npw.net

Philipp A. Baer, Dr.-Ing.

Staff Infrastructure Architect • DevSecOps Engineer • Computer Scientist & Roboticist

Location: Munich Area, Bavaria, Germany
Web: npw.net • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/philipp-baer • GitHub: github.com/phbaer • Code: git.baer.one/phbaer • Mastodon: baer.im/@phbaer

Professional Summary ​

I am a Computer Scientist (PhD / Dr.-Ing.) and Staff Infrastructure Architect with more than 15 years of experience in medical device software, product security, industrial engineering infrastructure, and academic research leadership.

I currently lead the development and operation of secure, scalable, highly available build and test infrastructure for GE HealthCare, supporting engineering teams in the US, Europe, and India. My experience includes engineering productivity, DevSecOps, software bill of materials (SBOM) management, product vulnerability management, IEC 62304, and bare-metal virtualization and storage clusters (Proxmox/Ceph). Earlier in my career, I led a RoboCup team and a research group at DFKI, and contributed to publicly funded research projects and team leadership.

Core Skills & Technical Expertise ​

Technical Overview

  • DevSecOps & Site Reliability: Continuous integration (Jenkins, GitLab CI), threat and vulnerability management, Dependency-Track, software bills of materials (SBOM; CycloneDX, SPDX), secure delivery pipelines.
  • Systems Architecture & Security: Distributed systems, secure system engineering, Proxmox VE and Proxmox Backup Server, Ceph storage, 100 GbE Mellanox networking, applied cryptography.
  • Programming & Scripting: C++, Python, Groovy, Bash, and PowerShell (professional daily use); C, C#, Rust, Java, and JavaScript/TypeScript (working knowledge).
  • Compliance & Medical Software: IEC 62304 medical device software lifecycle, software supply chain security, IQTIG quality assurance interfaces, ICD-10-GM and OPS medical coding.
  • AI Infrastructure: Local large language model (LLM) deployment using Ollama and NVIDIA A4000, A6000, and L40S GPUs.
  • Research & Project Leadership: Public research funding (BMBF, BMWi, DFG, EU), budget responsibility, team leadership, and agile methods.

Professional Experience ​

Staff Infrastructure Architect | GE HealthCare ​

Munich, Bavaria, Germany (Hybrid) | Mar 2023 – Present

Software and infrastructure architect focused on global engineering productivity, platform reliability, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity.

  • Infrastructure architecture: Architected and operate a high-density, bare-metal Proxmox engineering cluster with AMD EPYC processors, 1,248 physical cores, and a 100 GbE NVIDIA/Mellanox SN3700C backbone. The platform supports engineering teams across the US, Europe, and India.
  • Security & DevSecOps: Lead technical implementation of product SBOM generation (CycloneDX) and software supply chain security. Own the automated product vulnerability management system, integrating Dependency-Track, DefectDojo, and custom automation.
  • Compliance: Maintain product software architecture documentation and support medical device software lifecycle compliance with IEC 62304:2006.
  • AI tooling: Built and support private, locally hosted LLM environments using Ollama and NVIDIA A4000, A6000, and L40S GPUs for secure developer workflows.
  • Technologies: Python, Groovy, C++, Rust, Linux, Windows, Proxmox VE, Proxmox Backup Server, Ceph, Dependency Track, CycloneDX, Threat & Vulnerability Management.

Senior Build & Release Engineer | GE HealthCare ​

Munich, Bavaria, Germany (Hybrid) | Oct 2018 – Feb 2023

Concurrent responsibilities alongside the Senior Software Engineer role, focused on scaling global engineering systems and improving release reliability.

  • Infrastructure engineering: Co-led the initial Proxmox cluster build, using AMD EPYC processors and Ceph over 100 GbE, to support test orchestration and daily builds.
  • Tooling & continuous integration: Designed Jenkins pipelines and build orchestration tools for fast, reproducible builds of medical imaging and reporting systems.
  • Software architecture: Took technical ownership of legacy component modernization and automated code-scanning workflows.
  • Technologies: DevSecOps, Continuous Integration (Jenkins), Python, Groovy, Linux, Proxmox VE, Ceph, Bash.

Senior Software Engineer | GE HealthCare ​

Munich, Bavaria, Germany | Apr 2012 – Feb 2023

Core engineering team member for ViewPoint, a medical reporting, image storage, and workflow system connecting ultrasound equipment with healthcare information systems. From October 2018 to February 2023, held this role alongside Senior Build & Release Engineer responsibilities.

