Open to opportunities

Natalia Kuzminski

@nataliakuzminski

Research Engineer and Applied Scientist applying computational ML, HPC, and quantitative modeling to real-world scientific and medical imaging.

Ecuador

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for remote Research Engineer or Applied Scientist roles (US time zones) where rigorous quantitative thinking meets deployable software—especially ML-focused R&D at the intersection of scientific computing and real-world impact.

I’m a Research Engineer and Applied Scientist with a Caltech Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics and Applied & Computational Mathematics, bringing 10+ years applying machine learning, scientific computing, and quantitative modeling to real-world problems. As a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow and principal investigator on $511K+ in competitive research grants, I combine rigorous math with deployable software thinking. I’m also the author of 20 peer-reviewed publications.

In my Marie Skłodowska-Curie work at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, I led applied research on machine learning for scientific applications, computational modeling, and high-performance simulation pipelines. I designed and shipped CUDA-accelerated FEM/DEM simulation pipelines, and built Python and MATLAB workflows that convert X-ray CT scans into reusable digital-twin-ready datasets. I co-authored a CNN-based segmentation pipeline published in Computers and Geotechnics (2023), and contributed additional peer-reviewed publications during the fellowship.

Before that, I supported national-scale impact during COVID-19 as a Technical Project Lead / Scientific Advisor with Ecuador’s Ministry of Public Health and WHO/PAHO, modernizing production epidemiological data platforms (PAHOFLU and DHIS2) and delivering decision-grade daily analytics across 24 provinces. I’ve also led academic research as Associate Professor / Head of Undergraduate Research and directed a computational mechanics group at USFQ, while co-founding INSPIRE Foundation to advance open collaboration and STEM education. I’m now seeking remote Research Engineer / Applied Scientist / ML-focused R&D roles where quantitative rigor meets software that actually runs in practice.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Associate Professor

Current

Universidad Católica de Cuenca

Sep 2024 - Present (1 year 9 months)

Lectured Mathematical Foundations for Engineering in the Department of IT, Computer Science, and Technological Innovation. Designed university-wide research bootcamps to formalize publication and grant-writing pipelines and won $40,000 in institutional research funding across two competitive internal calls (2023, 2024).

Research Bootcamps Publication Pipeline Design Grant writing Stakeholder Management

Current

President & Co-Founder

Current

INSPIRE Foundation

Dec 2017 - Present (8 years 6 months)

Preside over and co-lead an independent research foundation advancing open scientific collaboration and STEM education across Latin America. Manage a 16-member organization running 15+ projects, co-developed a STEM education mobile application reaching 300+ students, and won a $200,000 South Africa NRF u'Good grant as Principal Investigator (2025).

STEM Education Open Scientific Collaboration Research Program Management Project Leadership Partnership Development Grant Management

Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI)

Nov 2021 - Jan 2025 (3 years 2 months)

Led applied research applying machine learning and HPC-based simulation pipelines for scientific applications. Designed and shipped CUDA-accelerated FEM/DEM simulation pipelines and built Python/MATLAB workflows for X-ray CT image-to-digital-twin datasets, including publishing a CNN-based segmentation pipeline in Computers and Geotechnics (2023).

CUDA GPU programming FEM DEM Simulation Python Matlab X Ray CT Image Processing Digital Twins HPC

Technical Project Lead

Ecuador Ministry of Public Health

Jan 2020 - Jan 2021 (1 year)

Led a 15-engineer technical team modernizing national epidemiological data platforms during COVID-19, supporting PAHOFLU and DHIS2 across all 24 Ecuadorian provinces. Designed and standardized automated daily data-processing pipelines and advised the Minister of Health on data integrity, statistical methodology, and decision-grade analytics.

PAHOFLU DHIS2 Data Pipelines Statistical Analysis Time Series Modeling Data Integrity Stakeholder Management Technical Project Leadership

Professor of Mathematics

Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Aug 2016 - Dec 2019 (3 years 4 months)

Directed the Theoretical & Computational Mechanics Group and Laboratory, leading research staff and graduate students on computational modeling, image-based machine learning, and high-performance computing. Lectured Numerical Analysis, Finite Element Method, and Applied Mathematics, and secured $122K+ in competitive research grants (CEDIA, USFQ PoliGrants, and others).

Computational Mechanics Numerical Methods High Performance Computing Applied Mathematics Teaching Research Leadership

Graduate Researcher & TA

California Institute of Technology

Mar 2012 - Apr 2016 (4 years 1 month)

Conducted Ph.D. research on the microscopic origin of macroscopic strength in granular media, producing foundational publications in computational mechanics and applied mathematics. Supported research communication through Caltech’s 3MT (2016) and secured a $30,000 Keck Institute for Space Studies grant in collaboration with NASA-JPL on 3D additive construction algorithms.

Granular Media Modeling Computational Mechanics Numerical Methods Scientific Computing Research Communication Scientific Writing