About Michael

I like technically hard problems that matter in practice.

I’m an engineer and consultant with a background spanning AI infrastructure, systems programming, computer security, software analysis, and applied machine learning.

I completed my Ph.D. in Computer Science at Vanderbilt University in 2024. My research focused on cyber-physical systems, software security, and cross-abstraction analysis, with work supported by DARPA and other research programs.

More recently, I’ve worked on streaming agents, evaluation systems, and data pipelines in finance-adjacent environments, while also helping clients design and deploy practical AI systems through Athena AI Consulting.

I’m especially interested in the gap between what demos can do and what production systems can reliably sustain.

  • Vanderbilt Ph.D.
  • AI Infrastructure
  • Security + Systems
  • Client Delivery
Michael Sandborn smiling in front of a bookshelf.
A bit more

Originally from Tampa, FL. Currently in Nashville, TN. Enjoys the outdoors and reading. Hablo español.

Check out the GRASP Podcast — interviews with grad students and researchers on what they wish they’d known earlier.