Nathan Gaul
Software & Autonomy Engineer
Defense systems · AI research · Full-stack web
I build software for high-stakes environments, including computer vision pipelines for aircraft inspection, LLM research tools for the Air Force, and full-stack web applications. I have an MS in Electrical Engineering from AFIT and a decade of experience in defense programs, AI research, and production software.
About Me
I'm a software engineer with a background that spans defense systems, AI research, and full-stack web development. I spent nearly a decade as an Air Force officer, where I led engineering programs, directed operational testing for major defense acquisitions, and conducted AI research in collaboration with MIT. I now build production software at DS2, developing sUAS aerial assessment software for government clients.
My technical work ranges from training deep learning models on synthetically generated imagery to building React and Svelte web applications to developing Windows desktop tools in C# and WPF. I'm comfortable across the stack and across domains — from writing Python data pipelines to designing system architecture to shipping user-facing features.
Quick Facts
- ▸ Education: MS Electrical Engineering (Software Engineering Focus), AFIT
- ▸ Education: BS Electrical Engineering, University of Idaho
- ▸ Currently: Software Engineer at DS2, Niceville FL
- ▸ Former: USAF Officer, AI Research Fellow at MIT
Work History
Software Engineer
DS2
- ▸ Develop expeditionary planning tools for government and defense clients using C# and WPF
- ▸ Build and maintain desktop applications serving mission-critical operational planning workflows
- ▸ Deliver custom software solutions for military, defense, and commercial organizations
AI Applications Research Fellow
Air Force–MIT AI Accelerator
- ▸ Conducted applied LLM research using GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 via the OpenAI API for Air Force use cases
- ▸ Built AI tooling and prototypes with Python and Streamlit, automating operational reporting by 800+ hours/year
- ▸ Prototyped real-time AI feedback systems for pilot training programs in direct collaboration with MIT researchers
Operational Test Analyst
Air Force Operational Test & Evaluation Center
- ▸ Directed operational testing for the DoD's first Joint Cyber C2 platform, resolving 6 critical deficiencies for 23K warfighters
- ▸ Led evaluation of multi-billion-dollar defense acquisition programs, informing DoD-level acquisition decisions
- ▸ Conducted cyber vulnerability assessment for a bi-national cloud-based C2 program, accelerating schedule by 15%
Research Engineer & Program Manager
Air Force Research Laboratory
- ▸ Led a 34-person multidisciplinary engineering team on an 8-figure directed energy research program
- ▸ Designed a scalable pulsed laser system exceeding energy targets by 50% through optimized thermal management
- ▸ Prevented a 6-month schedule slip through early risk-reduction analysis, protecting a 7-figure program timeline
Projects
A selection of personal and open-source work
Computer Vision Inspection Pipeline
End-to-end deep learning pipeline for automated aircraft surface inspection. I built a UNet segmentation model that is trained entirely on synthetic images created with Blender. This approach removes the need for expensive real-world annotation data collection.
Other Projects
PointSpire
Full-stack task and project management application with a REST API backend, JWT authentication, and real-time UI updates. Developed collaboratively using Agile/Scrum practices with a structured MVC architecture.
Skills & Expertise
Programming Languages
Frameworks & Libraries
Tools & Platforms
Domains & Concepts
Get in Touch
Open to new opportunities in software engineering, defense tech, and AI applications. Reach out directly. I'm always happy to talk.
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