Tomasz Zernicki
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Developer
Poznań, Poland
Toptal member since September 15, 2025
Tomasz is a PhD-level technology lead and C++ expert with 15+ years of experience building deep-tech audio and media streaming companies. He bridges the gap between low-level algorithm development and executive strategy. Tomasz has led teams of 50+ engineers, scaled sales to 30+ countries, and delivered globally adopted products like 6DoF audio systems used by the Game of Thrones team. He is at his best as a fractional CTO, a C++ and DSP development expert, and a founder mentor.
Portfolio
Experience
- MATLAB - 20 years
- Audio Codecs - 20 years
- Video Codecs - 20 years
- C++ - 20 years
- Management - 20 years
- Python - 15 years
- AI Agents - 3 years
- Rust - 2 years
Preferred Environment
Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Terminal, Claude, OpenAI, AI Agents, Agentic AI, Agentic Frameworks, Node.js, PyTorch, React, TensorFlow, TypeScript, Rust, Virtualization, Embedded Systems, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Prompt Engineering, AI Development, CTO, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Technical Leadership, Team Leadership, Beamforming, Audio Processing, Audio, DSP, HAL, Android, Android Development, Speech Recognition, Software Engineering
The most amazing...
...thing I've architected is a pioneering 3D audio ambisonics system in C++ while contributing patented DSP algorithms to the MPEG-H 3D Audio standard.
Work Experience
Fractional CTO
Freelance
- Built a game audio accessibility product that automatically adds sonification, audio navigation, object detection, and 3D audio occlusion for blind and low-vision players, with built-in best practices and expert settings.
- Developed an AI operating system that allows for managing the operation of a small company.
- Received the Audio Engineering Society Fellowship Award for the development of spatial audio and MPEG standards.
Co-founder | CEO | CTO
Zylia
- Architected the Zylia 6DoF volumetric audio system. Headed a 50+ person team from R&D to a global launch in 30+ countries and secured adoption by top-tier clients like the Game of Thrones production team.
- Co-authored the MPEG-H 3D Audio standard by contributing patented C++/DSP algorithms, directly influencing media playback technology deployed on millions of devices globally in partnership with Dolby and Fraunhofer.
- Scaled the company as CEO/CTO, growing the technical team to 50+ professionals and boosting YoY revenue by 2.6 times in three years through a new product launch and global sales channel expansion.
- Designed and implemented a real-time C++ media processing pipeline, handling 1.5+ Gbps of data from a 20-capsule microphone array for high-fidelity 3D audio rendering on an embedded FPGA/ARM core.
- Delivered a full suite of cross-platform C++ applications and VST/AAX plugins such as Zylia Studio and Ambisonics Converter, enabling a complete 3D audio production workflow for thousands of creators using our hardware.
Experience
Zylia 6DoF Volumetric Audio
KEY TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
• Hardware architecture: Designed a 20-capsule spherical microphone array with an FPGA/ARM core capable of processing real-time 1.5+ Gbps of audio data.
• Advanced DSP: Architected and implemented novel, real-time algorithms for beamforming, sound source separation, and 3D audio rendering using Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA).
• Custom protocol development: Delivered a proprietary USB protocol to transmit 64 channels of high-resolution audio, overcoming standard operating system driver limitations.
MPEG Standardization | MPEG-H 3D Audio and USAC
https://www.mpeg.org/standards/MPEG-I/KEY TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
• Algorithm innovation: Invented and successfully integrated novel psychoacoustic and spatial audio coding techniques into the MPEG-H 3D Audio and MPEG-D USAC standards.
• Patent integration: Drove the contribution of patented technologies to the MPEG patent pool, requiring rigorous technical validation and collaboration with companies like Dolby, Fraunhofer, and Huawei.
Education
Computer Research in Music and Acoustics as a Visiting Scholar
Stanford University - Palo Alto, CA, USA
PhD in Electronics and Telecommunication
Poznan University of Technology - Poznan, Poland
Skills
Libraries/APIs
FFmpeg, PyTorch, Node.js, React, TensorFlow, Core Audio, REST APIs, FMOD
Tools
Terminal, Claude, MATLAB, Claude Code
Languages
C++, Python, Rust, Embedded C++, TypeScript
Frameworks
Agentic Frameworks
Paradigms
Agile, Management, Cross-platform, Model Context Protocol (MCP), Role-based Access Control (RBAC)
Platforms
Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Docker, Android, Amazon Web Services (AWS), MacOS, Vertex AI, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Industry Expertise
Telecommunications
Other
OpenAI, AI Agents, Agentic AI, Digital Signal Processing, Audio Codecs, Video Codecs, Electronics, Sales, B2C Marketing, Research, Development, Negotiation, Embedded Rust, Virtualization, Embedded Systems, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Large Language Models (LLMs), MPEG-DASH, Video Processing, HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Prompt Engineering, AI Development, CTO, Technical Leadership, Team Leadership, Real-time Audio Processing, Operations, Technical Project Management, AI Agent Orchestration, LLM Integration, Gemini, Beamforming, Audio Processing, Audio, DSP, HAL, Android Development, Speech Recognition, Software Engineering, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Security, Vendor Management, COO, Wearables, Code Signing, MPEG, Spatial Audio, Fractional CTO
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
Share your needs
Choose your talent
Start your risk-free talent trial
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring