Nathan Sifuna
@nathansifuna
Senior software engineer building scalable AI evaluation systems and production-ready full-stack services.
What I'm looking for
I’m a Senior Software Engineer and AI Evaluation Specialist focused on building scalable full-stack applications, AI systems, and distributed backend services. I combine practical software engineering with analytical evaluation to improve reliability and real-world output quality.
At Handshake AI (2025–Present), I designed and deployed backend systems powering AI model evaluation workflows and distributed processing. I built RESTful APIs and full-stack applications with Python, FastAPI, Next.js, PostgreSQL, and Redis, then improved API performance and optimized throughput for real-time AI.
In parallel, I’ve developed and operationalized evaluation tooling at Outlier AI (2024–Present), including internal dashboards and services for grading and annotation workflows. I implemented caching and optimized data processing performance using SQL databases and asynchronous workflows, and contributed to structured, high-precision debugging and evaluation processes.
Earlier roles at Scale AI (2023–2024) and IBM (2022–2023) strengthened my foundation in large-scale AI data systems, distributed processing, and production NLP. I’m actively advancing my research interests through a PhD in Software Engineering at MIT, with work spanning scalable AI systems, distributed architectures, and ML optimization.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Senior Full-Stack / AI Engineer
Handshake AI
Jan 2025 - Present (1 year 6 months)
Designed and deployed scalable backend systems supporting AI model evaluation workflows and distributed processing. Built RESTful APIs and full-stack applications and contributed to AI output evaluation, prompt optimization, and backend performance improvements.
Full-Stack Software Engineer
Outlier AI
Jan 2024 - Present (2 years 6 months)
Developed internal dashboards and evaluation tools for AI model assessment workflows. Built backend services and data pipelines for grading and annotation systems, implementing caching and optimizing data processing performance.
Software Engineer
Scale AI
Jan 2023 - Jan 2024 (1 year)
Engineered backend services and processing pipelines for large-scale AI data systems. Optimized distributed processing workflows and supported AI training infrastructure and software evaluation initiatives.
Machine Learning Engineer
IBM
Jan 2022 - Jan 2023 (1 year)
Developed and deployed NLP and machine learning applications in production. Built APIs and scalable services for model serving and real-time processing while improving reliability and performance through testing and optimization.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Software Engineering
2023 - 2026
PhD research in scalable AI systems, distributed architectures, and machine learning optimization. Dissertation focused on design and optimization of large-scale AI-driven systems.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master of Science (MSc), Software Engineering
2020 - 2023
MSc in Software Engineering with specialization in machine learning, cloud computing, and system design. Coursework emphasized building and designing software systems with an ML and cloud focus.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Science (BSc), Software Engineering
2016 - 2019
BSc in Software Engineering focusing on algorithms, data structures, and full-stack development. Built foundational skills for software engineering and scalable application development.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
Authorized to work in
Job categories
Skills
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