Marina Nicolai

Mission-focused Full-Stack Engineer with 9+ years of experience designing, building, and modernizing secure, high-performance web applications for federal and enterprise environments. Specialized in React, TypeScript, Next.js, and API-driven architectures, with 2 years of hands-on experience in the AI space, including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) application development and 1 year supporting AI capabilities in production environments. Proven track record delivering scalable systems used in operational, real-time, and compliance-driven programs.

Software Engineer (Full-Stack) at M3 Technology – United States Postal Service (USPS) (2022-01 – Present)

Built and improved a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) application integrating retrieval, prompt orchestration, guardrails, and post-generation validation. Worked in the AI/ML space for 2 years, including 1 year supporting production-facing AI features.

• Built and improved a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) application integrating retrieval, prompt orchestration, guardrails, and post-generation validation to support more reliable AI-assisted user experiences.
• Worked in the AI/ML space for 2 years, including 1 year supporting production-facing AI features, with focus on retrieval quality, response consistency, and business-rule compliance.
• Added post-generation validation and policy enforcement guardrails, reducing hallucination incidents by approximately 45–55% and improving answer consistency by around 60% across repeated test runs.
• Established an iterative rule-refinement loop using test logs and failure cases to harden AI guardrails and continuously improve retrieval quality.
• Set up a repeatable Azure ML experimentation workflow with versioned data, managed compute, run logging, and model registration across 10+ runs, improving retrieval quality by 15–20% while lowering cloud cost by about 30%.

Full-Stack Web Developer at BEM LLC (2020-01 – 2022-12)

Developed full-stack web applications using React, JavaScript, PHP, and REST APIs to deliver responsive, data-driven solutions supporting business operations.

• Develop full-stack web applications using React, JavaScript, PHP, and REST APIs to deliver responsive, data-driven solutions supporting business operations.
• Engineered reusable UI components and standardized front-end architecture to improve maintainability and accelerate development cycles.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to translate business requirements into scalable application features and user-friendly experiences.
• Built and integrated backend services and API workflows using Node.js and REST-based architectures to support front-end applications and system integrations.

Web Developer at Childress Agency (2016-01 – 2020-12)

Maintained and enhanced client web platforms by troubleshooting defects, implementing features, and ensuring consistent stability across production environments.

• Maintain and enhance client web platforms by troubleshooting defects, implementing features, and ensuring consistent stability across production environments.
• Refactor and modernize legacy codebases into modular, maintainable architectures, improving site performance and load speeds by 35%.
• Automate testing and deployments using Jenkins and SonarQube to reduce manual effort by 40% and strengthen code quality standards.
• Apply responsive design, accessibility (WCAG), and UX best practices while collaborating with designers and stakeholders to deliver user-centered solutions.

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science – Southern New Hampshire University

Associate Degree in Computer Science – Northern Virginia Community College

Certification in AI/ML Engineering – Fullstack Academy