Cori Steinberg — Career Timeline

Career & Education

I find what’s missing
and build it.

A timeline of the work — the roles, the systems, the foundations that didn’t exist until they did.

Work
2026
Independent AI Safety Research Self-directed
2024 – present +

Empirical research into two connected questions about how large language models process and preserve meaning across sessions.

  • Epistemic drift experiment — a 34-session longitudinal study across three encoding conditions with sealed ground truth materials and Python-based scoring infrastructure. Investigates whether encoding method affects how much factual and nuanced information is lost across session boundaries.
  • Semantic geometry investigation — six unnamed clusters resolved through collaborative boundary-probing in LLM embedding space, revealing a complete phenomenology of a boundary and the self that encounters it. Produced the etymological attractor principle as a testable hypothesis.
  • Neither experiment produced expected outcomes. Both produced findings that reframed the question.
PythonLLM ResearchEmpirical Design
2023
Director of Automation & Systems Architecture NowSecure · Mobile Application Cybersecurity
Oct 2023 – Feb 2026 +
  • Built AI-powered screenshot analysis tool using OpenAI API — ingested mobile app screen hierarchies, returned structured authentication confirmation and confidence scores, surfaced results through the assessment data API for the first time.
  • Designed OpenAI-powered prompt engineering frameworks for Android UI navigation — captured live element hierarchies via ADB, submitted to model to identify optimal interaction targets, drove programmatic clicks and string entry dynamically at runtime.
  • Led end-to-end technical program delivery across a distributed team of nine engineers in four states and the Philippines.
  • Drove data purity initiatives. Introduced standardized error coding taxonomy. Applied set theory to validate mutual exclusivity and exhaustiveness of data categories.
  • Designed the information architecture that surfaced real-time assessment data through the API for the first time. Led cross-functional initiative defining the user taxonomy — Customer, Free Trial, Prospect.
  • Defined KPIs and OKRs tied to delivery performance. Presented program outcomes to senior leadership and company-wide audiences.
OpenAI APIPythonPrompt EngineeringADBTeam Leadership
2022
Manager, Automation Engineering & Team Development NowSecure · Mobile Application Cybersecurity
May 2022 – Oct 2023 +
  • Designed and implemented a cross-platform mobile automation framework in Python and Swift — shared base libraries with typed data models, standardized error taxonomy, and reusable element interaction utilities used across all Android and iOS automations.
  • Designed and introduced RunData — structured telemetry populated within scripts themselves — enabling consistent measurement and quality tracking across all automations.
  • Built all data frameworks that produced assessment data. Led API data cleanup. Designed Jira tracking infrastructure from scratch.
  • Scaled the team from two to nine engineers — building hiring framework, career paths, performance standards, compensation bands, and internship pipeline from scratch.
  • Co-founded Empowerment, an internal inclusion and diversity group. Received Value Creation Award for integrity.
PythonSwiftAppiumXCUITestData Architecture
2019
Lead Automation Engineer & Systems Designer NowSecure · Mobile Application Cybersecurity
Aug 2019 – May 2022 +
  • Built foundational mastery of the full mobile testing stack: iOS and Android UI element structures and accessibility hierarchies, ADB, Xcode, iSpy, AppleSign, PAS device routing.
  • Designed and implemented a CLI project generator that bootstrapped new automation projects from versioned GitLab templates, enforcing framework consistency across the team without manual distribution.
  • Built Python scripts for GraphQL API extraction, nested JSON transformation, regex-based log parsing, and structured CSV report generation before a formal data process existed.
PythonGraphQLiOSAndroidCLI Tooling
2018
QA Automation Engineer Cision · Marketing Technology
Nov 2018 – Feb 2019 +
  • Built test automation using Python (behave), Java (Cucumber/Selenium), and Maven in an Agile/BDD environment.
PythonJavaSeleniumBDD
Data Migration Specialist & CX Innovator Cision · Marketing Technology
Jun 2017 – Nov 2018 +
  • Recognized as CX Innovator for building Python and macro-based automation tools that streamlined data integrity during a complex platform migration.
  • Used SQL daily for large-scale dataset analysis and validation. Worked directly with large-scale legacy clients to facilitate data migration and continuity.
PythonSQLData Migration
Volunteer
2014
After Hours Advisory Council & Event Coordinator Adler Planetarium
2014 – 2016 +
  • Co-founded a 25-member advisory council to identify and resolve operational gaps in special event execution. Improvements drove measurable increases in visitor satisfaction and operational efficiency.
  • Managed event setup, guest registration, check-in operations, and on-site liaison responsibilities for monthly After Hours events attended by hundreds of guests.
OperationsEvent Management
Education
Advanced Mathematics & Computer Science University of Illinois Chicago
+
  • Board member of AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)
  • Young Entrepreneur Club
MathematicsComputer Science
Mathematics, Biology & Social Science City Colleges of Chicago — Harry S Truman College
+
  • Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
  • Psychology Club · Trio
MathematicsBiologySocial Science