I joined the AI Center at CTU FEE as a research-tooling developer in the Smart Mobility group — first as a summer intern, then through my first semester of university.
My work was the supporting infrastructure around the research rather than the research itself: Python tooling that let the group move faster.
It was the first time I built the unglamorous, load-bearing parts that make other people's higher-value work move faster — a pattern that has recurred throughout my career since.