Brad Lasater

Applied Scientist · Principal Machine Learning Engineer

Senior data scientist and ML engineer with 10+ years building production machine-learning, optimization, and decision systems across consumer marketplaces, live events, aerospace, and defense. I own the full modeling lifecycle — problem framing and data design through training, calibration, deployment, and monitoring. Remote; previously held TS/SCI.

Experience

Senior Data Scientist — Nift
Oct 2023 – Present · Remote
  • Own modeling and optimization for a multi-brand auction and ranking system serving millions of users per month
  • Built end-to-end data pipelines and feature stores enabling real-time inference and offline training
  • Established model-health and retraining frameworks covering calibration, drift, data quality, and segment performance
  • Partner with CEO and CTO to convert ambiguous business goals into experiments and evidence-based decisions
Lead Data Scientist — Ticketmaster
Aug 2021 – Mar 2025
  • Improved live-event sales forecast accuracy by ~60% via temporally dynamic boosted trees
  • Translated business strategy into feasible technical roadmaps and led the team delivering DS products
  • Developed feature-selection optimization enabling faster deployment of new models to production
Lead Space Algorithm Developer — Lockheed Martin, Special Programs
Oct 2018 – Aug 2021
  • Developed a binary linear-programming solution for real-time sensor scheduling, optimizing space surveillance operations
  • Implemented particle filters to produce actionable ephemeris for space-surveillance; enhanced missile interceptor performance through algorithm development
  • Designed Kalman/Singer filter instantiation processes improving convergence on late threat detections
Data Scientist, Defense Analytics — Boeing
Feb 2016 – Oct 2018
  • Patented the F/A-18 Fleet Upgrade Model — discrete-event simulation optimizing production under stochastic demand
  • Developed genetic algorithms for multi-echelon inventory optimization, resulting in awarded production funding
  • Led the data science arm of the T-45 Physiological Events investigation, driving root-cause identification
Earlier — Teach for America · U.S. Marine Corps
2006 – 2016
  • Teacher and football coach with Teach for America (2013–2016); Sergeant and Instructor, U.S. Marine Corps (2006–2010)

Technologies

Languages & ML PythonSQLPySparkPyTorchXGBoostscikit-learnOptunaSHAP
Data, Cloud & MLOps DatabricksDelta LakeMLflowSageMakerS3CI/CDFeature Stores
Focus Areas Ranking & RecommendersMarketplace AuctionsConversion ModelingProbability CalibrationTime-Series ForecastingCausal InferenceOperations Research

Patents & Education

U.S. Patent 10,204,323 — F/A-18 Fleet Upgrade Model & Discrete Event Simulation
Production-planning optimization under stochastic demand, resource, and mission-availability constraints
Presenter — Boeing Technical Excellence Conference
SherFire: Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization via Genetic Algorithms
Doctoral Studies, Optimization & Machine Learning — University of Missouri S&T, 2016
M.Eng., Systems Engineering — Arizona State University, 2015
B.S., Applied Mathematics — University of Texas at Arlington, 2013

Get in Touch

I'm always happy to talk about interesting modeling, optimization, or decision-systems problems. Email is the fastest way to reach me — I read everything and reply quickly.

brad@bradlasater.com