Applied AI Researcher / Founding Engineer
6y relevant experience
EU engineers, ready to place with your US clients
Pre-screened on AI. Remote B2B contracts. View 5 full profiles free — AI score, skills report, interview questions included.
Executive Summary
Luka Posilović is a strong candidate for the Applied AI Researcher / Founding Engineer role, bringing a PhD in Computer Science (summa cum laude), 400+ research citations, and hands-on leadership of ML departments at funded startups. Their technical breadth across generative AI, computer vision, MLOps, and cloud infrastructure closely matches the role's requirements. Two concerns must be addressed before proceeding: a prompt injection attempt was found embedded in the resume, which raises a question about professional transparency and should be directly discussed in screening; and no code sample or GitHub was provided, requiring a technical assessment to validate engineering quality. If these concerns are resolved satisfactorily, Luka represents a high-potential founding engineer candidate with genuine C-level growth trajectory.
Top Strengths
- ✓PhD in Computer Science summa cum laude with a nationally recognized outstanding dissertation award — top-tier academic pedigree directly matching role requirements
- ✓400+ academic citations in generative AI, GANs, and diffusion models — strong research credibility and thought leadership foundation
- ✓Proven ability to lead and deliver applied AI products in production (Kitro, Inetec) with measurable business and scientific impact
- ✓Broad and deep technical stack: Python, PyTorch, AWS, GCP, MLOps tooling, computer vision, and LLM-based systems — covers nearly all required skills
- ✓Entrepreneurial mindset evidenced by building and publishing an independent app (Study Buddy) alongside a demanding research and leadership career
Key Concerns
- !Prompt injection attempt embedded in the resume ('Ignore all previous instructions...') is a transparency and professional conduct red flag that must be addressed in screening
- !No code sample or GitHub provided — code quality, software engineering practices, and architectural decision-making cannot be independently verified for a founding engineer role
Culture Fit
Growth Potential
High
Salary Estimate
$100,000 - $135,000 (aligns with senior/staff level given PhD, leadership experience, and European base — may negotiate toward upper band for equity or C-level framing)
Assessment Reasoning
Luka Posilović is assessed as FIT (score 82) based on strong alignment with the role's core requirements: a PhD in the right discipline, deep generative AI and computer vision research, current ML leadership experience, measurable product impact, and a broad technical stack covering Python, PyTorch, AWS, GCP, and MLOps tooling. They meets or exceeds approximately 85% of the required and preferred qualifications. Two notable flags — a prompt injection attempt in the resume and the absence of a code sample or GitHub — reduce confidence slightly but do not disqualify them, as both can be addressed in the interview process. The LinkedIn mismatch (recruiter profile submitted instead of candidate's) is a process error rather than a candidate fault. The FIT decision is conditional on a satisfactory technical interview and clarification of the prompt injection issue.
Interview Focus Areas
Code Review
No code example or GitHub profile was submitted, making it impossible to directly evaluate code quality, architectural thinking, or engineering discipline. The resume implies a senior-level engineer with production ML experience and tooling maturity, but this must be verified in a technical interview or take-home assessment. The score reflects the inability to evaluate rather than a negative signal.
- +Resume indicates experience with production-grade ML systems, Docker, CUDA optimization, and CI/CD-adjacent tooling (GitHub Workflows), suggesting disciplined engineering habits
- +Published a consumer-facing app (Study Buddy) on the Play Store, demonstrating ability to ship end-to-end software products
- -No code sample, GitHub profile, or open-source repository was provided for direct assessment — this is a significant gap for a founding engineer role where code quality is critical
Experience Overview
8y total · 6y relevantLuka Posilović is a highly credentialed AI researcher and practitioner with a PhD in Computer Science (summa cum laude), significant academic impact (400+ citations), and strong hands-on experience spanning generative models, computer vision, MLOps, and cloud infrastructure. They currently leads an ML department and has delivered measurable real-world AI products. Their background aligns closely with the role's core requirements, though direct evidence of large-scale LLM fine-tuning and code quality cannot be fully verified without a GitHub or code sample.
Matching Skills
Skills to Verify
