Advanced LLM Applications and Agentic Systems - Training at EPFL

Johan Berdat joined the SDSC in May 2019 as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer in the Innovation team, based in Lausanne.

After completing his M.Sc. in Computer Science at EPFL, he worked for a few years as a consultant in the industry. Specialized in natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision, he loves challenges in document analysis and knowledge extraction.

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Clément Lefeebvre joined the SDSC in January 2019 as a Data Scientist with an emphasis on industry-oriented projects in the Innovation team, based in Lausanne.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, acquired in 2016 from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. Following this, he earned a Master of Science in Computational Science and Engineering in 2018, also from EPFL. Throughout his academic journey, Clément concentrated on leveraging Data Science and Machine Learning techniques to enhance efficiency in industrial processes. Subsequently, he developed a specialized interest in Generative AI, with a particular focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP), especially in the application of Large Language Models for innovation.

Klemen Voncina joined the SDSC in April 2026 as a Machine Learning Engineer in the Innovation team, based in Lausanne.

Klemen holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Groningen. Prior to this, Klemen worked for several years in both consulting roles and startups. He brings a strong engineering-focused perspective, combined with a solid background in machine learning. He particularly enjoys tackling practical challenges, especially those related to infrastructure and application deployment. Outside of work, Klemen enjoys a range of outdoor activities such as climbing and mountaineering, as well as more home-based hobbies like board games, reading, and tea.

Kyle (Hogir) van de Langemheen joined the SDSC in September 2025 as a Machine Learning Engineer in the Innovation team, based in Lausanne. ‍

‍Kyle holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Groningen. He brings several years of experience applying AI across research and industry.

Outside of his professional interests, Kyle enjoys hiking, reading, cooking, and coffee.

Thibaut holds a B.Sc in Computer Science from HEIG-VD. Before joining the SDSC, he worked in startups where he developped a diverse skill set combining cloud infrastructure, database and application development. Thibaut is very enthusiatic about new technologies and best coding practices and he is looking forward to supporting the team and its projects.

Prof. Olivier Verscheure is the director and founder of the Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC). Olivier also co-leads a joint training program between EPFL and HEC Lausanne, specifically designed for senior executives. Since 2018, Olivier has been a member of the Board of Directors of Lonza, a global leader in the life sciences sector. This company provides products and services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and specialized healthcare industries.Olivier began his career at IBM Research after earning his Ph.D. in computer science from EPFL. He held several research and leadership positions at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center in New York and co-created and co-directed the IBM Research center in Dublin, Ireland, before joining the EPFL in 2016.

Silvia holds an MSc in Computer Science from EPFL and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of York, UK. She has been a senior research fellow at the University of Trento and later at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Here, she had the chance to work on Marie Curie and ERC projects relating to natural language processing. From 2012 to 2019, she was a Senior Manager and NLP expert at ELCA Informatique Switzerland, whose AI department she helped create and expand. Silvia joined the Swiss Data Science Center in 2019 and is currently its Chief Transformation Officer, in charge of the team leading organizations to digital transformation.

Alessandro joined the SDSC in March 2019 as a data scientist focused on industry collaborations. His mission is to support corporates in leveraging the power of their data by adopting analytical approaches and data-centric solutions. His background is in biomedical engineering, with a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Tübingen. Before joining the center, he worked as a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, at the EPFL Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience in Geneva, and as data scientist for a private ecommerce company.

Clément Lefeebvre joined the SDSC in January 2019 as a Data Scientist with an emphasis on industry-oriented projects in the Innovation team, based in Lausanne.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, acquired in 2016 from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. Following this, he earned a Master of Science in Computational Science and Engineering in 2018, also from EPFL. Throughout his academic journey, Clément concentrated on leveraging Data Science and Machine Learning techniques to enhance efficiency in industrial processes. Subsequently, he developed a specialized interest in Generative AI, with a particular focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP), especially in the application of Large Language Models for innovation.

Thibaut holds a B.Sc in Computer Science from HEIG-VD. Before joining the SDSC, he worked in startups where he developped a diverse skill set combining cloud infrastructure, database and application development. Thibaut is very enthusiatic about new technologies and best coding practices and he is looking forward to supporting the team and its projects.

Saurabh Bhargava, joined the SDSC as a Principal Data Scientist in the Industry Cell at the Zürich office in 2022. Saurabh previously worked in the retail sector and the advertising industry in Germany. He lead and built various data products for customers using state of the art machine learning methods and industrializing them thereby adding value for the customers. He completed his PhD from ETH Zürich in June 2017 specializing in machine learning applications on Audio data. He obtained his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from EPFL and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, India in 2011 and 2009 respectively. His interests and expertise are in combining state of the art data science and data engineering tools for building scalable data products.

Carlos Vivar Ríos joined the SDSC in 2023, where he is part of the Open Research Data and Engagement Unit (ORDES). As a multidisciplinary data engineer, he brings a diverse background in biology, cognitive sciences, and bioinformatics from the University of Malaga. His multifaceted professional career spans several disciplines, including genomics at RIKEN in Yokohama, multidimensional image analysis in microscopy at the University of Lausanne (UNIL), and cellular biology modeling at INRIA in Lyon. Carlos has been involved in a variety of projects, such as analyzing astrocyte calcium dynamics, de novo sequencing Solea senegalensis, drug repurposing for Alzheimer's based on GWAS studies, conducting geospatial analysis for linguistic corpora, and assessing drought through remote sensing. He is dedicated to advancing reproducible research methods and actively supports the open science movement.

