Sasha Spala
ML EngineerAI is analyzing your overall score…
Identifying your key strengths…
Evaluating your skill match against the job requirements…
Assessing your cultural and operational fit
AI is analyzing your overall score…
Identifying your key strengths…
Evaluating your skill match against the job requirements…
Assessing your cultural and operational fit
Computational Linguist | Natural Language Data Specialist
I am an experienced machine learning engineer with an extensive background in computational linguistics, data curation and annotation, and real-world model evaluation. I am currently a Sr ML Engineer at Centari, and a PhD Candidate in computer science in the Perseus Digital Humanities lab at Tufts University advised by Prof Gregory Crane. My academic background in theoretical and computational linguistics gives me a solid foundation for approaching modern AI problems from both a quantitative and qualitative lens. My industry experience in applied research and data tooling has helped me approach these complex problems from the perspective of real customers and downstream products. I value commitment to ethics in the AI industry; I believe that includes (though is not limited to) respecting and communicating the abilities and limitations of machine learning models, providing users with clear and forthcoming information about how their data is used, and treating human annotators as valuable members of an AI team. I think it its essential to the future of the field that we consider the impact AI has on real consumers and our environment. When I’m not working on AI-related things, I enjoy spending time away from my laptop sewing and quilting, doing triathlon, and hanging with my two cats, Cranberry and Asparagus.
Tufts University
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Computer Science
August 1, 2024 – Present
Brandeis University
Master of Science - MS, Computational Linguistics
January 1, 2016 – January 1, 2018
The University of Edinburgh
Linguistics, Informatics
January 1, 2014 – January 1, 2014
University of Southern California
B.S. Computational Linguistics, Minors: Computer Science, East Asian Languages and Cultures (Chinese)
January 1, 2012 – January 1, 2016
Centari
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
July 1, 2025 – Present
Pryon
Head of Data
October 1, 2023 – December 1, 2024
Adobe
Machine Learning Engineer
September 1, 2017 – October 1, 2023
Adobe
Software Engineering Intern for Machine Learning
May 1, 2017 – September 1, 2017
PatientsVoices
NLP Research Analyst
February 1, 2017 – May 1, 2017
Waltham, MA
Brandeis University
Senior Teaching Assistant
September 1, 2016 – May 1, 2017
USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative
Wearable Technology Instructor
February 1, 2016 – June 1, 2016
Los Angeles, CA
A Place Called Home
Robotics Instructor
September 1, 2015 – December 1, 2015
Los Angeles
CSavvy
Lead Mentor
February 1, 2015 – January 1, 2016
USC Department of Linguistics
Research Assistant
May 1, 2014 – September 1, 2016
Amazon Alexa Prize Competition
November 1, 2016 – August 1, 2017
Team lead of the Brandeis team for the 2016 Amazon Alexa Prize Competition, which has been invited to compete through November 2017 against other teams to create a coherent conversational Alexa "socialbot".
Cultural Fit Analysis
The candidate's diverse experience, ranging from academic research to industry leadership roles at companies like Adobe and Pryon, suggests adaptability and a broad perspective. Their involvement in educational outreach (wearable technology, robotics instructor) indicates a commitment to knowledge sharing and community, which can be a strong cultural asset. The progression from individual contributor to leadership roles aligns with growth-oriented cultures. The focus on NLP and ML aligns well with an ML Engineer role.
Soft Skills & Operational Fit
The candidate's experience as 'Head of Data' at Pryon and 'Team Lead' for the Amazon Alexa Prize Competition demonstrates strong leadership, project management, and communication skills. Their roles involving stakeholder alignment and managing external annotation teams indicate good operational fit and collaboration abilities. The teaching assistant and instructor roles also suggest strong communication and mentorship capabilities.