  • Regulatory software engineering: Specified and implemented the German medical quality assurance interface for IQTIG QSKH-RL reporting, aligned with G-BA requirements and used by hospitals nationwide.
  • Medical standards: Led implementation of medical coding support for DIMDI, ICD-10-GM, and OPS-301.
  • Product security: Led technical work on applied cryptography, security requirements engineering, and integration of static and dynamic application security testing (SAST/DAST).
  • Technologies: C++, Python, Windows, Linux, Applied Cryptography, CI/CD, Software Delivery, Requirements Engineering.

Project Coordinator & Senior Engineer | Robotics Equipment Corporation GmbH ​

Munich, Bavaria, Germany | Jul 2011 – Mar 2012

  • Managed and co-designed BioMiC (Bionic Manipulator Control), a collaborative research project valued at more than €1 million with Festo AG & Co. KG and funded by Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
  • Developed neural control systems and inverse kinematic models for bio-inspired robotic arm manipulation.
  • Technologies: MATLAB/Simulink, C++, Robot Control, Project Management.

PostDoc | German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI GmbH) ​

Bremen, Germany | Mar 2009 – May 2011

Senior researcher and founding head of the Mobility and Manipulation (M&M) department at DFKI's Robotics Innovation Center (RIC).

  • Research leadership: Built and led a team of more than 10 researchers working on field robotics, cooperative robot behavior, and distributed control systems.
  • Grant acquisition: Co-developed proposals and secured public funding for research programs in cooperative robotics (IMPERA / BMWi), cognitive robotics (VirGo4 / BMWi), and stroke rehabilitation exoskeletons (CAPIO / BMBF).
  • Technologies: C++, Distributed Architectures, Robotics, Research Leadership, Systems Engineering, Budgeting.

Research Scientist | University of Kassel ​

Kassel, Germany | Dec 2004 – Dec 2008

Researcher in the Distributed Systems group and co-founder of the Distributed Autonomous Systems Laboratory (DAS-Lab).

  • RoboCup team leadership: Founded and led the "Carpe Noctem" Middle-Size League (MSL) robot soccer team, which placed seventh at the 2006 RoboCup World Championship in Bremen and sixth at the 2009 championship in Graz.
  • Tournament leadership: Served as Tournament Chair for the MSL games at the RoboCup German Open in 2008 and 2009.
  • Teaching and supervision: Taught operating systems, distributed architectures, and mobile robotics; supervised more than 30 bachelor's and master's students.
  • Technologies: C#, C++, Distributed Programming, Multicast Network Protocols, Real-time Systems.

Education ​

Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften (Dr.-Ing.) / PhD in Computer Science ​

University of Kassel, Germany | 2004 – 2008

  • Specialization: Distributed Systems, Cooperative Robotics, Software Architecture
  • Thesis: Platform independent development of robot communication software (Published, DNB Record)
  • Advisors: Prof. Dr. Kurt Geihs, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kraetzschmar †
  • Grade: magna cum laude
  • Activities: Founder/Lead of Carpe Noctem RoboCup Team; Kassel Student Workshop on Security.

Diplom-Informatiker (Dipl.-Inf.) / M.Sc. in Computer Science ​

University of Ulm, Germany | 1999 – 2004

  • Specialization: Applied Cryptography, Distributed Systems, Networks
  • Thesis: Group Authentication and Encryption in Distributed Environments
  • Grade: 1.0
  • Activities: Developed mobile robot software for "The Ulm Sparrows" RoboCup team.

Technical Projects & Open Source ​

Dependency Track Vulnerability Processor (DTVP) | Source Code ​

  • Role: Primary Author & Architect (Active)
  • Goal: Developed a Python toolchain that ingests, filters, and formats Dependency-Track alerts for development teams, reducing noise and helping maintain clear records of product security status.

Home Assistant Birthday Calendar | Source Code ​

  • Role: Author & Publisher (Active)
  • Goal: Built a lightweight, locally hosted birthday calendar integration for Home Assistant and published it as a custom HACS component. It keeps personal data within the user's smart home, without external cloud integrations.
  • Role: Technical Feature Owner & Architect
  • Goal: Global ultrasound data management and reporting software.

Selected Publications & Thesis Contributions ​

  • Baer, P. A. (2009). Platform independent development of robot communication software. PhD Thesis, University of Kassel. Published online: Kassel University Press.
  • Baer, P. A., Reichle, R., & Geihs, K. (2008). The SPICA development framework: Model-driven software development for autonomous mobile robots. In Intelligent Autonomous Systems 10, pp. 211–220.
  • Full bibliography is indexable online via Google Scholar Profile.

Professional Training & Certifications ​

  • Presentation Skills – GE Crotonville / GE HealthCare, 2015
  • Fundamentals for Software Technologists (FFT.SW) – GE HealthCare, 2014
  • Communication and Leadership for Project Leaders – DFKI, 2011
  • Professional Project Management – DFKI, 2011
  • Time and Self-Management – DFKI, 2011