Oksana is a disruptive innovator bringing her positive energy to projects. Driven by her curiosity and can-do attitude she excels in industrial and academic contexts. Oksana earned her PhD in Life Sciences and Bioinformatics from the University of Lausanne after two MSc in Bioinformatics and in Information Systems from the University of Geneva. For more than 10 years, she has been committed to actively promoting the value of data science and advocating the best practices for reproducible and ethical research. She believes that Swiss Data Science Center is a key player in building a competitive data economy in Switzerland leveraging its innovative potential and renown commitment to quality.

Anna joined SDSC as a Data Scientist focusing on industry collaborations in July 2019. She completed her PhD in Bioinformatics at the University of Luxembourg, where she analysed large-scale heterogeneous datasets and leveraged multiple disciplines: Statistics, Network Analysis, and Machine Learning. Before joining SDSC, Anna worked as a Data Scientist at Deloitte Luxembourg, with a focus on computer vision and time-series analysis.Currently, Anna is a Principal Data Scientist based at the ETH Zurich office, where she leads biomedical collaborations with industry partners. Anna works on a range of projects: protein properties prediction, biomanufacturing optimization, statistical model evaluation and others.

Paulina Körner joined the SDSC in September 2025 as a Data Scientist in the Innovation team in Zurich.
Paulina holds an MSc in Environmental Science from ETH Zürich and completed an MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence at the University of Cambridge. She has worked as a data science intern in Alpine Remote Sensing and as a research assistant at ETH Zürich, where she focused on automating chemical risk evaluations. She also gained consulting experience at South Pole, supporting clients in designing decarbonization roadmaps. Paulina is particularly interested in interpretable machine learning and in applying AI to address real-world challenges in environmental science, industry, and the public sector.

Oliver Poole joined the SDSC in December 2025 as Data Scientist for the Innovation team, based in Zurich.

Prior, Oliver completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from ETH Zurich, with research on custom 3D-printed metallic springs for (non-)linear stiffness customization and reinforcement learning applications in control systems. He developed anomaly detection systems for X-ray images of mechanical parts, milk foam quality assessment using computer vision and sensor data, and data-driven flow control strategies and extraction consistency for coffee machines. His work bridges physical engineering intuition with machine learning, focusing on robust models that connect sensor data directly to measurable outcomes in industrial systems.

Marisol has a degree in Law and more than 15 years of experience working as a notary officer in Madrid. After relocating to Switzerland with her family, she obtained a certification to teach Spanish as a foreign language, dedicating four years to teaching Spanish online to students of all ages and backgrounds. Marisol has returned to her professional roots as an administrative assistant, joining the SDSC team in June 2023.

Roberto holds an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Particle Physics from the University of Torino, Italy. He has worked for several years in fundamental research as a senior fellow and data scientist at the CERN Experimental Physics division and on a research project supported by the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS). In 2018 he moved to EPFL to work on data mining and Machine Learning techniques for the built environment and renewable energies. He has started and led multiple collaborations with academic and industry partners in the energy domain. Roberto joined the SDSC in September 2021 as a Principal Data Scientist with the mission of accompanying industries, NGOs and international organizations through their data science journey.

Valerio started his career working for 7 years as a particle-physics researcher at CERN. In 2016, he moved to consulting, applying data science in several industries. First, he joined the Quant team of Ernst & Young in Geneva. Later, he created his own company, SamurAI sàrl, providing consulting services for his clients. He also has a passion for teaching very complex subjects in simple terms. That is why he particularly enjoys offering training programs to private companies and universities. Valerio joined the SDSC in May 2022 as a Principal Data Scientist with the mission of accompanying industrial partners and other institutions through their data science journey.

After earning a MSc in Theoretical Physics at University of Padua, Giulio graduated in Quantitative Finance from Bocconi University. Before joining the SDSC industry cell in June 2021, he spent a few years working in the financial sector, where he mainly dealt with the application of machine learning to financial risk management. When not coding, Giulio spends his free time playing bass guitar, hiking and cooking.

Valérie Meillaud joined the SDSC in February 2026 as an Administrative and Events Specialist, based in Lausanne.

She will work closely with Cindy and will support office management, event logistics, and stakeholder coordination. Valérie is an experienced administrative specialist with strong coordination, operational management, and event organisation skills, developed at EPFL, WWF International, and in primary education. Valérie holds a Master’s degree in Management from HEC Lausanne and speaks French, English, and German.

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Uta joined SDSC in May 2024 as Head of Communications & Events. Prior to that, she held various business communication management roles in technology-driven companies in material and life sciences, information and telecommunications as well as automotive industries. Her specialty is to transform complex messages into simple stories to help organizations reach key audiences with relevant and compelling contents, leveraging media and digital channels.Uta holds a Master of Arts from Humboldt University of Berlin, a Master of Business Administration from La Salle University, Philadelphia, and a graduate certificate in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge University. In her free time she enjoys sports and traveling with her husband and two sons.