Zainab Damilola Lawal

AI/ML Engineer & Researcher
Eskişehir, TR.

About

Highly innovative AI/ML Engineer and Researcher with a strong academic foundation in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Engineering. Expertise spans developing robust transformer models for sepsis prediction, pioneering NLP for low-resource languages, and engineering scalable AI solutions for financial intelligence and healthcare. Proven ability to drive projects from conception to deployment, leveraging deep learning, computer vision, and backend development skills to deliver high-impact, data-driven solutions.

Work

Independent Research
|

ML Researcher

Summary

Leading independent research on Transformer-Based Early Sepsis Prediction, focusing on sparse clinical data to develop advanced medical AI solutions.

Highlights

Engineered a custom masking layer to manage irregular time intervals in clinical vitals (PHEMS dataset), effectively addressing the critical 'missing data' challenge in low-resource hospitals.

Pioneered a multimodal approach using Gramian Angular Fields (GAF) to convert 1D physiological signals into 2D images, leveraging CNNs to achieve 0.90 AUROC on imbalanced data for patient instability detection.

Decide
|

Founding AI Engineer

Summary

Led the design and implementation of an AI agent architecture for an AI-native financial intelligence platform, resolving multi-tool orchestration challenges and enhancing security.

Highlights

Architected and deployed an AI agent framework for an AI-native financial intelligence platform, utilizing FastAPI and process supervisors (MCP, stdio) to efficiently resolve complex multi-tool orchestration.

Developed automated benchmarking workflows with Spreadsheet Bench to rigorously validate AI model performance in generating complex Excel/CSV formulas.

Engineered a secure, containerized execution environment (Daytona) for AI-generated code, enabling dynamic use of Python libraries (pandas, openpyxl) with strict isolation and resource control.

Implemented multi-layered safeguards and automated error handling by integrating runtime tracebacks into the LLM, facilitating iterative debugging and retry mechanisms within the sandbox.

Independent Research
|

Solo Researcher

Summary

Conducted a large-scale computational analysis of 51,407 Yoruba news articles, establishing a pioneering NLP project for indigenous African languages.

Highlights

Executed a first-of-its-kind computational analysis on 51,407 Yoruba news articles, advancing indigenous African language NLP.

Developed a custom NLP pipeline utilizing Multilingual BERT and BERTopic for semantic topic modeling, identifying 47 distinct topics with a 0.73 coherence score.

Implemented a robust statistical and cultural validation framework to ensure research findings were contextually sound and aligned with real-world applications.

Eskisehir Technical University
|

Undergraduate Thesis Researcher

Eskişehir, Eskişehir Province, Türkiye

Summary

Led independent research on AI applications in healthcare, securing the prestigious TÜBİTAK 2209-A Undergraduate Research Grant.

Highlights

Developed a deep learning ensemble for osteoporosis detection using standard X-rays, achieving 90.10% accuracy and integrating a chatbot for interpretable clinician feedback.

Published research in IEEE Xplore on an AI-powered osteoporosis detection system, demonstrating innovation in healthcare diagnostics.

Eskisehir Technical University
|

Software Developer

Eskişehir, Eskişehir Province, Türkiye

Summary

Developed an enterprise-grade online examination platform using Java and Spring Boot, serving university students with robust, scalable web application features.

Highlights

Built secure RESTful APIs and backend services, enabling robust exam management, user authentication, and real-time functionality for the online examination system.

Contributed to database schema design and optimization for scalability, actively participating in comprehensive code reviews to ensure system integrity and performance.

Collaborated within an Agile development environment, leveraging Jira for efficient task management and sprint planning across cross-functional teams.

Sabanci University
|

Undergraduate Research Student

Istanbul, Istanbul Province, Türkiye

Summary

Optimized synchronizing sequence generation by designing algorithmic improvements for the Heuristic Greedy Algorithm, reducing automata synchronization time complexity.

Highlights

Developed experimental simulations in C++, Python, and Pandas, validating synchronization efficiency on datasets comprising up to 32,000 states.

Authored and presented a research paper on state synchronization trends, showcasing improved results compared to traditional heuristics.

Eskisehir Technical University
|

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Eskişehir, Eskişehir Province, Türkiye

Summary

Provided comprehensive instruction and support to over 50 undergraduate students in Database Management and Introduction to Programming courses.

Highlights

Delivered structured project guidance, contributing to a 90% project completion rate among tutored students.

Kanunum
|

Software Engineering Intern

Summary

Engineered scalable and efficient OCR pipelines using Java, SQL, and Spring Boot microservices, enhancing legal document processing capabilities.

Highlights

Developed and optimized OCR pipelines using Tesseract OCR and Apache PDFBox, accelerating legal document processing speed by 30% for low-quality scanned documents.

Designed and implemented search and analysis systems leveraging the ELK Stack (ElasticSearch, Logstash, Kibana), resulting in a 40% reduction in query times.

Library Aid Africa
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Software Development Intern

Summary

Developed and maintained robust backend services using Node.js, Express.js, and Mongoose, powering a literacy-focused platform with enhanced functionality.

Highlights

Designed a scalable system architecture that efficiently processed user requests, implementing RESTful APIs with optimized query performance.

Enhanced system reliability by meticulously designing and documenting comprehensive error-handling strategies for critical API endpoints.

