Cristian Cristea's Curriculum Vitae (Résumé)

• Location: Bucharest, Romania
• Email: cristiancristea00@gmail.com
• Phone: +40 (770) 779 947
• LinkedIn: cristiancristea00
• GitHub: cristiancristea00

Summary

I am a Software Engineer specialising in macOS development within Bitdefender's Business Solutions Group, contributing to Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Mac. I work across a production macOS stack that spans systems-level C and C++ integration, Objective-C++ bridging, Swift application logic, and SwiftUI user interfaces. I enjoy tackling complex, established codebases with an emphasis on correctness, reliability, performance, and long-term maintainability. Before Bitdefender, I spent nearly three years in embedded software engineering at Microchip Technology, delivering firmware, drivers, tooling, and supporting materials for PIC and AVR microcontrollers. That experience strengthened my low-level debugging discipline, my systems thinking, and my focus on robustness and clear engineering feedback loops, which I now apply in macOS development. I work effectively in Agile teams, collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders, and I favour practical, incremental improvements that reduce risk, clarify ownership, and keep software production-ready.

Skills

Languages: Full professional proficiency in English | Native proficiency in Romanian | I'm learning French and some Italian

Programming: Swift, Objective-C/C++, C++, C, and Python | TypeScript, Rust, Kotlin, and Java | ARM, AVR, and PIC Assembly

Development: macOS and Linux | Embedded Systems (PIC, AVR, and ARM)

Tools: LLDB and GDB | CMake, Make, Ninja, and xcodebuild | Git (GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket) | Bamboo, Jenkins, and Docker

IDEs: Xcode and Instruments | JetBrains IDEs | Visual Studio Code | Cursor

Documentation and hardware: LaTeX and Typst | Doxygen and Markdown | Tridion Docs | SystemVerilog and SPICE

Interests: Embedded Systems | Internet of Things | Photography

Experience

Software Engineer at Bitdefender

Full-time (Remote)

Bucharest, Romania

Apr 2025 – present (10 months)

Contribute to Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Mac within Bitdefender's Business Solutions Group, delivering product changes across a multi-language macOS stack. My work spans platform-facing integrations in C and C++, Apple ecosystem components in Objective-C++ and Swift, and SwiftUI interfaces used in internal workflows and product-facing scenarios. I also led a ground-up rewrite of an internal validation tool in Swift 6 and SwiftUI, improving the day-to-day experience for developer workflows, QA validation, and product demos.

• Delivered product features and resolved production issues, balancing pace of delivery with code quality, maintainability, and a strong user experience.
• Implemented macOS integrations spanning low-level C and C++ code, Objective-C++ bridging, and higher-level application logic in Swift.
• Built and maintained SwiftUI user interfaces, improving usability for internal tooling workflows, and for product-facing interactions where applicable.
• Led a full rewrite of an internal testing and validation tool in Swift 6 and SwiftUI, streamlining developer and QA activities during testing, validation, and demos.
• Contributed to ongoing refactoring and stabilisation work in a large, established codebase, keeping performance and reliability on track while introducing change safely.

Embedded Software Engineer at Microchip Technology

Full-time (Hybrid)

Bucharest, Romania

Aug 2023 – Apr 2025 (1 year 9 months)

Delivered embedded software and supporting tooling for PIC and AVR microcontroller solutions, from low-level driver development through integration, validation, and documentation. Collaborated with international, cross-functional teams, and strengthened quality feedback loops by introducing CI automation, unit testing, mocking, and coverage reporting within an emulation environment for embedded projects.

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams across multiple countries to design, integrate, and validate embedded system solutions, supporting clear communication and reliable delivery.
• Designed and validated embedded systems for PIC and AVR microcontrollers, with emphasis on integration and functional testing to meet reliability goals.
• Designed and implemented a Jenkins and Docker pipeline to run unit tests, mocking, and coverage extraction within an emulation environment for embedded projects.
• Developed and maintained low-level peripheral drivers for PIC and AVR microcontrollers, adding unit tests with Unity and mocks with CMock to increase confidence in driver behaviour.
• Created and tested GUI-based peripheral code-generation tools, using TypeScript for development and FreeMarker templates within an internal framework.
• Authored and supported Application Notes and Technical Briefs, including associated coding examples and hardware demonstrations.
• Produced structured documentation using DITA-based Tridion Docs, aligned with internal technical writing standards.

Intern Embedded Applications at Microchip Technology

Internship (On-site)

Bucharest, Romania

July 2022 – Aug 2023 (1 year 2 months)

Built a strong foundation in embedded software development and microcontroller peripherals while contributing to internal examples, prototypes, and tooling. Learned modern delivery practices through Scrum, Jira, Bitbucket, Confluence, and CI pipelines, and applied them in day-to-day team execution.

• Built embedded systems fundamentals, including microcontroller programming, interrupts, and communication protocols (UART, I2C, and SPI), enabling rapid contribution to ongoing work.
• Developed an Environmental Station embedded project during a mandatory university apprenticeship, integrating sensor acquisition, processing, and real-time monitoring.
• Gained hands-on experience with Agile delivery through Scrum, including iterative development, estimation, and cross-team collaboration.
• Worked with Atlassian tooling, including Jira, Bitbucket, and Confluence, alongside Jenkins automation in a team environment.
• Contributed to the creation and updating of code examples, and supported TypeScript-based internal tooling as part of ongoing team needs.

Research Intern at CAMPUS Research Institute

Internship (On-site)

Bucharest, Romania

July 2020 – Sept 2020 (3 months)

Contributed to a computer-vision research prototype spanning dataset creation, model training, and robotics integration. Focused on practical deployment constraints such as real-time inference, sensor alignment, and reliable data extraction within a robotics context.

• Generated an artificial dataset of facial images with individuals wearing medical masks correctly or incorrectly, using facial landmarks.
• Engineered and trained a neural network model with transfer learning, optimising it for real-time inference of mask compliance.
• Developed a Python application using rospy to integrate the neural network with the TIAGo robot from PAL Robotics.
• Designed and implemented an algorithm to accurately extract and analyse body-temperature readings from a thermographic camera feed.

Education

M.Sc. in Advanced Computing in Embedded Systems

National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest

Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology

Bucharest, