I am a Founding Engineer, AI at a Manhattan-based startup, where I focus on developing LLM-powered agents and productivity tools to streamline complex workflows.

Previously, I was the first ML/AI hire at Own Company, a leading SaaS company specializing in data protection and cloud solutions. I helped build Own’s machine learning team from the ground up and enhanced its product offerings with AI-driven insights. Own was later acquired by Salesforce in a multi-billion dollar deal.

Before joining Own, I spent nearly four years at Zelus Analytics, where I was one of the earliest team members. I contributed to the company’s growth from a small startup to a 70-person organization, helping to develop an industry-leading sports intelligence platform. Our team provided cutting-edge analytics to professional sports teams across the MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, IPL, European football leagues, and pro golfers on the PGA TOUR. Zelus was subsequently acquired by Teamworks.

Earlier in my career, I interned with the Sacramento Kings and ShotTracker, working closely with front-office staff, coaches, and players in both NBA and college basketball. I developed software solutions to support data-driven decision-making and created real-time broadcast visualizations that were featured on Fox Sports and CBS Sports.

My academic background centers on statistical machine learning and probabilistic programming. During my master’s studies at Columbia University, I conducted mentored research under Dr. Andrew Gelman and contributed to the Stan project. I received the Statistics Service Award for my work as a student representative. Additionally, I collaborated with Dr. Bob Carpenter at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Mathematics (CCM) in Manhattan and spent a summer researching with Dr. Aki Vehtari in Aalto University’s Probabilistic Machine Learning (PML) group in Finland.

At Brown University, I co-led the Sports Analytics Club, where we launched an undergraduate research group and a for-credit course in sports analytics. For my senior capstone, I applied probabilistic chess rating systems like Elo and Glicko to soccer data, which earned Brown’s Undergraduate Statistics Capstone Award of Excellence. I also studied Mandarin throughout college and spent a summer in East Asia, where I took courses in Chinese language, religion, and politics.

In my spare time, I enjoy entertaining my cat, Pera, playing chess on lichess.org, and kicking a soccer ball around as both a player and coach with my USSF C license. I am passionate about advancing STEM education in Turkey, where I volunteer and mentor students interested in statistics, machine learning, and AI. I am always happy to share my experiences with those considering careers in these fields.