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

Previously, I was the first AI/ML hire at Own Company, a leading SaaS firm specializing in data protection. I helped build Own’s AI/ML team from the ground up and develop the company’s first AI/ML features. Own was later acquired by Salesforce.

Before joining Own, I spent nearly four years at Zelus Analytics, where I was one of the earliest hires. I contributed to the company’s growth from an early-stage 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 PGA TOUR golfers. 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 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.