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Senior Director of Applied Research @ Upwork’s ML & AI
At Upwork I lead the Applied Research team driving platform intelligence through retrieval-augmented generation(RAG), foundational embedding models, and agents that reason and act with tools. We build systems that transform how work is discovered, matched, and executed—integrating AI into workflows to elevate human potential productivity, and foster a non-zero-sum work economy where technology Uplifts everyone. Previously at Amazon, I built foundational AI models for video search, led multimodal search for Amazon Rufus Chatbot, and developed depth perception systems for the Scout autonomous robot. At Magic Leap, I was responsible for the hand tracking system driving spatial computing. Academic at heart with over 3,000 citations, my passion lies at the intersection of graphs, geometry, and gradient descent in the pursuit of artificial general intelligence.
Purdue University
PhD, Mechanical
January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2016
Georgia Institute of Technology
Master of Science (M.S.), Mechanical Engineering
January 1, 2009 – January 1, 2011
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering
January 1, 2005 – January 1, 2009
Upwork
Senior Director of ML/AI
September 1, 2025 – Present
Remote
Upwork
Director of ML/AI
March 1, 2024 – September 1, 2025
Remote
Amazon
Senior Applied Scientist - Amazon Rufus
December 1, 2022 – April 1, 2024
Seattle, Washington, United States · Hybrid
Amazon
Senior Applied Scientist - Amazon Scout
August 1, 2020 – December 1, 2022
Seattle, Washington, United States · Hybrid
Magic Leap
Lead Software Engineer
March 1, 2019 – August 1, 2020
Sunnyvale, California
Magic Leap
Senior Software Engineer
August 1, 2017 – February 1, 2019
Sunnyvale, California
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Postdoctoral Research Associate
September 1, 2016 – July 1, 2017
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Purdue University
Graduate Research Assitant
June 1, 2011 – August 1, 2016
West Lafayette, Indiana
Georgia Institute of Technology
Graduate Research Assistant
August 1, 2009 – April 1, 2011
Altanta, Georgia
Nanyang Technological University
Summer Intern
May 1, 2007 – July 1, 2007
Singapore
Cultural Fit Analysis
The candidate has a strong background in research and development within large, innovative tech companies (Amazon, Upwork, Magic Leap) and prestigious academic institutions (MIT, Purdue, Georgia Tech). This indicates a fit for fast-paced, research-driven environments that value technical depth and innovation. The transition from Mechanical Engineering to AI/ML demonstrates adaptability and a continuous learning mindset. However, the target role of 'Data Analyst' seems to be a significant mismatch with the candidate's extensive senior-level ML/AI and applied science experience. Their profile is geared towards advanced ML/AI research, development, and leadership, rather than traditional data analysis. This discrepancy suggests a potential misalignment with the specific requirements and expectations of a typical Data Analyst role, which often focuses more on data manipulation, visualization, and reporting rather than model development and deployment.
Soft Skills & Operational Fit
The candidate's career progression from individual contributor to senior leadership roles at prominent companies suggests strong leadership, problem-solving, and strategic thinking abilities. The descriptions of their work at Upwork and Amazon highlight a focus on impact, innovation, and complex problem-solving, which are critical for senior roles. However, without specific psychometric test results, a detailed assessment of work attitude, stress handling, and team collaboration is not possible.