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Curriculum Vitae

Personal Information

Name: Harold Nikoue
Email: h.a.nikoue@gmail.com
Location: Atlanta, GA LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harold-nikoue
GitHub: github.com/Haroldinho —

Headline

Bridging Aerospace Engineering & Data Science | ML, Analytics, Python | Turning Data Into Impact

Profile

Aerospace Engineer and Data Scientist with a proven track record of applying statistical modeling, machine learning, and AI to deliver impactful solutions in transportation, demand forecasting, slot scheduling, and video/caption processing. Known for quickly adapting to evolving goals, thriving in fast-paced environments, and collaborating across disciplines to turn complex challenges into actionable results. Committed to continuous learning and innovation.

Professional Experience

Warner Bros. Discovery - Data Science – ML Senior Data Science Analyst, Atlanta, GA | May 2020 – Present

  • Designed and productionized a caption positioning module using PaddleOCR, Python, and Kubeflow VertexAI pipelines, improving precision and recall from mid-40% to 90%, and reducing editing time by 10–15% per programming hour.
  • Developed an FFT and perceptual hashing-based solution to identify video clip locations within larger assets, achieving 95% temporal accuracy. Enabled rapid prototyping of trailer generation techniques regardless of source production style.
  • Evaluated and compared different versions of Google’s Gemini VLMs to create an integrated AI workflow that extracts scenes and metadata in production-ready formats. Engineered few-shot prompts with role-based task decomposition and self-criticism strategies.
  • Built, containerized, and deployed a Streamlit web application using Docker and Cloud Run to collect user feedback on AI-generated video clips, enabling data-driven model evaluation.
  • Designed and implemented a Bayesian Dirichlet update framework to dynamically adjust confidence scores based on user feedback.
  • Conducted a proof of concept for metadata generation from video content using multi-step prompting and schema contextualization, improving the precision of automated content labeling.
  • Created a detailed cost analysis model for evaluating Visual Language Models (VLMs) based on token usage and inference costs, guiding resource allocation and budget decisions.
  • Developed a tool to estimate the best caption position using computer vision tools.
  • Mentored summer interns, providing project scoping, technical coaching, and support during final presentations; intern work led to organizational initiatives.
  • Created monitoring tools using R and Python in Domino Data Lab and Snowflake for audience forecasting models, identifying opportunities for tool enhancements in 2 of 6 markets.
  • Replaced traditional audience forecasting tools with ML-based solutions (XGBoost, Prophet, Regression Forests), reducing error by 5–30%.
  • Maintained and upgraded CPLEX-based mixed-integer programming code supporting millions in marketing campaign revenue.
  • Assessed data integrity of third-party vendors and communicated findings to both technical and business stakeholders to inform vendor selection decisions within three months.

Georgia Institute of Technology: Air Transportation Lab Graduate Research Assistant, Atlanta, GA | Aug 2012 – Dec 2021

  • Created a discrete event simulation of airport passenger traffic in Python+Simpy to study queue dynamics and detect transient changes using stochastic modeling.
  • Predicted wait times with less than 20% error over 15-minute intervals using simulation and flight/cellphone data from Sydney International Airport.
  • Streamlined Perl and C++ code for the MEANS software platform, enabling internal adoption.

Airbus Aerial

  • Developed a MILP optimization tool for multi-drone path planning under time and energy constraints.
  • Led a team of three graduate students, delivering a path-planning software solution in under three months.
  • Coordinated the development of aerial surveillance heuristics, improving completion time from a week to two days.

Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques (SITA)

  • Processed flight and MAC address data using Python/SQL to analyze longitudinal trends in airport passenger flows.
  • Developed and integrated a discrete-event foot traffic simulator into a model-predictive optimization tool.

Insight Data Science Data Engineer – Fellowship, Seattle, WA | Sep 2019 – Nov 2019

  • Designed a Spark-based batch processing pipeline to analyze 250 GB of Twitter data and extract pricing trends.
  • Employed NLP to extract product and price mentions for real-time dashboards.
  • Built a PostgreSQL database and S3 backend to serve an interactive dashboard.

FlightSafety International Part-time Engineer I, Atlanta, GA | May 2015 – Jul 2016

  • Developed a realistic collision-avoidance SATCE simulator by integrating real-world flight data.
  • Created a C++ mathematical program for fast and low-level system control.
  • Designed a turboprop engine simulation with an 80% cost-effective performance match.

Leadership Experience

Toastmasters International (WBD Chapter) Sergeant at Arms (2024), Vice President of Education (2025)

  • Increased average meeting attendance from 10 to 30+ participants by organizing distinguished speaker events.
  • Spearheaded a mentoring program that paired new speakers with experienced members, boosting participation and confidence.

Technical Expertise

Programming Languages and Environments: C/C++, Python, Linux, LATEX, R
Prototyping & Data Tools: R, MATLAB, SQL (MySQL, MariaDB, PostGRES, Snowflake), Gurobi, Mathematica
Software and Platforms: GIT, CMake, Vim, SimPy, CPLEX, Matlab, GCP VertexAI, Kubeflow, PaddleOCR, Streamlit, Docker, Cloud Run —

Education

PhD in Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA 2021

MS in Operations Research Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA 2018 - 2020

MS in Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA 2012 - 2013

BS in Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA 2008 - 2011

Skills

CategorySkills
AI/MLDeep Learning (PyTorch), NLP (SpaCy), Computer Vision (PaddleOCR), Anomaly Detection, Predictive Modeling, Bayesian Modeling
Data SciencePandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, Kubeflow, VertexAI, Domino Data Lab, SimPy, Data Visualization (Streamlit, Plotly)
Optimization & SimulationLinear and Mixed-Integer Programming (CPLEX, Gurobi), Stochastic & Agent-based Simulation, MATLAB, Mathematica
ProgrammingPython, SQL (Snowflake, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB), C++, R, Bash, LaTeX
Cloud & DevOpsDocker, Cloud Run, Google Cloud Platform, AWS, Azure
Tools & EnvironmentsGit, CMake, Vim, Linux
Soft SkillsTeam Leadership, Project Management, Communication, Mentorship, Problem Solving

Publications

Preprints: H. Nikoue, A. Marzuoli, J.P. Clarke, E. Feron, J. Peters. Passenger Flow Predictions at Sydney International Airport: A Data-Driven Queuing Approach. Aug. 20, 2015

Certifications

Last updated: [4th of October 2025]