Jad Nohra - Engineering Director (Hands-on)

Q: Where is Jad based?

Jad is based in Berlin, Germany .

Q: What languages does Jad speak?

Jad speaks the following languages: Arabic (Advanced), German (Advanced), English (Advanced), French (Intermediate) .

Q: How many years of experience does Jad have?

Jad has at least 21 years of experience. During this time, Jad has worked in at least 19 different roles and for 12 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 10 months . Note that Jad may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Jad's latest experience?

Jad's most recent position is Software Developer at Side Project .

Q: What companies has Jad worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Jad has worked for Side Project , Irreducible , Fernride , Argo AI , and Audi AID .

Q: Which industries is Jad most experienced in?

Jad is most experienced in industries like Information Technology , Education , and Automotive . Jad also has some experience in Transportation and Aerospace and Defense .

Q: Which business areas is Jad most experienced in?

Jad is most experienced in business areas like Product Development , Research and Development , and Information Technology . Jad also has some experience in Quality Assurance .

Q: Which industries has Jad worked in recently?

Jad has recently worked in industries like Education , Automotive , and Information Technology .

Q: Which business areas has Jad worked in recently?

Jad has recently worked in business areas like Research and Development , Product Development , and Quality Assurance .

Recommended expert

Berlin, Germany

Experience

Feb 2026 - Feb 2026

1 month

Software Developer

Side Project

Vram.run: Rust, TypeScript, HF Inference API with 19 providers, 220+ HW configs, and 30+ cloud GPUs. Search a model to see which API providers serve it, which GPUs can run it locally (and how fast), and what cloud rental would cost. Or search your hardware and see what fits. Also includes a Rust CLI.
Psychotron: JavaScript, Web Audio API, AudioWorklet, Canvas 2D. Front-end for flash fiction audiobook with Web Audio DSP chain featuring pitch-shifting, 12-voice chorus, flanger, 13-band EQ, and convolver reverb. Includes a 2D canvas effect morphing engine and synchronized teleprompter.
RecentWork: Swift, macOS, FSEvents, launchd. macOS daemon that watches project directories and maintains a flat folder of symlinks to recently modified files. Homebrew installable.
Mini-llm: Bash, macOS, launchd, Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX, Open WebUI. Single command that turns a Mac Mini into a headless AI server.
ThatSlop: JavaScript. Chrome/Firefox extension for AI content detection on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Smux: Bash, tmux. Human-friendly tmux wrapper that is Homebrew installable.
Learn Rust Course: Rust. Course on Rust’s memory model for C++ programmers, written from experience of transitioning from C++ to Rust at Irreducible.

Dec 2025 - Dec 2025

1 month

Software Developer

Side Project

ELIZA2: Python. Modern recreation of Weizenbaum’s 1966 chatbot using classical AI and pattern matching. Faithful to the original algorithm with a modern interface.

Jan 2024 - Dec 2025

2 years

Architecture & Compiler Lead

Irreducible

Three-Mode Architecture: Designed a unified device abstraction across emulated (CPU), verilated (RTL simulation), and FPGA hardware using Rust and Verilator. Proposed and implemented a systems layer that used the same interface for all modes, enabling simulation to catch bugs and estimate future performance.
XLang Compiler: Led the development of a domain-specific language and compiler for the xcheck accelerator. Built a pipeline including DAG computation graph construction, instruction scheduling, register allocation with greedy coloring, and VLIW code generation. Managed a team to develop an emulator for validation and optimized code for FPGA cores with multi-register bank constraints.
ZK Compute Kernels: Developed core compute kernels in Rust for zero-knowledge proof acceleration, including Number-Theoretic Transform (NTT), FRI fold operations, tensor expand, inner products, and sum composition evaluations.
FPGA Device Management: Implemented bitstream programming, VFIO driver binding, DMA memory management, and PCIe device configuration in Rust and Linux. Managed AWS S3 bitstream distribution and task graph scheduling with IOMMU integration.
Binius Integration: Integrated hardware acceleration for the Binius zero-knowledge proof system, focusing on finite field operations over binary fields, polynomial commitments, and multi-linear extensions.

