YOLO12n, userSuccess: 87%
Smart Factory System
Industrial IoT - EnterpriseIndustrial IoT smart manufacturing platform deployed across 10+ factory sites. Spring Cloud microservices + Android shop-floor apps + Vue.js portals + IoT (RFID, scales, conveyors).
Metrics: factories: 10+ sites, efficiency: 30%+ improvement, workers: Hundreds daily users, team: 6-person cross-functional team
Enterprise Messaging Platform
Enterprise Communication / PlatformEnterprise IM platform (Android/Web/PC) serving 5,000 DAU over 10 years. Started as sole developer, grew to 20-person team. Custom TCP protocol (WebSocket unstable), NDK TCP/UDP for sub-200ms latency. Evolved from standalone IM to multi-subsystem platform. Migrated C++ messaging to Easemob cloud, eliminating 90%+ defects. Still in use and actively growing.
Metrics: dau: 5,000 daily active users, latency: <200ms (custom TCP protocol), messages: 500K+ per day, downtime: <2% over 10 years, evolution: Sole developer → 20-person team, status: Still active and growing
IoT Device Management Platform
IoT - Product Line7-year IoT product line: smart switches and gateways sold to customers. Sole Android developer for all mobile apps. Gateway firmware for Zigbee/WiFi → MQTT. Participated in architecture design (Java Spring, time-series DB, message queue). 20-person team with majority backend.
Metrics: duration: 7 years (2016-2023), teamSize: 20 (majority backend), products: Smart switches and gateways sold to customers, layers: Mobile + Gateway + Backend
Android Hotfix Framework
Mobile InfrastructureEvaluated and participated in an Android hotfix framework using method replacement (AndFix) and Dex merge (Tinker). Identified critical limitations: method-only replacement, no native .so swapping, ROM compatibility gaps, unsustainable version management. Led the evaluation that resulted in retiring the system in favor of staged rollout + feature flags.
Metrics: evolution: AndFix → Tinker → retire → staged rollout + feature flags, decision: Retired after evaluating maintenance cost exceeded business value
Live Streaming Commerce Platform
E-commerce/StreamingFull-stack streaming platform: Android client (C++ core via NDK), ASP.NET web admin, WebSocket chat. RTMP/HLS delivery, multi-language architecture spanning 6+ languages.
Metrics: 3-year production run, multi-language architecture (6+ languages)
Forest Patrol GIS
Mobile GISOffline-first Android GIS app for forest rangers in no-signal areas. Custom offline maps, GPS tracking, incident reporting with deferred sync. Supports risk event reporting for fire hazards, pest/disease, and land occupation.
Metrics: Deployed for forestry department, reliable zero-connectivity operation
School Face Recognition Attendance System
IoT / EducationSchool face recognition attendance with local on-device comparison using ArcSoft SDK. 3-person team — I built the Android terminal with face recognition, liveness detection, and gate control. 1-2s per student, 99%+ accuracy, real-time parent notifications. Deployed across multiple schools.
Metrics: recognition: 1-2 seconds per student (local comparison), accuracy: 99%+, schools: 3+ deployed, notification: Real-time parent push
Smart Power Management System
IoT / Energy ManagementSmart power platform for factories and buildings. 20-person company-wide project. Monitor per-load electrical parameters, remote control, alarm policies. 15% energy saving, sub-second alarm, 99.9% data collection rate, 3+ parks deployed.
Metrics: energySaving: 15% average reduction, alarmSpeed: <1 second, dataAccuracy: 99.9% collection rate, parks: 3+ deployed, teamSize: 20 people
Visit Booking & Access Management
Enterprise SystemMulti-terminal platform: admin booking, face recognition terminals, visitor WeChat mini-program, WebRTC sessions.
Metrics: 99.5% face recognition accuracy, <1s verification, 30% efficiency gain
Picture Book Locker
IoT/HardwareSmart library locker with Android control cabinet (locks, UV, sensors) + borrower app + face/QR authentication.
Metrics: <3s borrowing, multiple schools, 0% book loss rate
Smart Gateway / Breaker Control Platform
IoT / IndustrialSmart gateway controlling non-networked circuit breakers via RS232. Each gateway manages up to 70 breakers. Telemetry, remote control, local alerting, cloud reporting. Connects to Smart Power Management Platform. 4-person team — I developed the Android gateway and designed the architecture.
Metrics: capacity: Up to 70 breakers per gateway, telemetry: Real-time current/voltage/power/energy, availability: 24/7 edge operation, integration: Connects to Smart Power Platform
High-Security Manufacturing System Integration
Enterprise/Manufacturing ITManufacturing information systems for a high-security banknote paper production facility. Designed gateway to aggregate data from 7-8 legacy hardware types via serial ports (9600/115200 baud). Synchronized scattered databases to unified BI layer (FineBI). Deployed UHF scanners for paper axis tracking despite metal wire signal interference.
Metrics: hardwareDevices: 7-8 types, ~12 devices, 2 gateways, serialBaud: 9600 / 115200, reportingInterval: ~30 seconds, biTool: FineBI (帆软), siteApproval: ~1 week lead time, participation: Intermittent
Exhibition Service Robot
AI / RoboticsIntelligent service robot for exhibitions and malls. Robot provided SDK for control; team built features on top: navigation, product introduction, face recognition with check-in, knowledge base, and voice interaction. 4-person team — I developed the Android interaction interface and integrated robot SDK features. Deployed at client exhibition, still in use.