Volunteer

Google Developer Students Club
|

Core Team Member

Eskişehir, Eskişehir Province, Türkiye

Summary

Coordinated workshops, hackathons, and various events, fostering a vibrant Google Developer Students Club community.

Highlights

Orchestrated DevFest Eskişehir 2023, successfully engaging over 2000 attendees in a major tech conference.

Oxford Language School
|

Volunteer English Tutor & Activity Organizer

Summary

Provided comprehensive English tutoring and organized engaging activities for Turkish high school and preschool students, enhancing their language skills.

Highlights

Designed and led interactive play sessions and activities, effectively reinforcing English language skills for young learners in an engaging educational environment.

Education

Eskişehir Technical University
Eskişehir, Eskişehir Province, Türkiye

M.Sc.

Artificial Intelligence

Courses

Fuzzy Neural Networks

Artificial Intelligence

Eskişehir Technical University
Eskişehir, Eskişehir Province, Türkiye

B.Eng

Computer Engineering

Grade: 3.45/4.00

Courses

Artificial Intelligence

Introduction to Natural Language Processing

Introduction to Machine Learning

AI in Healthcare

Systems Analysis

Awards

TÜBİTAK 2209-A Undergraduate Research Grant

Awarded By

Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu

Secured prestigious grant for independent research focused on innovative AI applications within the healthcare domain.

Summer Research Internship Scholar (SRI 2025, $5,000 Awarded)

Awarded By

National University of Singapore

Received a competitive scholarship, including a $5,000 award, for a summer research internship at a globally recognized institution.

Bronze Medal, Ewe Translation Challenge

Awarded By

Zindi Africa

Achieved a bronze medal in a challenging competition focused on Ewe language translation, demonstrating strong NLP capabilities.

1st Runner Up - Enigma 24 Algorithms Competition

Awarded By

Eskisehir Technical University Programming Club

Awarded for exceptional performance and algorithmic problem-solving skills in a competitive programming event.

Turkiye Burslari University Scholarship

Secured a prestigious, fully funded scholarship to support undergraduate degree studies in Turkey.

Publications

Building an AI Data Analyst with E2B + Gemini

Summary

Documented the development of an AI-powered data analyst prototype, capable of generating insights with charts and statistics, detailing its architecture, tool orchestration, and future scope.

Harnessing Cloud Storage with MinIO in Spring Boot: A Student's Guide

Summary

Provided a student's guide on integrating MinIO, an open-source cloud storage solution, to enhance Spring applications with scalable storage capabilities.

The AI's Toolbox: Solving the Systems Challenges of a Multi-Tool Data Agent (SysConf25)

Published by

SysConf25

Summary

Delivered a presentation on the systems architecture for building multi-tool data agents, detailing engineering challenges in integrating LLMs with diverse enterprise data sources like production databases and BI platforms.

OSTEODEEP: AI-Driven Bone Health Assessment with Chatbot Integration using X-rays (ASYU 2025)

Published by

IEEE Xplore, Innovations in Intelligent Systems and Applications Conference (ASYU)

Summary

Developed and published a novel AI platform, OSTEODEEP, for early osteoporosis detection from X-rays, achieving 90.10% diagnostic accuracy and integrating a chatbot for enhanced clinician feedback and scalable health screening.

Computational Analysis of 51,407 Yoruba News Articles: A Technical Window

Summary

Authored a technical paper detailing the methodology, challenges, and key findings from a large-scale computational analysis of 51,407 Yoruba news articles.

Languages

English
Turkish
Yoruba

Certificates

Backend Engineering with Node.js

Issued By

AltSchool Africa, School of Engineering

Skills

Programming Languages

Python, Java, JavaScript, SQL, C++, C.

AI/Machine Learning

PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-Learn, Deep Learning, Transformer Models, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Multilingual BERT, BERTopic, Computer Vision, OpenCV, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Perceptual Hashing (pHash), Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), Heuristic Greedy Algorithm, Fuzzy Neural Networks.

Data Analysis & Tools

NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Jupyter Notebooks, Spreadsheet Bench, Metabase.

Backend Development

FastAPI, Django, Spring Boot, Node.js, Express.js, RESTful APIs, Microservices.

Databases

MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite.

Cloud & DevOps

AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Docker, Git, GitHub, CI/CD.

Other Tools & Platforms

Jira, ELK Stack (ElasticSearch, Logstash, Kibana), Tesseract OCR, Apache PDFBox, MinIO, MCP, stdio, Daytona.

Interests

Artificial Intelligence

Human Computer Interaction, Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing.

Healthcare Technology

AI in Healthcare, Medical AI.

Projects

Delphi - Multi-Agent Financial Research System

Summary

Developed a multi-agent AI system, 'Delphi,' utilizing a Researcher Agent for live financial data and news aggregation via Mistral's function-calling, and an Analyst Agent for synthesizing coherent reports.

Video Blocker Extension for X

Summary

Developed a browser extension to detect and block visually identical or re-uploaded videos, effectively combating engagement farming through advanced content analysis.

Temporal Analysis of Yoruba News Content

Summary

Conducted a detailed temporal analysis of Yoruba language news articles using Python (Pandas, Matplotlib), extracting trends and understanding linguistic patterns in low-resource contexts.

Globe Trotter | Web Travel Planner

Summary

Developed 'Globe Trotter,' a web-based travel planning platform that enables users to efficiently plan and manage their itineraries.