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Valentin Bister

Abstract

Researcher, AI Product Designer, and Python enthusiast with a strong academic background from RWTH Aachen. Pragmatic tech leader with hands-on CTO experience—driven by a rapid ability to learn, understand real-world problems, and solve them with scalable, maintainable systems. Track record as a technical communicator bridging complex tech and business value.

Current focus

Currently working at the intersection of development, product design, and technical leadership. Passionate about using technology to create tangible impact—solving real problems and driving innovation through thoughtful engineering.

  • Building scalable systems and leading technical teams to deliver robust solutions.
  • Translating complex technical concepts into clear, actionable business strategies.
  • Applying creative problem-solving and methodical thinking to unique challenges.
Photography & Tech

Pixelchaos.blog

Exploring the world through a lens, from urban landscapes to nature's quiet moments. A dedicated space for photography, videography, and drone media.

Experience

2024 — present

AI Researcher & Product Designer · Stekz

Working on digitization projects for external clients, to research and build on MyStekz, the AI-powered information system design platform.

  • Conducted applied AI research to build product development automation strategies.
  • Designed and built AI features for the MyStekz product suite.
  • Worked on internal security and QA processes.

2024 — present

Software Engineer · Absolute Motors Group via Stekz

Led the digital transformation of core business operations, implementing robust data pipelines and e-commerce solutions.

  • Architected and deployed ETL pipelines for cross-system data synchronization.
  • Developed custom Shopify integrations and storefront enhancements.
  • Unified disparate business systems into a cohesive digital ecosystem.

2024 — 2025

Software Engineer · Wovar via Stekz

Engineered a comprehensive warehouse automation system featuring cyber-physical integration with conveyor belts, weighting stations, printers, and more.

  • Analyzed and digitized hundreds of manual warehouse processes into streamlined, digital workflows.
  • Developed a Cyber-Physical System (CPS) integrating conveyor belts, weighting stations, printers and more.
  • Optimized picker operations for high-throughput storage environments.

2022 — 2024

Head of IT & Software Development · FPH Holding GmbH

Led an agile development team as Scrum Master, driving software architecture decisions and technical implementation for enterprise mobility solutions.

  • Refactored a Python monolith into containerized micro-services, improving maintainability and enabling robust data protection measures.
  • Achieved EU GDPR and BSI IT-Grundschutz compliance, securing a major contract and passing external security audits.
  • Managed API development, internal tooling, and security infrastructure while optimizing customer invoice processing workflows.
  • Oversaw IT budget, procurement, and vendor contract negotiations.

2020 — 2023

M.Sc. Computer Science · RWTH Aachen University

Graduated with distinction (1.2), awarded the Springorum Commemorative Coin for outstanding scientific achievement. Thesis grade: 1.0.

  • Thesis: "ReCombined" — developed a processing pipeline to analyze 40TB+ of passive traffic captures with novel characterization methods.
  • Specializations: Industrial Network Security, Advanced Internet Technologies, Communication Systems Engineering.
  • Minor in Philosophy (Science & Technology Ethics), strengthening analytical communication and interdisciplinary thinking.

2020 — 2022

Developer · Fuhrparkhelden GmbH

Built digitization solutions for analog invoicing processes and established foundational IT infrastructure for a fast-growing mobility start-up.

  • Developed a Python-based OCR pipeline to automate invoice verification workflows.
  • Deployed and maintained production systems: MariaDB, Nextcloud, Git, email, OpenVPN, and n8n automation.
  • Created a customer-facing reporting framework with close stakeholder coordination.

What people say

Izah Bloemhof
Izah Bloemhof IT Manager, Wovar B.V.

"Valentin helped us digitize our warehouse operations and improve efficiency. He is a great problem solver and has a deep understanding of the challenges we faced."

Roy Jacobs
Roy Jacobs Business Development Manager, GP Products B.V.

"GP Products B.V., a data driven product company, is proud to have Valentin as a partner. With his help, we build the new digitial core of our business, driving the innovation our brands are known for."

Marcel Wirtz
Marcel Wirtz Founder, Fuhrparkhelden GmbH

"Valentin is a great partner to work with. He is a quick learner and helped us understand and digitize our business processes."

Sven Barnick
Sven Barnick Founder, FPH Holding GmbH

"Together with Valentin, we build up a team of developers, to bring the core of our business to the 21st century!"

Recent Publications

Research and presentations on AI engineering, philosophy of technology, and Internet measurements. Click to read more.

Automating Myself: From Customer Intent to Information System
AI Engineering · Presentation

Automating Myself: From Customer Intent to Information System

Are we in the middle of an AI coding revolution? I put it to the test at #aiGrunn.

presentation
ReCombined: Reuse and Combination of Existing Internet Measurement Data
Research Paper · Internet Measurement

ReCombined: Reuse and Combination of Existing Internet Measurement Data

Research investigating methodical approaches to combining multiple Internet measurement datasets for enhanced insights.

internet measurement
Killer Robots: Chain of Responsibility
Philosophy of Technology · Ethics

Killer Robots: Chain of Responsibility

Examining responsibility and accountability frameworks for autonomous weapon systems in light of their deployment against humans.

philosophy
Trust and Machine Learning Justice Systems
Philosophy of Technology · Ethics

Trust and Machine Learning Justice Systems

Investigating ethical and technical challenges of machine learning systems in justice domains and identifying conditions for justifiable trust.

philosophy

Let's talk

Got a complex problem that needs solving? Want to chat about product strategy, system architecture, or just geek out over Python? I'm always up for a good conversation.