Nabin Chaulagain

Information Technology Officer · Software Engineer · MSc IT, Westcliff University

Backend
Python / DjangoREST API DesignPostgreSQLRedisJava
Frontend
React / TypeScriptHTML / CSSTailwind CSS
AI & Data
RAG / EmbeddingsGoogle Gemini APIpgvectorData Analysis
Infrastructure
Linux / UbuntuDockerNginx / GunicornCI/CD (GitHub Actions)Oracle DB
View my work
Nabin Chaulagain
Kathmandu, Nepal
12+ Years writing software
40+ Projects shipped
12 Open-source tools
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01About

A decade of building secure, citizen-first software.

I consider myself a responsible, creative, with initiative and punctuality. I accept with pleasure the challenges and goals that your organization could assign me, with good handle of the interpersonal relationships, ability to work in teams, ability to work under high pressure, so as to solve problems efficiently and achieve the goals set by the company and my work group.

I consider myself a responsible, creative, with initiative and punctuality. I accept with pleasure the challenges and goals that your organization could assign me, with good handle of the interpersonal relationships, ability to work in teams, ability to work under high pressure, so as to solve problems efficiently and achieve the goals set by the company and my work group.

Python / DjangoREST API DesignPostgreSQLReact / TypeScriptHTML / CSSTailwind CSSRAG / EmbeddingsGoogle Gemini APIpgvectorLinux / UbuntuDockerNginx / Gunicorn
02Vision & priorities

What I work toward

01

Digital public infrastructure

Building systems that serve millions of citizens — secure, accessible, maintainable.

02

Open by default

Everything I build is designed to be extensible, documented, and shareable.

03

Pragmatic AI

AI tooling in the service of real problems — not hype, but measurable outcomes.

03Work & initiatives

Selected initiatives in digital public service.

E-Governance 2019–2021

Gate Pass & Visitor Management System

Designed and deployed a web-based gate pass system used daily across government offices, replacing paper logs and eliminating fraud.

Replaced paper logs across 3 ministries — zero fraud incidents post-launch.

Infrastructure 2018–2019

Ministry Network Overhaul

Led a complete LAN/WAN redesign for the Ministry headquarters, improving uptime from 78% to 99.4% and halving incident response time.

Uptime 78% → 99.4%. Incident response time cut by 50%.

AI / RAG 2023

RAG-Powered Digital Twin

Built a retrieval-augmented chatbot grounded in real project data, research publications, and work history — deployed as part of this portfolio.

Live on this portfolio — answers questions from real project data.

Open Source 2024

Django Portfolio Starter

Open-sourced the complete portfolio boilerplate including AI integration, CMS, and CI/CD pipeline — used by dozens of developers.

Public on GitHub — available for the developer community.

04Skills & stack

The tools I reach for.

Backend

Python / Django 95%
REST API Design 90%
PostgreSQL 88%
Redis 80%
Java 80%

Frontend

React / TypeScript 82%
HTML / CSS 90%
Tailwind CSS 78%

AI & Data

RAG / Embeddings 85%
Google Gemini API 80%
pgvector 75%
Data Analysis 72%

Infrastructure

Linux / Ubuntu 90%
Docker 82%
Nginx / Gunicorn 85%
CI/CD (GitHub Actions) 76%
Oracle DB 78%
05Experience

A career in public-sector engineering.

Software Engineer (Contract)

2014 – 2016
NepaliTech Solutions
Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Built full-stack web applications for 6 enterprise clients using Django and React.
  • Reduced average page load time by 40% through query optimization and caching strategies.

Developer

2013 – 2014
DesignCo Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Worked on TTC (Telecom Training Centre) project — built reporting tools to track training records and generate automated reports.
  • Developed Lease Line management module for monitoring and billing of leased internet lines.
  • Built internal administrative and data management tools used across multiple departments.

Freelance Developer

2012 – 2014
Self-employed
Remote
  • Delivered 10+ websites and web apps for local businesses and NGOs.
06Projects

Things I build.

Centralized Gate Pass System

Full-stack, secure access control synced to physical biometric hardware.

PythonDjangoZKTeco HardwareREST APIsDB Optimization

Intelligent Passport Inquiry Chatbot

RAG-powered automated inquiry system for the Department of Passports.

