Chris Machado portrait

Chris Machado

AI Engineer

I design and deploy AI solutions — from LLM-powered applications to production ML pipelines — that drive real business outcomes.

Active Security Clearance Navy Veteran M.S. + MEM

What I Do


GenAI & LLM Solutions

Fine-tuning, RAG pipelines, LangChain, and knowledge assistants that unlock organizational intelligence.

MLOps & Pipelines

Azure ML, Docker, CI/CD, and model lifecycle management from experimentation to production.

Data Engineering

ETL pipelines, cloud infrastructure, and Azure Data Factory solutions that make data reliable and accessible.

AI Strategy & Leadership

20+ years leading technical teams, translating complex data problems into actionable decisions.

About


I build AI systems that move from prototype to production. At Transtecs, I design and deploy LLM-based solutions, fine-tune open-source models, and engineer end-to-end ML pipelines. Previously at PRA Group, I architected the organization's first cloud-native ML infrastructure on Azure, cutting deployment time by 40%. At Microsoft, I built GenAI knowledge assistants using RAG and LangChain.

Before tech, I spent 24 years in the U.S. Navy — leading teams of up to 30, analyzing satellite and sensor data for mission-critical forecasting, and building tools that automated processes long before it was trendy. I hold an M.S. from the Naval Postgraduate School and an MEM from Old Dominion University.

Experience


Transtecs
AI Engineer
2026 — Present
Designing and deploying LLM-based solutions and fine-tuning open-source models for defense applications.
PRA Group
ML Engineer
2023 — 2025
Architected the organization's first cloud-native ML infrastructure on Azure, cutting deployment time by 40%.
Microsoft
AI Fellow
2023
Built GenAI knowledge assistants using RAG pipelines and LangChain during the Microsoft AI Fellowship.
U.S. Navy
Officer / Analyst / Engineer
1999 — 2023
Led teams of up to 30, analyzed satellite and sensor data for mission-critical forecasting, and automated operational processes.