Software Engineer

Professional Journey

I’ve been building software professionally since 2007, starting with an apprenticeship as a Computer Science Expert at the Klinikum Ingolstadt where I learned system administration, network management, and custom software development while providing technical support.

Education

• Ph.D. in Computer Science (2020-2026), University of Zurich (UZH)
  • Focus: Building tools for enhancing software developer experience & productivity
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Thomas Fritz
• Master of Science in Computer Science (2015-2018), Technical University of Munich (TUM)
  • Graduated with distinction
  • Specialization in Software Engineering
  • Thesis: “Definition of an Agile Software Development Process for the European Space Industry”
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (2011-2015), Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences (THI)
  • Graduated with distinction
  • Thesis: “Model-based Reinforcement Learning in Collaborative Tabletop Scenarios”

Key Roles & Experience

Lead Software Engineer - MOVE-II Satellite (2016-2018)

At the Technical University of Munich, I served as Lead Software Engineer and Systems Engineer for the MOVE-II CubeSat mission:

• Defined architecture, interfaces, and operational workflows for the entire satellite mission
• Led the onboard software and mission control development teams
• Developed automation tools and managed cross-team coordination
• Mentored developers and organized a practical university course for mission control software development
• Managed infrastructure, software tools, and code repositories
• Technologies: C++, Linux, systemd, Embedded Development, Git, Python, SpringBoot, Hibernate

Read more about my space engineering experience

Research Engineer for Developer Experience & Productivity (2020-2024)

At the University of Zurich, I focused on improving how developers work:

• Designed AI-driven developer tools using generative AI
• Mentored 10+ junior engineers through full agile project lifecycles, supervising them end-to-end
• Led projects on knowledge management and personal information management tooling
• Taught software engineering fundamentals and developer productivity
• Conducted user research (surveys, interviews, experiments) to guide tool design
• Technologies: Python, TypeScript, React, Electron, VSCode, LangChain, Ollama, Transformers

Learn more about my research on developer productivity

Software Engineer at European Space Agency (2018-2020)

As a Young Graduate Trainee in the Software Systems Division:

• Worked on Mission Control Systems and process optimization
• Developed tool support for project workflows
• Performed data analysis and visualization
• Coordinated with multiple industry partners
• Conducted code reviews to ensure quality
• Technologies: Java, Groovy, Atlassian Suite, Python, Docker, SonarQube

Internships & Early Career

• Working Student at iHaus AG (2017): Developed intelligent smart home automation solutions using Node.js, TypeScript, and Angular
• Internship at Sulzer US, LLC (2015): Managed infrastructure and developed data synchronization backends
• Internship at TraceTronic GmbH (2013): Built tools for generating user documentation from UML models

Technical Skills

Programming: Advanced in Python and Java; Familiar with C, C++, JavaScript, TypeScript, C#, Bash, HTML/CSS

Frameworks: Pandas, D3.js, Electron, React, Angular, FastAPI, Terraform

Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB

Tools: Git, GitLab, Docker, Atlassian Suite (Jira, Confluence), SonarQube, systemd

Methodologies: Agile Project Management (Scrum, Kanban, XP), Systems Engineering with SysML

Leadership & Mentoring

Throughout my career, I’ve supervised and mentored numerous projects and team members:

• Supervised 10+ master’s and bachelor’s theses end-to-end during my Ph.D.
• Led development teams for satellite software systems
• Organized university courses and taught software engineering
• Provided technical leadership in cross-functional teams

Current Work

Today, I apply this software engineering expertise as an AI Engineer at appliedAI, building enterprise AI solutions that combine solid engineering practices with cutting-edge AI technologies.