
Ellison Yin Nang Chan
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Engineer and Developer
Orlando, FL, United States
Toptal member since March 11, 2026
Ellison is an AI/ML executive and technologist with 30+ years in HPC, telecom, finance, and aviation. He's an expert in translating research into enterprise AI/GenAI platforms, building top engineering teams, leading multi-million-dollar programs, and advising C-suite on AI strategy. He's skilled in GenAI, NLP, computer vision, cloud platforms, MLOps, and enterprise architecture. Ellison has a proven record in delivering innovative, scalable AI solutions.
Portfolio
Experience
- Software Engineering - 20 years
- Machine Learning - 10 years
- Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) - 10 years
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) - 10 years
- Python 3 - 10 years
- Keras - 8 years
- TensorFlow - 8 years
- AI Agents - 3 years
Preferred Environment
Linux, Windows, PyCharm, Jupyter, Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
The most amazing...
...production-ready AI app I've developed with the Devin coding agent was a Python FastAPI app that leveraged React on Azure and RAG AI via OpenAI.
Work Experience
Principal Software Engineer
Advantage Solutions
- Reported to the VP of data and analytics while directing enterprise adoption of GenAI and agentic AI systems. Integrated the Cognition AI Devin coding agent with Azure Web Apps and Zendesk APIs to accelerate development workflows.
- Built full-stack Azure solutions using Databricks, OpenAI, and RAG vector search. Led supplier intelligence and expense fraud detection initiatives, leveraging LLMs to analyze supplier websites and credit card transactions.
- Coordinated an enterprise semantic and ontology modeling vendor tender with Microsoft, Kyvos, and Timbr. Delivered AI proofs-of-concept and provided architecture guidance supporting the Microsoft Copilot trial rollout.
Data Science Manager
Southwest Airlines
- Managed and mentored a three-person data science team, guiding project delivery, technical development, and collaboration across analytics and engineering teams to ensure high-quality machine learning solutions.
- Designed and deployed AWS-based machine learning monitoring frameworks and automated data pipelines to track model performance, improve reliability, and support scalable data-driven applications.
- Owned performance management and delivery outcomes, aligning team objectives with business goals, overseeing project execution, and ensuring timely delivery of analytics and machine learning initiatives.
Principal Architect, Delivery Manager
Tata Consultancy Services
- Led the AI center of excellence for travel, transportation, and hospitality, defining and executing AI/ML, RPA, and data science strategy for a major airline client while aligning innovation initiatives with business objectives.
- Built neural network solutions for pilot scheduling optimization, biometric measurement, baggage detection, and NLP-based passenger feedback analysis while integrating AI capabilities with Blue Prism and UiPath RPA platforms.
- Led more than 22 data scientists and engineers across onshore and offshore teams and presented quarterly governance, delivery, and innovation updates to airline executives to guide strategic technology investments.
Lead AI Consultant
PayPal
- Served as a machine learning and AI consultant supporting PayPal initiatives.
- Contributed expertise in scalable model deployment and advanced analytics to strengthen fraud detection capabilities and platform performance.
- Optimized multi-GPU fraud detection models for production SaaS environments and served as a core contributor to the PayPal AI platform team, helping advance enterprise AI infrastructure and model deployment practices.
Experience
Full-stack App
AI-powered Zendesk Compliance Platform (RAG and FastAPI on Azure)
Education
Master's Degree in Computer Science
Concordia University - Montreal, Canada
Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA)
Queen's University - Kingston, Canada
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
Concordia University - Montreal, Canada
Skills
Libraries/APIs
TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, XGBoost, SciPy, Scikit-learn, API Development, Zendesk API, Hugging Face Transformers, Node.js
Tools
Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Power BI, TensorFlow Serving, GitHub, Jenkins, PyCharm, Jupyter, Claude Code, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Terraform, CAD, Collibra, C#.NET WinForms
Languages
Bash Script, C++, C#.NET, Java, Python 3, SQL, Python, Snowflake, TypeScript, Fortran
Frameworks
Agentic Frameworks, LangGraph, AutoGen
Paradigms
Parallel Programming, Automation, ETL, Asynchronous Programming, Event-driven Architecture, Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Platforms
Azure, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Linux, Jupyter Notebook, Docker, Windows, Databricks, Unix, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Azure AI Search, Microsoft Power Platform, Azure AI Studio, Vertex AI, Azure Web Apps, Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
Storage
Data Pipelines, PostgreSQL
Industry Expertise
System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Other
Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Business Modeling, Software Engineering, Networking, Applications, Azure Databricks, Devin, AI Agents, GitHub Copilot Chat, Data Science, Amazon SageMaker Pipelines, Mentorship & Coaching, APIs, Distributed Systems, Neural Networks, Image Processing, Data Analytics, Data Scientist, Large Language Models (LLMs), Predictive Modeling, Behavioral Testing, Data Engineering, Data Analysis, Custom Models, AI Architecture, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), AI Security, Agentic RAG Systems, Vector Databases, RAG Pipelines, Large Language Model Operations (LLMOps), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Solution Architecture, CI/CD Pipelines, ML Pipelines, Financial Data, Fraud Detection, RAG Architecture, AI Model Training, Training, CRM APIs, OpenAI, Debugging, Prompt Engineering, Architecture, Reporting, API Integration, Agentic AI, Scraping, Web Scraping, AI Consulting, Forecasting, Logistics & Supply Chain, Probabilistic Modeling, Time Series Forecasting, Logistic Regression, Data Modeling, Data Governance, Back-end, System Architecture, Cloud Platforms, Multi-agent Systems, Model Evaluation, Webhooks, Data Classification, Quantitative Modeling, Risk Management, Linear Regression, Regression Modeling, Feature Engineering, Statistics, Pricing Elasticity, Pricing Models, AI Pipeline, Computer Vision, Data Extraction, Document Parsing, AI-assisted Development, AI Enablement, AI Tools, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Cursor AI, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Methods, Data Management, Data Quality Governance, California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), GDPR, Cloud Governance, Technical Program Management, AI Consulting, Executive Consulting, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), Computer Graphics, Finance, Business, Leadership, IT Management, LangChain, Hugging Face, FastAPI, Marketing Analytics, Marketing Mix Modeling, Bayesian Statistics, RAG Systems, AI Copilots, Fintech, GPU Computing, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), PDF, Workflow Automation, Workflow Automation & System Integration, Financial Data Analytics, Credit Risk, Foundry, RESTFul APIs, Low Code, Financial Analysis, Data Architecture, Azure Data Factory (ADF), Anthropic, Robot Operating System (ROS), AI Project Management, Azure Blob Storage
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