Levi Bradford / Engineering student

Edmonton, Alberta · Mechanical engineering

I like making complicated work feel simple.

I’m a third-year mechanical engineering student who studies how things work, then builds practical tools that make them easier to use. My work spans operations, software, and engineering—but the goal is always the same: reliable systems that get out of people’s way.

See the work How I work
Mechanical engineeringProcess mappingInternal toolsWorkflow automationSystems architectureInterface design

Work in practice

Better internal tools at Comco.

Since May 2026, I have worked as a Special Project Analyst with Comco Pipe & Supply’s Office of the President—mapping difficult workflows and building tools that make the work faster and more dependable.

Product description translator · In daily use

Plain English to 30,000+ SKUs.

Customer descriptions rarely match an internal catalogue cleanly. I built a browser-based JavaScript application that combines rule-based parsing, normalization, fuzzy and phonetic matching, and confidence scoring to suggest the right product code.

In informal internal testing, it correctly resolves approximately 85% of descriptions and returns no result when confidence is insufficient. Incorrect matches have been rare, and an organization-wide second release has been approved.

  • JavaScript
  • Browser-based
  • Fail-safe matching
  • Live API dictionary

Procurement workflow

From days of sorting to hours.

Procurement previously exported large spreadsheets and separated items by supplier manually. I developed tools that combine inventory thresholds, supplier records, and competitor mappings to prepare supplier-specific request lists with fewer opportunities for omissions and purchasing errors.

  • Process mapping
  • Data preparation
  • Excel workflows

Adopted systems

Small tools, used every day.

My other work includes a daily meeting logger designed to grow into a lightweight CRM, a standardized file structure, ERP dashboard designs for the internal programming team, and quality documentation supporting ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 processes.

  • Operations
  • Information design
  • Quality systems

Private development project · Since May 2026

A configurable approach to ERP.

An early-stage test platform for exploring whether focused ERP systems can be generated from configuration instead of rebuilt for every organization.

Pre-production · Collaborative development

Compile the system, then refine the experience.

I originated the concept and developed its initial software architecture, code structure, AWS infrastructure-as-code, and early compiler tests before expanding the work into a collaborative development team.

The current test platform converts configuration files into interface wireframes. After customization, the intended pipeline passes the result into API, database, and infrastructure builders to produce an AWS deployment.

This is a learning platform for testing module boundaries, deployment behaviour, and CI/CD architecture—not production software.

01ConfigurationModules and behaviour
02WireframesHuman refinement
03BuildersAPI and database
04AWSFinal deployment

Technical studies

Learning systems from the inside out.

These personal challenges start with experiences that appear effortless and work backward: what layers of engineering make the staggeringly complex feel refreshingly simple? By mapping their layers and attempting smaller-scale versions, I've had the chance to learn their first principles and study how careful design can make extraordinary complexity feel intuitive and dependable.

01 / Paper architecture

Cellular communication

Mapped a primitive cellular modem pipeline to understand how digital information becomes a wireless signal and is recovered reliably. The study covered FFT processing, modulation, digital-to-analogue conversion, synchronization, interference, and protocol layering.

02 / Paper architecture

32-bit processor

Developed a conceptual architecture for a simple processor and memory-management unit to understand how logic, instructions, memory, and operating-system expectations fit together.

How I work

No unneeded complexity.

I try to keep things as simple as the problem allows. That usually means taking the time to understand how something works, working through the technical details, and making the final result clear and useful.

01

Stay grounded

Focus on the problem, the evidence, and the limits of what the work can show.

02

Make it reliable

Do careful work and build things that hold up when they are needed.

03

Respect people’s time

Reduce unnecessary effort while keeping important decisions visible.

I tend to learn by working through problems directly. I enjoy understanding something difficult, turning that understanding into something useful, and seeing how it performs outside of theory.

Experience

A practical route into engineering.

My experience crosses business operations, field work, public infrastructure, customer service, and two undergraduate degrees.

May 2026—Present

Special Project Analyst

Comco Pipe & Supply · Office of the President

Map difficult workflows and develop practical tools across leadership, sales, procurement, quality, and information management. Full-time during summer 2026 and part-time during the academic year.

2023—2024

Lease Hand

Bonanza Drilling · Western Canada

Supported drilling operations and equipment maintenance in conditions where safety, stamina, and dependable execution mattered.

2020—2023

Seasonal Labourer

County of Newell · Brooks, Alberta

Operated equipment and supported rural road, signage, and public-infrastructure maintenance across the county. Worked seasonally between college years.

2019—2020

Pharmacy Assistant

Brooks Pharmasave · Brooks, Alberta

Supported prescription preparation, inventory, and customer service in a detail-sensitive environment.

Education

Expected April 2028 · Presently in third year

BSc Mechanical Engineering

University of Alberta · Edmonton

Completed 2023

Bachelor of Biblical Studies

Millar College of the Bible · Pambrun

Contact

Contact info, just in case.

This site is primarily a record of work and ideas I care about. The contact details are here simply in case something I’ve shared gives you a reason to write.

Email

Available if useful.

For a question, a shared interest, or anything else worth discussing.

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