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 software engineer at TikTok, where I contributed to the Global E-Commerce Logistics and 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
From 2021 to 2023, I worked on TikTok’s Global E-Commerce Fulfillment team, where I architected a distributed fulfillment engine in Go deployed on multi-AZ Kubernetes clusters. This system supported cross-ocean availability and scaled TikTok’s global daily orders from 56K to 10M+.
To handle rapid business iteration, I drove a Domain-Driven Design (DDD) refactor and introduced event-driven architecture (RocketMQ, Redis, Saga), improving modularity and ensuring global consistency. I was promoted on the fast-track to SDE II with an Exceed Expectations (E) rating for my contributions.
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.
Northeast Normal University
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, Seattle, WA [05/2025 - 08/2025]
Software Engineer Intern
TikTok Global E-Commerce Seller Business Group
TikTok, Shenzhen, China [07/2021 - 10/2023]
Software Engineer II
TikTok Global E-Commerce Logistics and 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: August 2025