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Joseph Haenel

I build intelligent systems that turn data into action—from LLM platforms used by 500+ employees to ML solutions driving millions in savings.

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Building at the intersection of data, AI, and engineering.

I'm a data scientist and machine learning engineer focused on building practical systems that solve real problems. At Dot Foods, I've worked on everything from a company-wide LLM platform used by 500+ employees to optimization tools projected to save millions annually. Before that, I did research at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in deep learning and genomic data analysis. I'm currently pursuing a Master of Computer Science in Data Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign while working full-time, and I'm motivated by curiosity, continuous learning, and building tools that make a real impact.

0
ML & AI projects
shipped
0
Pipelines
monitored
~$5M+
Est. annualized
savings driven
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End users
served

Where I've built and shipped.

From production AI systems at enterprise scale to academic research in deep learning and genomics.

Data Analyst
Dot Foods
Aug 2024 — Present
  • Architected .chat—a full-stack Azure AI platform (Postgres, Redis) serving 500+ employees across all internal agentic use cases
  • Built Driver Fuel Optimizer (RCSP + GenAI) end-to-end: Azure Function App, Snowflake pipeline, APIM API; est. ~$1–5M annualized savings
  • Built Customer Service Agent (GPT + RAG/OCR, DB2 & Snowflake) for real-time rep support; est. ~$200k annualized cost avoidance
  • Implemented MCP server architecture (Snowflake + Azure, dev/prod) for governed agent access to enterprise data
  • Implemented job-run monitoring with xMatters across 200+ pipelines
Azure GPT Snowflake MCP Python RAG Redis
Data Analytics & Machine Learning Intern
Dot Foods
May — Aug 2024
  • Developed and deployed a LightGBM retention model for entry-level warehouse roles; 83% recall with an 8-week lead on terminations; est. ~$1.5–$13.8M annualized savings
  • Built Career Coach app using GPT text-embedding-3-large (cosine similarity) + GPT-4o-mini for personalized job matching; currently in deployment
LightGBM GPT-4o Embeddings Python scikit-learn
Undergraduate Research Assistant
SIUE — Dr. Rubi Quiñones
Jul 2023 — Apr 2024
  • Conducted comparative analysis of DCNN and ML methods for disease segmentation and classification in tomato and rice leaves
  • Implemented AlexNet, ResNet50, InceptionResNetV2, Random Forest, and K-Means using Keras/TensorFlow
  • Presented research findings at the SIUE URCA Poster Symposium
TensorFlow Keras DCNN scikit-learn Python
Undergraduate Research Assistant
SIUE — Dr. John Matta
Jul — Dec 2024
  • Conducted genomic research in the NIH All of Us Research Workbench to identify SNPs associated with ASD comorbidities
  • Worked with large-scale genomic datasets using Hail for variant analysis
Hail Python Genomics
Teaching Assistant
SIUE — Dr. Eren Gutepe
Jan — May 2024
  • Supported 30+ students across Machine Learning and Human-Computer Interaction coursework through grading and academic feedback
ML HCI Teaching
Computer Science Tutor
SIUE
Aug — Dec 2023
  • Tutored students in Introduction to Computing, teaching fundamentals of programming using C++
C++ Tutoring
Networking IT Intern
Shelby Electric Cooperative
Jun — Aug 2022
  • Gained hands-on experience in computer networking, technical support, and enterprise IT infrastructure
Networking IT Support

Things I've built.

Production systems, ML models, and research that delivered real-world impact.

Full-Stack AI Platform

.chat

Architected a full-stack Azure AI platform backed by Postgres and Redis, serving as the unified interface for all internal agentic use cases. Designed to scale across the entire organization with governed access, extensible tool integrations, and production-grade reliability.

500+ employees served
Azure PostgreSQL Redis GPT Python
Optimization & GenAI

Driver Fuel Optimizer

Built an end-to-end fuel optimization system combining Resource-Constrained Shortest Path algorithms with Generative AI. Deployed as an Azure Function App with a Snowflake data pipeline and APIM API layer, optimizing fuel stop decisions across the distribution network.

