Mark Torres

ML engineering @Northwestern. Using ML to better understand human behavior on social media. Digital nomad, writing code that does stuff sometimes.

Bridging Cutting-Edge AI Advancements with Real-World Business Impact

I transform theoretical AI advancements into practical, measurable business outcomes. With experience spanning Silicon Valley startups and research at institutions like Yale and Northwestern, I deliver solutions that combine academic rigor with commercial pragmatism. I help companies adopt the latest advances in AI agents, RAG, and LLMs, to their use cases in order to drive business value.

I work with leaders who:

  • Struggle to measure the ROI of their AI investments - I help implement meaningful metrics beyond accuracy and show how to measure AI performance to drive business value.

  • Lack ML expertise but are interested in building AI-powered products - With experience from building large-scale ML systems in Silicon Valley and in cutting-edge research universities like Yale University and Northwestern University, I provide hands-on training and knowledge transfer for engineering teams.

  • Want AI features that drive business value - I help transform existing products into AI-enabled solutions that solve real user problems, not just showcase capabilities.

  • Need to scale AI systems cost-effectively - Drawing from my experience optimizing large-scale systems, I help design architectures that balance performance with operational costs.

What I Can Do For You

Machine Learning & AI

  • AI Agents: End-to-end development of autonomous AI agents that automate complex workflows, generate content, and manage interactions—delivering up to 70% time savings on routine tasks.

  • RAG Applications: Custom retrieval-augmented generation systems that combine your proprietary data with LLMs, resulting in highly accurate, context-aware responses for chatbots and knowledge bases.

  • Large Language Model (LLM) Applications: Strategic implementation of LLMs into your products with custom fine-tuning, evaluation frameworks, and cost-optimized architectures.

  • ML Algorithm Development: Custom algorithm design using supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning approaches tailored to your specific data characteristics and business constraints.

  • Model Optimization: Performance tuning that improves accuracy while reducing inference costs—typically achieving 30-50% cost reduction without performance degradation.

  • Data Pipeline Engineering: Scalable, fault-tolerant data workflows that handle evolving data needs while maintaining performance under increasing load.

Backend Development

  • Scalable System Architecture: Systems designed for growth, with clear migration paths from MVP to enterprise scale.

  • Database Optimization: Performance tuning across SQL, NoSQL, and vector database systems, with particular expertise in cost-effective scaling patterns.

  • API Development: Clean, well-documented, and versioned APIs that enable seamless integration and future extensibility.

  • Microservice Architecture: Strategically decomposed services that balance team autonomy with system cohesion.

Research & Analysis

  • Experimental Design: Methodologically sound research frameworks that produce reliable, actionable insights.

  • Statistical Analysis: Rigorous statistical approaches that extract meaningful patterns while avoiding common analytical pitfalls.

  • Research Implementation: Translation of academic advances into production-ready implementations with appropriate trade-offs for business contexts.

What Sets Me Apart

  • Research-to-Production Expertise: I don’t just understand papers—I implement them in production environments that need to work reliably at scale.

  • Full-Stack AI Understanding: From data pipelines to model architecture to business integration, I address the entire AI implementation lifecycle.

  • Outcome-Focused Approach: Every technical decision is evaluated against its impact on business metrics and user experience.

  • Rapid Prototyping to Production: I build quick proofs-of-concept that can evolve into robust production systems without complete rewrites.

Testimonials

“The consulting expertise transformed our approach to AI implementation. We went from struggling with model accuracy to focusing on metrics that actually matter to our business.”

“Our team was able to cut development time in half while improving our model performance by 35%. The frameworks and methodologies were invaluable in streamlining our workflow.”

“We were stuck in analysis paralysis before getting help that broke down our complex vision into actionable steps. Now we have a clear roadmap and are seeing real progress.”

“The impact on our product was immediate and measurable. Our users have responded extremely positively to the AI features we implemented, with engagement increasing 43% in the first month.”

“The consulting provided bridged the gap between technical capabilities and business outcomes for us. We now understand not just what our AI can do, but how it drives value for our customers.”

Ideal Projects

I can best help with projects involving:

  • LLM-powered applications including RAG systems, chatbots, AI agents, and semantic search
  • Social media algorithms and analysis with user behavior modeling
  • Data-intensive backend systems requiring performance optimization
  • Experimental platforms for behavioral research with rigorous evaluation methodologies
  • Performance and cost optimization for ML systems in production
  • Data pipeline architectures that need to scale with evolving business needs

Let’s Work Together

I offer flexible engagement models including:

  • Strategy Sessions: One-time deep dives to address specific challenges.
  • Project-Based Consulting: End-to-end implementation of defined initiatives.
  • Ongoing Advisory: Regular guidance for your internal teams.
  • Technical Due Diligence: Evaluation of AI systems and approaches.

Ready to discuss your project? Here’s how:

  1. Send a brief overview of your challenge to markptorres1@gmail.com
  2. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to explore how I can help
  3. Receive a tailored proposal within 48 hours of our discussion

Contact:
Email: markptorres1@gmail.com
LinkedIn: LinkedIn
GitHub: GitHub

I typically respond within 24-48 hours and am currently accepting new projects.