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Daniel Portnov

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MS Machine Learning @ Georgia Tech · AI/ML Engineer building intelligent systems at Fortune 500 companies — from production transformer models in self-driving cars to LLM-powered applications on GCP.

Daniel Portnov

About Me

I'm a software engineer deeply focused on AI and machine learning, currently pursuing my MS in Machine Learning at Georgia Tech while working as an MLOps Data Engineer at Volkswagen Group of America.

My career spans the full ML lifecycle at Fortune 500 companies — from training production transformer models for autonomous vehicles at GM, to building LLM-powered applications and end-to-end MLOps pipelines on GCP at VW.

I thrive where rigorous engineering meets cutting-edge AI research, shipping systems that are technically sound and business-impactful.

0+

Years in AI/ML

$500K+

Value Delivered

0%

Efficiency Gains

0

Fortune 500 Companies

Work Experience

MLOps Data Engineer

Volkswagen Group of America · Auburn Hills, MI

Jan 2025 – Present
  • Engineered end-to-end clustering pipeline for warranty claims using BigQuery ML, HDBSCAN, and Vertex AI, automating detection of early-stage failure trends across large datasets
  • Built CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions for automated testing and deployment of an LLM-based HR application onto GCP

AI/ML Engineer

General Motors · Warren, MI

Feb 2023 – Sept 2024
  • Refined production-grade transformer model for lane detection, optimizing inputs and evaluating outputs to enhance autonomous vehicle vision systems
  • Developed time series interpolation algorithm with PySpark, standardizing batch data intervals and increasing analysis efficiency by 80%
  • Implemented back-end data loading system with PyTorch for Delta Tables, reducing load times by 50% and supporting robust model training
  • Migrated data from parquet files into Databricks Delta Tables to enhance accessibility for model training pipelines

Automated Driving Software Engineer

General Motors · Warren, MI

Aug 2022 – Feb 2023
  • Wrote Python data corruption detection tool, preserving critical AV sensor data and saving $500,000+ in wasted data costs
  • Refactored legacy codebase using clean code practices and modern Python techniques, improving readability and maintainability
  • Collaborated cross-functionally with international teams to align data annotation tools with USA data collection requirements

AV System Safety Engineer

General Motors · Warren, MI

Feb 2022 – Aug 2022
  • Raised C++ unit test coverage from 45% to 95% for autonomous vehicle systems, aligning with ASIL and ISO 26262 functional safety standards
  • Introduced Docker containerization, cutting dev environment onboarding from 1 week to 1 day — an 85% reduction

Embedded Software Engineer

General Motors · Warren, MI

June 2021 – Feb 2022
  • Implemented SQL-based regex parsing to automate OTA update error log simplification, optimizing log diagnostics and error resolution workflows

Technical Skills

AI & Machine Learning

Vertex AILangChainLLMsRAGDeep LearningReinforcement LearningTransformersPyTorchScikit-learn

Cloud & DevOps

GCPAzureDockerGitHub ActionsCI/CD

Data Engineering

BigQueryDatabricksApache SparkPySparkSQLPineconeDelta Tables

Languages

PythonJavaScriptC/C++SQL

Automotive Systems

ADASRadarLiDARISO 26262ASIL

Tools & Libraries

GitLinuxStreamlitPandasNumPyMatplotlibKNIMEJira

Education

GT

Georgia Institute of Technology

M.S. Computer Science — Machine Learning

Sept 2023 – Present · Atlanta, GA (Remote)

Specialization covering deep learning, probabilistic graphical models, reinforcement learning, and large-scale AI systems.

UW

University of Wisconsin–Madison

B.S. Computer Science — Minor in Mathematics

Sept 2018 – May 2021 · Madison, WI

Strong CS fundamentals with a mathematical foundation in discrete math, statistics, and linear algebra.

Get In Touch

Open to new roles and collaborations. Let's build something great.