About

Hey, I’m Mert — currently working as an MLOps engineer, where I design and deploy real-time, multi-modal AI systems that interface with users through intelligent pipelines. But my journey started much deeper in the stack — rooted in embedded systems, where I learned to write code that runs as close to the hardware as possible. Over the years, I’ve worked extensively with STM32 and ESP32 microcontrollers, developing high-performance firmware in Rust, C, and C++. I’ve always been drawn to environments where precision matters, resources are constrained, and there's no room for abstraction bloat — the kind of work where every byte and every clock cycle counts.

I like building things that feel alive — or at least, alive enough to navigate the world on their own. Whether it’s an autonomous drone mapping terrain in real-time, a floating robot maintaining course through sensor fusion, or a custom telemetry system with minimal latency, these projects are more than hobbies. They’re where I learn, experiment, and push limits. I often joke that I’m not Victor Frankenstein — but some of my creations definitely move around like they’ve got a spark of their own.

What fascinates me most is that convergence point where hardware meets intelligence — where embedded logic, distributed systems, and machine learning all blend into one seamless operation. Whether I’m deploying vector search models with GPU acceleration, tuning Linux network stacks using eBPF and XDP, or debugging flaky I2C buses on a custom board I built, it’s all part of the same creative process: making things that work smart, fast, and reliably under pressure.

Outside of tech, I’ve cultivated a set of interests that are just as intense and hands-on:

• Audiophile at heart: I’m obsessed with high-fidelity sound. I spend hours dialing in EQ curves, testing gear, and listening to EDM and rock on reference-grade headphones. If it’s not lossless, I’m not listening.
• 3D printing & electronics design: What started with a single printer has evolved into a full workflow — modeling in Fusion 360, slicing with OrcaSlicer, and prototyping in KiCad. I print enclosures, brackets, and even structural parts for drones and other devices.
• Sci-fi and psychological drama series: I'm hooked on series that explore identity, emotion, and mind-bending narratives. Stories where emotionally flat characters evolve into fully empathetic humans really speak to me — shows like Mr. Robot, Black Mirror, Dexter, Breaking Bad, and Prison Break are some favorites. You can browse my rated series here.
• Amateur camping & off-grid adventures: Fully geared, always prepared, and usually alone — I love setting out to remote locations with nothing but tools, food, and a tent. It's the best way I know to clear my mind, reset mentally, and reconnect with physical reality.
• Chronic systems tinkerer: I run a full homelab — including a dual-node Proxmox cluster, Ceph storage, self-hosted services, reverse proxies, VPNs, and fine-tuned virtual networks. I enjoy breaking things just to see how they work — and fixing them to make them better than before.

At the end of the day, I thrive on projects that blur the line between science and art — whether I’m debugging a race condition at byte level, fine-tuning GPU inference throughput, soldering a custom PCB, or stargazing from a mountain top with a sensor node quietly logging data next to me.

I believe in systems that tell stories — not just through what they do, but through how they were built, refined, and pushed to the edge of what’s possible. If it hums, flies, or thinks, I’m probably already working on it.