Jan 2023 - Dec 2024

2 years

Estonia

Safety & Perception Engineer

Fernride

Hazard Zone Model (HZM): Developed a comprehensive safety specification using swept-path analysis and articulated truck-trailer kinematic modeling. Integrated uncertainty sources such as LiDAR calibration and weather effects for trajectory prediction.
Safety Perception Pipeline: Built a LiDAR and Radar based ground plane segmentation pipeline with a zero false negatives requirement. Validated performance in Estonian winter operations across heavy rain and snow.
Safety Case Design: Developed a DFD-based approach for TÜV SÜD certification, ensuring the design remained close to code with provable output statements.
Function Testing Framework: Created a scenario and test database for systematic validation of open-loop safety decisions using replay-based testing and ground truth labeling.
Trailer Angle Detection: Implemented trailer detection using geometric projection and cosine fitting on point clouds.

Jan 2021 - Dec 2022

2 years

Safety & Systems Engineer

Argo AI

Statistical Test Design: Developed a statistical framework for proving AV safety at deployment scale using Wilson score binomial confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and Design of Experiments (stratified sampling, Plackett-Burman, Gaussian processes).
Scenario Generation Framework: Created a mathematical framework for responsive scenario generation, optimizing coverage by identifying and removing millions of non-value-providing scenarios.
Modeling Library: Developed a library for realistic noise injection based on real-world data component I/O analysis, improving test accuracy.

Jan 2018 - Dec 2022

5 years

Lead Simulation Engineer

Audi AID

VTT Simulation Platform: Architected a multi-layer simulation framework with discrete-event scheduling, driver models (Wiedemann, IDM), and vehicle dynamics. Grew a 2-person team to 20 engineers across 4 teams. Developed an 8-dimension AV compute timing model and path refinement using QP/CVXGEN.

Jan 2018 - Dec 2020

3 years

Simulation Engineer

Side Project

Daisy Traffic Simulator: Python. Minimal open-source traffic simulator for prototyping traffic flow ideas using agent-based simulation. Ideas were incorporated into the main AID product.
PaCoS Concurrency Simulator: Python. Deterministic concurrency simulator for debugging distributed systems and ensuring reproducible behavior in parallel AV stacks. Used for architecture decisions on distributed systems.

Jan 2017 - Dec 2017

1 year

Software Developer

Side Project

Defdefqed FOL Prover: Python. First-order logic theorem prover and semantic graph crawler using resolution and unification. Used to formalize mathematical exploration and extract relationships from texts.
Tag_export: Python. Curated and tagged bibliography of technical books and papers for quick lookup during study sessions and project research.

Jan 2017 - Dec 2017

1 year

Formal Methods Student

Study

Rigid Body Dynamics: Formal treatment of RBD connecting practical simulation to mathematical foundations in mechanics and constraint solving.
Programming Logic: Deep dive into the theoretical foundations of programming languages, including lambda calculus, type theory, and their connections to logic.

Jan 2016 - Dec 2016

1 year

Analysis & Geometry Student

Study

Analysis & Geometry: Rigorous study of differential geometry, real analysis, manifolds, measure theory, and calculus of variations. Applied at Havok for solver formalization.

Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

1 year

Researcher

Guided Know.

Uniqueness of Minima: Published a research paper proving uniqueness conditions for certain least squares problems, providing theoretical foundations for IMU sensor fusion optimization.

Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

1 year

Software Developer

Side Project

MLCP 2.0 (Julia LP Solver): Julia, GLPK. Implementation of linear programming and LU decomposition for exploring numerical methods for constraint solving in physics engines. Used for HKDS research and arXiv validation.
Hinges_py RBD Simulator: Python. Rigid body dynamics simulator exploring constraint formulations and numerical methods outside the Havok codebase. Used for HKDS research and arXiv validation.
Trace (Real-Time Plotting): Python. Real-time data visualization tool for physics debugging, plotting solver convergence, constraint forces, and numerical residuals at Havok.
Asinus_salutem (Math Parser): Python, SymPy. Interactive math expression parser with symbolic computation and AST construction for mathematical exploration and verification.

Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

1 year

Foundations & Logic Student

Study

Foundations & Logic: Study of set theory, logic, and philosophical underpinnings. Materials included Potter’s Set Theory, Gödel’s incompleteness, and Hestenes geometric algebra for physics.

