nathanjgaul/about
Defense software, AI pipelines, and real-time operations. I work where reliability is not optional, bridging field requirements with technical architecture across C2 systems, computer vision, and production LLM deployments.
01
What I Build
Systems that operate at the intersection of defense, AI, and real-time decision-making. From C2 platforms to computer vision pipelines, each one had to work when it mattered.
01 Joint Cyber C2 Evaluation
Tri-Service Operational Test Lead
AFOTEC • 2022–2026
Joint Cyber C2 Evaluation
Tri-Service Operational Test Lead
Led the one-year evaluation of the DoD's first Joint Cyber Command and Control platform. Gathered field requirements from Air Force, Army, and Navy operators, translated them into test architecture, identified 6 critical deficiencies, and tracked resolution across service stakeholders.
02 LLM-Powered Operational Reporting
AI Research Fellow, MIT AI Accelerator
AF–MIT AI Accelerator • 2023
LLM-Powered Operational Reporting
AI Research Fellow, MIT AI Accelerator
Deployed production GPT-4 pipelines that automated USAF operational reporting, cutting 800+ hours of manual work per year. Built data ingestion from structured operational feeds, multi-step agent workflows for summarization and decision support, and a Streamlit front end for non-technical operators.
03 Real-Time Airfield Damage Detection
GPU-Accelerated Computer Vision
DS2 • 2026
Real-Time Airfield Damage Detection
GPU-Accelerated Computer Vision
GPU-accelerated CV system using YOLOv8x with SAHI sliced inference, GStreamer RTSP ingestion, and BotSort tracking. Processes aerial ISR video in real time to detect airfield damage. Containerized with a FastAPI test harness for repeatable regression testing across single-image, RTSP video, and batch modes.
04 Directed Energy Research Program
Engineer & Deputy Program Manager
AFRL • 2017–2020
Directed Energy Research Program
Engineer & Deputy Program Manager
Managed a 34-person multidisciplinary engineering team on a directed energy research program at AFRL. 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.
05 Synthetic Data for Aircraft Inspection
IEEE-Published Research
AFIT Thesis • 2021
Synthetic Data for Aircraft Inspection
IEEE-Published Research
Built a synthetic imagery pipeline using Python, TensorFlow, and Blender to train a UNet segmentation model for automated aircraft surface inspection. Eliminated the need for expensive real-world annotation by training entirely on procedurally generated images. Reduced real-world data requirements by 90%.
06 Defense Software Applications
Full-Stack Engineering for DoD Clients
DS2 • 2026–Present
Defense Software Applications
Full-Stack Engineering for DoD Clients
Building production C#/.NET applications for DoD clients across the full stack: backend service architecture, REST API integration, and CI/CD-gated testing. Containerized deployments with Docker.
tech
02
How I Think
I care about systems that have to work. Not abstractly, I mean the kind of work where failure means a mission doesn't happen, a report doesn't get filed, a decision gets made without the right data. That constraint is what I optimize for.
I started in hardware, lasers, thermal management, real-time control systems at AFRL, then moved through the stack to AI pipelines, web applications, and C2 architectures. That arc taught me that the hard part is rarely the technology. It's building something that actual operators trust enough to use when it counts.
At the AF-MIT AI Accelerator, I watched non-technical operators adopt a GPT-4 pipeline I built because it fit their workflow instead of fighting it. That experience shaped how I think about AI: the best model in the world is worthless if it doesn't integrate into how people actually operate.
My electrical engineering background (MS from AFIT) gives me a physics-level foundation. My time in operational test taught me how to measure whether something actually works. Both inform every system I build.
Side
Projects
Open-source and personal work that explores ideas I care about.
Orbital Watch
Real-time satellite telemetry dashboard with a Three.js WebGL orbital globe, Redis pub/sub, and a SignalR hub. Tracks live lat/lon/alt positions with ring-buffered trail geometry.
PointSpire
Full-stack task and project management with a REST API, JWT authentication, and real-time UI updates. Developed using Agile/Scrum practices with a structured MVC architecture.
03
Reach out
If you're working on something in defense tech, AI applications, C2 systems, or anything in between -- I'd like to hear about it.