Srikar is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where his research focuses on optical networks, machine learning, and network security. He is currently working on advancing optical-fiber simulation platforms, including extending and improving the capabilities of simulators such as SIMON, to support data-driven optical networking research. His work explores the use of machine learning and reinforcement learning for optical network optimization, with an emphasis on blocking probability analysis, routing and spectrum/core assignment (RSA/RCSA), and performance modeling in multi-core fiber (MCF) and other elastic optical network settings. Alongside his research, he brings a strong background in software engineering, having built scalable research platforms, full-stack applications, and cloud-deployed systems that support large research teams and production environments. His prior industry experience further complements his academic work by grounding his research in real-world networked systems and large-scale deployments.