Hello, I am Bill Zhao.

I am a Senior Cloud Engineer at Microsoft

with an MBA at Boston University

based in Seattle, Washington

Curious about my journey? Let's connect!

Discover more about me Visit my blog

What I Do

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Cloud Computing

I build scalable, resilient Azure Core infrastructure that developers and businesses trust every day.

AI Technology

I love bringing Generative AI out of the lab to solve real human problems.

Software Development

To me, coding is about building elegant software that removes friction to simplify everyday tasks.

Project Management

I turn big ideas into shipped plans, my engineering & MBA background means I can talk code with devs and strategy with executives.

Nonprofit Board Service

I believe in tech for good, bringing strategy to nonprofit boards to grow their impact.

About Me

Senior Engineer at Microsoft  |  Executive Briefing Speaker
Questrom MBA Driving Enterprise AI Innovation

I've spent my career building reliable, large-scale systems. Today I work as a Senior Cloud Engineer at Microsoft, designing scalable, reliable IaaS virtual-machine infrastructure that millions of developers and businesses rely on, and serving as a technical leader and subject-matter expert for Azure VM services. I'm proficient in Java, C++, C, Python, JavaScript, SQL, and modern cloud technologies, and my colleagues say I'm a kind and enthusiastic quick learner.

To sharpen the business side of my craft, I'm pursuing an MBA at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. I'm a proud University of Washington alum (Computer Science & Software Engineering, minor in Mathematics) and an active member of the PNW BU Alumni community.

In my free time, I enjoy practicing Kung Fu, writing, discovering contemporary research topics, and engaging in community service.

Currently
  • Senior Cloud Engineer, Azure Core · Microsoft
  • Executive Briefing Center Speaker · Microsoft
  • Board Member · Microsoft Asian Employee Network (CHIME)
  • Board Member · Chinese Radio Seattle
A few things I love outside of work
Bilingual Broadcaster Tech Enthusiast Avid Pet Lover Digital Entrepreneur Casual Golfer Finance & Strategy

Recent Projects

where my passion leads me over the years

Hint Generator

Hint Generator

An Intelligent Tutoring System that automatically generates hints for programming problems without accessible solutions, published at the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on CS Education (SIGCSE).

 Leet Programming

Leet Programming

An online technical problem-solving course that helps programmers sharpen their skills in C++, data structures, and algorithms.

 Game of Assassin

Game of Assassin

Play from home: a Java game simulation of Assassin redesigned for those in quarantine

 Undergrad Research

Undergrad Research

A machine-learning research project using Python and Weka to predict stock-market trends by mining online discussion forums.

 Twenty Questions

Twenty Questions

A Java simulation of the spoken parlor game which automatically builds binary trees from users' input

 Pizzeria

Pizzeria

An automated pizza ordering application with vegan features and delivery notifications

Contact Info

There are several ways you can reach me:

I make frequent appearances on campus and online meetings, and random ones at local Seattle coffee shops, gyms, and hiking trails…

But hey, you can always find me here!