Hi there! I am a second year PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. I am working under the supervision of Prof. M. Tamer Özsu as a member of the Data Systems Group. I am broadly interested in building and optimizing data systems for large language model (LLM) workloads.

Publications

Research Challenges in Relational Database Management Systems for LLM Queries Kerem Akillioglu, Anurag Chakraborty, Sairaj Voruganti, and M. Tamer Özsu
Applied AI for Database Systems Workshop (AIDB), VLDB 2025. [PDF]

Optimizing Data Systems for LLM Workloads
Kerem Akillioglu
PhD Workshop, VLDB 2025. [PDF]

Experience

Previously, I completed my Master’s in Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, where my thesis focused on query optimization for streaming graph data management systems. Before my Master’s, I had research internships at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), University of Waterloo, and Bekaert R&D Centre (China). Also, I worked as a software engineer for a year at Admost.

Funding and Awards

• International Doctoral Student Award, University of Waterloo
• Waterloo Graduate Scholarship, University of Waterloo
• Fully Funded Thesis Based Master's Program, University of Waterloo
• International Master's Award of Excellence Scholarship, University of Waterloo
• Merit Scholarship, Covers Tuition Costs, Sabanci University

Teaching

I worked as a Teaching Assistant for the following courses:

• CS638 (Principles of Data Management and Use), University of Waterloo
• CS338 (Computer Applications in Business: Databases), University of Waterloo
• CS240 Data Structures and Data Management, University of Waterloo
• CS114 (Principles of Computing for Science), University of Waterloo
• IF100 (Computational Thinking), Sabanci University
• NS101 (Science of Nature) & NS102, Sabanci University

Contact

• Email: k2akilli [at] uwaterloo [dot] ca
• Office: Davis Centre DC 3301