~$1–5M annualized savings
RCSP GenAI Azure Functions Snowflake APIM
Machine Learning

Employee Retention Model

Developed and deployed a LightGBM classification model to predict early-stage attrition in entry-level warehouse roles. Achieved 83% recall with an 8-week lead time on terminations, enabling proactive retention interventions before they become costly.

~$1.5–13.8M annualized savings
LightGBM scikit-learn Python Feature Engineering
LLM Agent

Customer Service Agent

Built an AI-powered agent using GPT with RAG and OCR capabilities, connected to both DB2 and Snowflake data sources. Provides real-time support for customer service representatives, surfacing relevant order history, documentation, and policy context instantly.

~$200k annualized cost avoidance
GPT RAG OCR DB2 Snowflake
Embeddings & Matching

Career Coach

Designed a personalized job matching system powered by GPT text-embedding-3-large for semantic similarity scoring and GPT-4o-mini for conversational recommendations. Matches employees to internal roles based on skills, experience, and career aspirations.

In Deployment company-wide rollout
Embeddings GPT-4o Cosine Similarity Python
Full-Stack Web App

Tunelyt

A daily music puzzle game blending Wordle-style mechanics with music knowledge. Features two game modes—Daily Cue (guess the song from a scenario prompt) and Setlist Crisis (pick the best song for chaotic prompts). Puzzles are auto-generated daily via OpenAI with enriched song metadata.

Live at tunelyt.app
Next.js React TypeScript Supabase OpenAI Spotify API Docker
Deep Learning Research

Crop Disease Classification

Comparative analysis of deep convolutional neural networks and traditional ML methods for disease segmentation and classification in tomato and rice leaves. Evaluated AlexNet, ResNet50, InceptionResNetV2 against Random Forest and K-Means across illumination conditions.

URCA research poster
TensorFlow Keras ResNet50 AlexNet scikit-learn

Technical toolkit.

The languages, frameworks, and platforms I use to build and ship.

Languages
Python SQL JavaScript TypeScript C C++ PHP
ML / AI
PyTorch TensorFlow Keras scikit-learn LightGBM DCNN Reinforcement Learning
Cloud & Data
Azure Snowflake Docker IBM CloudPak IBM Db2 IBM watsonx Hail
LLM & Agents
GPT-4o RAG MCP Embeddings Prompt Engineering
Tools & Infrastructure
Git REST APIs Redis PostgreSQL xMatters APIM

Academic foundation.

In Progress
Master of Computer Science in Data Science
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Aug 2025 — May 2028 (Part-Time)
Completed
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Aug 2021 — Dec 2024
  • Magna Cum Laude
  • Honors Student
  • Provost Scholar

Research

URCA Poster
Comparative Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Disease Segmentation and Classification in Tomato and Rice Leaves
Advisor: Dr. Rubi Quiñones — SIUE

Evaluated deep learning (AlexNet, ResNet50, InceptionResNetV2) and traditional ML (Random Forest, K-Means) methods for crop disease classification. Found DCNNs generally outperformed unsupervised ML methods, with dataset-specific performance variations under different illumination conditions.

Genomics Research
Identifying SNPs Associated with ASD Comorbidities
Advisor: Dr. John Matta — SIUE

Conducted research in the NIH All of Us Research Workbench to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder comorbidities, working with large-scale genomic datasets using Hail for variant analysis.

Beyond the code.

Teaching, mentoring, and building communities around technology.

Hackathon Mentor
eHacks 2025 — St. Louis, MO
Provided technical support to 40+ participants across a 3-day hackathon event.
Community Relations & Events Coordinator
eHacks 2024 — SIUE
Led community outreach and sponsorship efforts, securing $5,000 in sponsorships for the event.
Guest Speaker in Computer Science
Mt. Olive CUSD #5
Delivered a presentation on basic computer programming to students in grades 4–8.
Volunteer & Member
SIUE Organizations
Volunteered at Girl to Engineering Day at SIUE. Active member of the Computer Association of SIUE (CAOS).

Let's connect.

Always open to discussing data science, AI engineering, research, or new opportunities.