Jan 2013 - Dec 2022

10 years

Researcher

Study

TheNotes Collection: Compilation of 90+ documents over 10 years covering physics, linear algebra, analysis, formal logic, and differential geometry.

Jan 2013 - Dec 2014

2 years

Mathematics & Physics History Student

Study

Mathematics & Physics History: Intensive self-study of historical and philosophical foundations through primary sources. Covered LCP and GJK algorithm studies, eigenvalue problems, set theory, and Barwise on truth and circularity.

Jan 2011 - Dec 2018

8 years

Principal Physics Engineer

Havok/MS

Physics-2014 Contact Solver: Rewrote the contact constraint solver using Gauss-Seidel and SIMD, optimizing for branch prediction and data rearrangement for deterministic multi-core scaling.
HKDS High-Fidelity Solver: Conducted R&D for robotics and machinery simulation, building a substepping algorithm and prototyping an MLCP solver in Julia.
TOI Argument: Authored a mathematical proof showing the Time-Of-Impact tunneling problem has no complete solution, allowing the team to refocus on trade-offs.
HoloLens Spatial Localization: Researched mixed reality localization including walk graphs, anchor nodes, loop closure, jitter compensation, and occupancy grid segmentation.
Network Physics R&D: Prototyped client-server physics synchronization with prediction and rollback for distributed rigid body simulation.
Geometry Numerical Issues: Investigated floating-point issues in collision geometry using IEEE 754 analysis, interval arithmetic, and ULP analysis for ray-triangle and ray-sphere robustness.
WiiU Math Library: Optimized low-level math libraries for the PowerPC CPU using PowerPC assembly and instruction-level SIMD.
Job Queue Timing Fuzzer: Developed an automated timing fuzzer to detect race conditions and hard-to-reproduce threading bugs through automated instrumentation.

Jan 2011 - Dec 2012

2 years

Mathematics & Physics Student

Study

77-neurons Mathematical Foundations: Year-long structured self-study covering calculus, proofs, and linear algebra. Included weekly exercises and discussions based on The Calculus Lifesaver, Book of Proof, and Linear Algebra.

Jan 2011 - Dec 2011

1 year

Numerical Analyst

Side Project

Floating Point Analysis: Python, C++. Low-level IEEE 754 exploration including bit manipulation, epsilon calculation, and denormal handling. Served as the foundation for numerical stability work at Havok.

Jan 2010 - Dec 2010

1 year

Software Developer

Side Project

Bigfoot Animation System: C++, OpenGL, GLM. Skeleton retargeting and motion planning system with BVH mocap loader, footplant detection, and physics-based locomotion.
Bigeye UI Framework: C++, OpenGL, MagickWand, Win32. Lightweight retained-mode UI framework with scene graph rendering for rapid prototyping of graphics and simulation tools.
Puppeteer BVH Viewer: C++, OpenGL, GLM. BVH file loader and skeletal animation viewer used for Bigfoot animation research and motion capture visualization.
BlenderToBVH Export: Python, Blender API. Blender addon to export armature animations to BVH format via armature traversal and coordinate system conversion.
RecastMOD Navmesh: C++, OpenGL. Modified industry-standard navmesh library used for AI pathfinding through voxelization and mesh generation. Served as the foundation for Guerrilla’s region generation work.

Jan 2009 - Dec 2011

3 years

AI & Physics Engineer

Guerrilla

Killzone 3 AI Systems: Developed environment-aware AI using behavior trees, environment queries, and physical animation. Handled SPU multithreading and DMA debugging on PS3.
Killzone 3 Vehicle AI: Implemented vehicle pathfinding, motion planning, and dynamics for AI-controlled vehicles.
Automatic Region Generation: Developed automated navmesh region generation using skeletonization and medial axis transform, improving upon industry standards for corner cases.

Jan 2009 - Dec 2009

1 year

Game AI Developer

Side Project

Obstacle Avoidance: C++, 2D viz. Implementation of velocity obstacles and steering behaviors for local collision avoidance for crowds and NPC navigation.
TicTacToe AI Testbed: C++. Implementation of Minimax, alpha-beta pruning, and reinforcement learning. The RL contribution was integrated into the AI Sandbox.
Graphics Framework (Q3 BSP): C#, OpenGL. BSP-based renderer for Quake 3 maps featuring spatial partitioning, PVS culling, and real-time rendering.

