EDGE AI Career working group – 11.05.25

Updated Feb 19, 2026 Career

Invited jimbruges@edgeimpulse.com Luke PERRINS | 5V Tech Ed Doran Rosina Haberl razvan.bogdan@upt.ro Pete Bernard

Summary

Luke Perrins welcomed Rosina Haberl, Razvan Bogdan, Mary Bertrand, Steven Davis, and Jim Bruges to the first Edjaii Foundation career working group meeting, where they shared their backgrounds in recruiting, engineering education, and curriculum development, and agreed on core goals like improving partner access to skilled Edge AI professionals, supporting career development, and inspiring the next generation. The group, including Mary Bertrand and Steven Davis, discussed addressing the Generative AI versus Edge AI knowledge gap among students and proposed initial outcomes such as creating a dedicated talent platform, developing mentorship resources, and organizing an Edge AI talk at Boston University, which Jim Bruges supported due to the difficulty in finding adaptable talent.

Details

Notes Length: Standard

  • Introductions and Meeting Purpose Luke Perrins welcomed attendees to the first meeting of the Edjaii Foundation’s career working group, including Rosina Haberl, Razvan Bogdan (who joined while on a business trip in Romania), Mary Bertrand, Steven Davis, and Jim Bruges (00:00:51). Luke Perrins introduced themself as an external talent partner for the Edgi Foundation from 5VTEC and outlined the meeting’s agenda: introductions, discussing the group’s concept and purpose, outcomes, and selecting initial action points. Rosina Haberl, the community manager for the Edgi Foundation, noted that Ed and Pete could not join the meeting as they were at embedded world Anaheim and in Korea, respectively (00:01:47) (00:11:02).
  • Attendee Backgrounds and Expertise Steven Davis shared their background as a technology recruiter and successful consultant focusing on technology leadership coaching, currently with JP Morgan Chase, aiming to improve HR retention by helping IT professionals exceed expectations (00:03:57). Mary Bertrand, Director of the Career Development Office at Boston University’s College of Engineering, works with students and employer partners to prepare students for industry and was recommended by Pete, a BU engineering alum (00:06:44). Jim Bruges, from Edge Impulse, has a background in engineering education from Dyson’s university, is passionate about making engineering accessible, and currently manages Edge Impulse’s university program (00:07:41). Razvan Bogdan, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Automation and Computers at Poly Technica University of Tishwara in Romania, is focused on curriculum development, including developing programs in drones and an AI curriculum that incorporates Edge AI (00:08:50).
  • Goals and Purpose of the Career Working Group Luke Perrins proposed several core purposes for the working group, emphasizing improving foundation partners’ access to skilled Edge AI professionals and supporting these professionals’ career development and visibility (00:11:58). Another goal is collaborating with academic partners to inspire the next generation of students in the field of Edge AI, which Luke Perrins highlighted as crucial for sustainability, and creating initiatives to enhance community connections and share opportunities (00:13:03). Jim Bruges affirmed these objectives, particularly raising awareness of Edge AI among current professionals and connecting them to career growth opportunities, while also focusing on bringing undergraduates through the pipeline (00:14:26).
  • Addressing the Generative AI vs. Edge AI Knowledge Gap Steven Davis and Mary Bertrand discussed the importance of helping students understand the difference between Generative AI and Edge AI, noting that students often think of Generative AI first (00:15:29). Mary Bertrand shared that their office addresses career exploration through tech talks, and Steven Davis suggested involving campus recruiters from Fortune 500 companies in the program (00:16:35) (00:24:15). Jim Bruges mentioned they are currently updating their book, AI at the Edge, to address the recent spotlight on Edge AI due to Generative AI and how Edge AI interacts with the physical world (00:17:39).
  • Initial Outcomes and Action Points Luke Perrins proposed initial outcomes including creating a dedicated talent platform, potentially leveraging the existing Discord server to enhance connections between professionals and partners, and developing mentorship programs and resources to navigate careers in Edge AI (00:20:47). A suggestion for a quick action item was setting up an Edge AI specific talk at Boston University with an engineer, which Mary Bertrand was interested in, and Steven Davis noted other universities like New York University would also be interested (00:18:43) (00:28:40). Jim Bruges endorsed these outcomes, particularly the hiring aspect, noting the difficulty in finding adaptable talent for Edge AI roles, and the resource development side, as they are developing courses for students and content for lecturers (00:25:18).
  • Next Steps and Meeting Logistics Luke Perrins proposed a monthly meeting cadence on the first Wednesday of each full week of the month. The initial follow-up action points include creating the 2026 road map for the Edjaii career live stream, including potential guests and incorporating Steven Davis’s idea about campus recruiters, and the pilot program to organize an Edge AI talk at Boston University early next year (00:27:15). Jim Bruges also suggested leveraging grassroots initiatives, such as the Edge Impulse campus ambassador program, to increase outreach, an idea that Luke Perrins agreed to explore further at the next meeting when Ed and Pete are present (00:28:40).

Suggested next steps

  • uncheckedLuke Perrins will look into creating the 2026 road map for the Edjaii career live stream, including suggestions around potential guests like campus recruiters.
  • uncheckedLuke Perrins will follow up on setting up a talk on Edge AI at Boston University for Mary Bertrand, potentially to be actioned relatively quickly in early next year.
  • uncheckedLuke Perrins will explore the Edge AI Foundation’s existing grassroots initiatives next month when Ed and Pete are on the call.
  • uncheckedLuke Perrins will create an email chain with all attendees, including a summary of the meeting, the key outcomes, and the additional outcomes that were discussed.