Curriculim Vitae
Niels van der Burg
Introduction
My focus is on leveraging today’s and tomorrow’s information technology to create unique value propositions that are not yet available in the market. Achieving this requires four core competencies: creativity, patience, social skills, and know-how.
- Creativity to envision the world from various perspectives.
- Patience to take the time to understand how and why the world functions as it does.
- Social skills to engage with peers, superiors, and experts, gaining valuable insights and perspectives.
- Know-how to transform value propositions into tangible products.
Whether it is envisioning the world five years from now, building alliances with customers, aligning team members, or realizing a vision, you can rely on me to help turn that vision into reality.
Education
Fontys Hogeschool IT processes and data specialist (2020-2024) Bachelor Applied Science
Activities: Fontys Delta (Fontys excellence program).
Specialization: Open Innovation focussing on processes and AI.
Summa College: System Administrator (2017-2020) Vocational education
Specialized in developing and maintaining network architectures with a focus on user permissions.
Projects
Glow
Generative AI art
Role: AI developer
Duration: one year
During Glow 2023, I led the initiative to develop and deploy a critical image generator that significantly enhanced the core team’s experience construction. My duties included:
- Strategically selecting models tailored to our image generation needs.
- Fine-tuning these models to ensure optimal image quality.
- Implementing robust data acquisition and annotation processes to refine our models effectively.
- Providing comprehensive training to project team members on advanced image generation techniques.
- Collaborating closely with the development team to integrate our chosen tools and methodologies seamlessly.
- Offering on-site support and guiding project introductions to visitors.
- Introducing the innovative Promptdesign methodology to streamline our image generation workflows.
Deepfake and Deepvoice Project for Fontys Hogeschool & MindLabs Collaboration
Role: Lead Developer
Duration: five months
In collaboration with Fontys Hogeschool and MindLabs, spearheaded the creation of deepfake and deepvoice representations featuring two renowned Dutch celebrities for the inauguration of the building. Contributions to this project included:
- Development of multiple live-running Deepfake models.
- Creation of several real-time Deepvoice models.
- Extensive research into methodologies including GANS, ROOP, and diffusion.
- Leadership of a project team to conceptualize and execute the immersive experience.
- Provision of on-site support during the event, collaborating closely with the video production team and speakers.
- Pictured below, actively ensuring model quality and dynamically adjusting parameters behind the two speakers to enhance the presentation.
AI Photobooth Project for WeSmile Startup
Role: AI Specialist & Business Support
Duration: one and a half year
Collaborated with WeSmile, a Fontys ICT startup specializing in AI photobooths for events, focusing on AI integration, model training, and overall business enhancement. The startup successfully expanded its presence, catering to events such as Comic-Con and corporate functions for Dell.
Key Activities:
- Acquisition and training of AI models tailored for photobooth usage.
- Consulting on optimal AI utilization strategies.
- Providing on-site support and streamlining processes for enhanced efficiency.
Contributed to the growth and success of WeSmile by leveraging AI expertise and business acumen to enhance its offerings and operational effectiveness.
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Wish You Were Here (WYWH)
Generative AI Project
Role: Not relevant
Duration: one month
Led the development of Wish You Were Here (WYWH), a pioneering generative AI project focused on faithfully recreating vintage postcards from the 1900 to 1960 era utilizing Stable Diffusion technology. Leveraged publicly licensed materials to ensure compliance and versatility for integration into various products. Achieved a finely-tuned model tailored for crafting custom vintage postcards. Distinguished features include the precise replication of postcard damage such as scratches, seams, and watermarks, adding an authentic vintage aesthetic to the final products.
Skills
Organization
Data
Programming
Machine learning
Organization
Specialized in improving processes with the usage of IT. Focussing on future developments of AI.
Client communication (Advanced) –
A client focussed approach is central for all development. I enjoy being close to internal and external clients.
Start-up support (Advanced) –
Assisting start-ups in development by focussing on core values, legal and customer needs.
Customer Experience (Novice) –
Using IT and process knowledge to improve customer experience by decreasing the duration of a process and improved relation with clients.
Project management (Novice) –
Understanding of Lean and Agile project management.
Data
Initial Data Analysis (Advanced) –
Able to perform initial analysis of data in various formats like: Network, table and geographic.
Exploratory Data Analysis (Advanced) –
Able to perform an Exploratory Data Analysis. This means I can: Clean data, create graphs to explain phenomena.
Data Visualization (Advanced) –
Can Create a variety of visualizations in:
- Matplotlib,
- Pyplot,
- Excel,
- Power BI.
Data Storytelling (Advanced) –
Able to communicate the data in stories about organizations and indivduals. Often done in colalboration with PowerPoint.
SQL (Advanced) –
Able to obtain, sellect, group and join data from a structured database.
Programming
Python (Expert) –
Experience with Pandas, NumPy, web development with Jinja and Django and Matplotlib
SQL & Database (Expert) –
Specialized in designing and realizing databases for organizations to support operations.
Data engineering (Novice) –
Experience with creating and maintaining private data pipelines via programming methods like classes and functions to create case specific pipelines.
C++ (Novice) –
Arduino for quick prototypes of sensors and interactions.
Machine learning
Traditional Machine Learning (Expert) –
Experience with creating and training pipelines, ensembles and custom transformers. Used it for regression, classification and reinforcement learning tasks.
Usage of generative AI (Advanced) –
Significant experience with the usage of generative AI for images and text generation for the creation of application and custom experiences. Experience with ‘Stable diffusion’ and ‘OpenAI applications’.
Deep learning (Novice) –
Experience with creating basic models based on existing architecture to train a drone to fly in simulation. Currently experimenting with AI for depth estimation in faces.
Reinforcement Learning (Novice) –
Experience with creating custom environments for training with usage of PPO, A2C and DDPN.
Work experience
Data designer graduation
Student assistant for evening school
Providing support to evening school students for the subjects: data, AI and organizational issues.
HLB-Witlox van den Boomen Consultancy en accountancy (2022-2023)
Process optimization internship
Creating an improved process for estimating the available resources for the retirement of small-medium business owners.
Summa College (2020)
System administrator internship
Assisting in the creation of a booking program for on location support and analysis of the possibility to install Wi-Fi over a 500-meter distance.
Acknowledge (2018-2019)
Service desk employee internship
Assisting clients with telecommunication and on location support.
Languages
Dutch (fluent)
English (skilled)
Public appearances
DIGIREAL lunchmeeting 7: AI chatbots en deepfakes (Link)