Metrics: navigation: Centimeter-level precision (LiDAR SLAM), faceRecognition: >98% accuracy, voiceUnderstanding: >90% intent understanding, availability: 7x24 continuous operation, deployment: Client exhibition, still in use
Smart Broadcast Control Platform
Digital Signage / IoT Device ManagementDigital Signage platform for centralized ad delivery across 1000+ retail display devices. Three-component architecture: Vue.js Admin Console, Customer Portal, Spring Boot/Cloud backend, Android Device Client. MQTT broadcast with high-concurrency handling, multi-screen adaptation, campaign scheduling, device fleet management, and offline cache/recovery.
Metrics: devices: 1000+ display devices, teamSize: 9 (3 backend, 2 frontend, 2 mobile, 1 designer, 1 QA), deliveryTime: 2 months, ahead of schedule, communication: MQTT broadcast with high-concurrency handling, businessScenario: Retail stores (bookstores, clothing stores, design shops)
Boobit Crypto Trading Platform
Fintech/MobileCryptocurrency trading platform mobile app with real-time market data via WebSocket, coin search, exchange operations, and secure wallet management.
Metrics: Real-time market data updates, secure wallet with encryption
AI Data Annotation & Model Training Platform
AI Platform / MLOpsGeneral-purpose AI platform for data annotation and model training. Validated with Chinese herbal recognition demo (20 categories, ~50 images/class). Prototype → handoff → launch, but not maintained afterwards.
Metrics: demoCategories: 20 herbal types, imagesPerClass: ~50, modelsTested: 4 (YOLOv4, ResNet, MobileNetV3, EfficientNet), evaluationCriteria: Top-1 Accuracy, Macro F1, Worst-class Recall, P95 Latency, outcome: Developed and launched, not maintained
Device Maintenance Prediction
AI/Predictive MaintenanceAI platform for equipment predictive maintenance. Uses historical logs, fault records, and runtime indicators to model aging patterns and predict maintenance schedules. Outputs risk scoring and data-driven scheduling.
Metrics: Multi-model comparison with aging trend analysis and risk scoring
Highway Toll Station Vehicle Inspection System
Enterprise System / Industrial IoTVehicle inspection system for highway toll stations. C# application integrating electronic scales for vehicle weighing, real-time data storage, overload alarm alerts, and customer system integration for automatic invoice generation.
Metrics: Deployed at highway toll station with weighing, alarms, and invoicing
Patent Search System
Enterprise Desktop ApplicationEarly-career solo project: built entire enterprise patent management system myself — .NET desktop app with Lucene.NET full-text search, SQL Server, Excel batch processing. 10,000+ patents, <2s search, 50+ daily users.
Metrics: patents: 10,000+ managed, search: <2s response time, users: 50+ daily users, team: Solo project
Education
Master of Computer and Information Sciences
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) — 2024-07 to 2026-02
First Class Honours
Bachelor of Software Engineering
Hebei University of Science and Technology — 2009-07 to 2013-06
Work Experience
AI Research Engineer
Auckland University of Technology — 2024-07 to 2026-02
- • Completed Master's at AUT (2025), building ChatClothes — multimodal virtual try-on combining OOTDiffusion with LoRA fine-tuning, YOLO-LC classification, and LLM agent via Dify workflow. Trained and fine-tuned LoRA adapters on DressCode and VITON-HD datasets. Submitted thesis 6 months early.
- • Designed end-to-end pipeline: data preprocessing/augmentation, model training/evaluation, ComfyUI workflow orchestration, and on-device inference optimization for constrained hardware. Published at IVCNZ 2025.
Team Lead & Full-stack Engineer
Chunxiao Technology Co., Ltd. — 2019-01 to 2024-02
- • Architected and delivered smart factory platform for garment manufacturing — integrated RFID, electronic scales, conveyors, and barcode scanners across 10+ factory sites with 6-person cross-functional team using Spring Cloud microservices and Docker-based CI/CD. Built Android shop-floor terminals and Vue.js web portals for hundreds of daily workers. Improved production efficiency 30%+. Awarded Hebei Provincial Science and Technology Achievement Award (2020). Event-driven architecture via ActiveMQ/Kafka.
- • Built enterprise messaging platform serving 5,000 DAU with 500K+ daily messages, including SSO, file services, and permission frameworks across 5+ subsystems — migrated from legacy C++ to cloud IM, eliminating 90%+ defects.
Senior Android Developer
Chunxiao Technology Co., Ltd. — 2015-01 to 2018-12
- • Shipped 8+ production Android apps across live-streaming, IoT device management, and mobile workforce solutions.
- • Designed modular Android architecture reused across 12+ internal projects, cutting code duplication by 50%+.
.NET Software Engineer
Chunxiao Technology Co., Ltd. — 2013-07 to 2014-12
- • Built media transcoding pipeline (H.264/AAC) supporting RTMP/HLS distribution using FFmpeg and C#, and developed ASP.NET backend services with SQL Server for media asset management.
- • Implemented WebSocket-based bidirectional control for synchronized broadcast playback and real-time viewer engagement.
Publications
ChatClothes: Conversational Virtual Try-On with Diffusion Models
IVCNZ 2025 — 2025
DOI: 10.1109/IVCNZ67716.2025.11281834
Clothes Recognition Based on Lightweight Deep Learning Models
IGI Global — Aesthetics in Creative Technology — 2026
Awards & Certifications
First Class Honours
AUT — 2025
Science and Technology Achievement Award
Hebei, China — 2020
National Scholarship
Hebei University of Science and Technology — 2013