Jan 2008 - Dec 2010

3 years

Main Programmer

AiGameDev

AI Sandbox: Developed an open-source game AI framework featuring HPA*, locomotion systems, and reinforcement learning. Co-authored 'Parallel Pathfinding on Modern Hardware'.

Jan 2006 - Dec 2008

3 years

Lead Engine Developer

Kimera

World-Of-Football Engine: Built a complete indie game engine from scratch using C++ and DirectX, including rendering, physics, animation, neural network goalkeeper AI, and a scripting system using Squirrel.

Jan 1998 - Dec 1998

1 year

University Projects

AUB

Developed foundational projects in C++, Java, and DirectX including a software rasterizer, ray tracer with BVH, octree-based racing engine, wave simulator, and 2D physics engine.

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Information Technology, Education, Automotive, Transportation, and Aerospace and Defense.

Information Technology

Education

Automotive

Transportation

Aerospace and Defense

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Product Development, Research and Development, Information Technology, and Quality Assurance.

Product Development

Research and Development

Information Technology

Quality Assurance

Summary

Engineering leader and direct technical contributor with 25+ years across four distinct domains: real-time physics engines, autonomous vehicle simulation and safety, and cryptographic hardware acceleration. Built and led organizations up to 25 engineers. 2 US patents. Deep foundations in mathematics, physics, and systems engineering applied across each of these domains.

Skills

Languages & Systems: Rust, C++, Python, Java · Fpga (Xilinx/verilator) · Simd/sse/avx · Embedded Systems · Distributed Systems
Cryptography & Hardware: Zero-knowledge Proofs (Polynomial Commitments, Ntt, Finite Fields) · Fpga-accelerated Cryptographic Compute · Pcie/dma/vfio Device Management
Safety & Regulated Delivery: Tüv Süd Certification · Iso 26262 / Asil-d · Lidar/radar Perception · Requirements Traceability · Ros2
Quantitative Methods: Numerical Analysis · Linear Programming · Nonlinear Optimization · Design Of Experiments · Statistical Safety Validation.

Languages

Arabic

Advanced

German

Advanced

English

Advanced

French

Intermediate

Education

American University of Beirut

Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Engineering · Computer Engineering · Beirut, Lebanon

Emporia State University

MS Mathematics coursework · Mathematics · Emporia, United States

Certifications & licenses

ISO 26262 / ASIL-D

ISO

TÜV SÜD certification

TÜV SÜD

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 24

Experience in Information Technology 18 y

Avg length 2 y 3 m

Longest experience 9 y 11 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 1 (Estonia)

Primary country Estonia

Expertise

Recent roles Software Developer, Architecture & Compiler Lead, Safety & Perception Engineer

Main industries Information Technology, Education, Automotive

Main business areas Product Development, Research and Development, Information Technology

Qualifications

Highest degree Bachelor

Certifications earned 2

Profile

Created

March 2026

Need a freelancer? Find your match in seconds.

Try FRATCH GPT

Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Jad based?

Jad is based in Berlin, Germany.

What languages does Jad speak?

Jad speaks the following languages: Arabic (Advanced), German (Advanced), English (Advanced), French (Intermediate).

How many years of experience does Jad have?

Jad has at least 21 years of experience. During this time, Jad has worked in at least 19 different roles and for 12 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 10 months. Note that Jad may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Jad be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Jad would be well-suited for roles such as: Software Developer, Architecture & Compiler Lead, Safety & Perception Engineer.

What is Jad's latest experience?

Jad's most recent position is Software Developer at Side Project.

What companies has Jad worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Jad has worked for Side Project, Irreducible, Fernride, Argo AI, and Audi AID.

Which industries is Jad most experienced in?

Jad is most experienced in industries like Information Technology, Education, and Automotive. Jad also has some experience in Transportation and Aerospace and Defense.

Which business areas is Jad most experienced in?

Jad is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Research and Development, and Information Technology. Jad also has some experience in Quality Assurance.