PythonRAGGoogle GeminiPrompt EngineeringVector Retrieval

Dynamic Web Portals & Headless CMS

Decoupled government dashboards and managed private-domain deployments.

Next.jsReactStrapiNode.jsServer AdminSSL/TLS

Payment Portal Modernization

QR payments and dual-verification across NiziPOS & FCGO gateways.

DjangoJavaPayment Gateway APIsQRDual-Verification
07Services

How I can help.

01

Web Application Development

Full-stack Django and React applications built for scale, security, and maintainability. From MVPs to enterprise systems.

02

E-Governance Consulting

Advisory and implementation support for government digital transformation — process mapping, system design, and change management.

03

AI Integration

Practical RAG and LLM integration for real products: knowledge bases, document Q&A, intelligent search, and workflow automation.

04

Infrastructure & DevOps

Server setup, container orchestration, CI/CD pipelines, security hardening, and 24/7 monitoring for production systems.

08Writing

Notes on software & engineering.

Regular reflections on building technology — the principles, practice, and lessons learned.

Django
8 min read

From N+1 to Sub-100ms: Profiling and Killing Hidden Query Costs in Django

A practical walkthrough of finding N+1 queries with django-debug-toolbar, fixing them with select_related/prefetch_related, and proving the win with real timings.
Read article →
AI/LLM

Grounding Gemini: How I Stopped My RAG Pipeline From Confidently Lying

Retrieval design, prompt constraints, and evaluation tricks that turned a hallucinating prototype into a trustworthy production inquiry bot.
10 min read Read →
Hardware × Software

Talking to the Gate: Syncing ZKTeco Biometric Hardware With a Django Backend

The messy reality of bridging cloud records with physical biometric devices — protocols, retries, and keeping a verification database consistent.
9 min read Read →
Java

Thinking in Layers: What Java's Enterprise MVC Taught Me That Django Didn't

Notes from deepening my Java mastery — and how a second paradigm sharpened the way I structure Django code.
7 min read Read →
09Research & publications

Writing for the record.

  1. International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM)

    A Comparative Study of Information Retrieval Models: BM25 Versus Hybrid Retrieval on the Cranfield Collection

    Nabin Chaulagain, Aashish Dhakal, et al.
    Benchmarking classical BM25 against hybrid retrieval — work that directly informs how I build production RAG systems. Research interests: information retrieval, biometric security vulnerabilities, and adversarial attacks in facial recognition. Next: preparing for a PhD in Australia/New Zealand in information systems and AI.
10Library

What I read, use & follow.

Bookmarks

PostgreSQL Full-Text Search postgresql.org Database Django Best Practices learndjango.com Django RAG Survey Paper arxiv.org AI/ML Refactoring UI refactoringui.com Design The Twelve-Factor App 12factor.net Architecture OWASP Top Ten owasp.org Security

Tools

VS Code
Primary code editor
PyCharm
Deep Django / Python work
TablePlus
Database GUI
Figma
UI design & wireframing
Postman
API development & testing
Docker Desktop
Container management
Notion
Documentation & notes
Linear
Project & issue tracking
12Recommendations

What colleagues say.

“
Nabin delivered a system that transformed how we manage visitor access. Reliable, well-documented, and handed over with full training.
Surendra Thapa Director, Ministry of Finance IT Division
“
His ability to bridge technical depth with clear communication made him invaluable on our digital infrastructure project.
Priya Sharma Project Lead, NepaliTech Solutions
“
One of the most thoughtful engineers I've worked with. He asks the right questions before writing a single line of code.
Bikram Adhikari Senior Engineer, Deerwalk Institute
13Education & credentials

Education

  • MSc Information Technology
    Westcliff University
    2023 – Present

Certifications

  • ✓Google Associate Cloud Engineer
  • ✓AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
  • ✓ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer (BSI)
  • ✓Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) — EC-Council
14In the press

Featured coverage.

  • The Himalayan Times Government IT officer leads digital transformation of ministry workflows Mar 2022
  • Nepal ICT Awards Best Government Digital Initiative — Gate Pass System Nov 2021
  • eGov Nepal Interview: Building secure public-sector software in Nepal Jan 2023
15Contact

Let’s build something.

Open to freelance projects, consulting, open-source collaboration, and speaking.