Worked on the zulip/zulip repository to enhance the reliability of search functionality by addressing a bug affecting topic highlighting when apostrophes appeared in search results. The solution involved aligning HTML escaping in SQL queries with the escaping logic used for display, ensuring that highlighted segments accurately matched displayed topics and eliminating offset errors. This approach improved the accuracy of topic matching and reduced the risk of mis-highlighting for users. The work demonstrated strong backend development skills, with a focus on database query optimization and search functionality, and was implemented using Python and SQL without introducing performance regressions or maintainability issues.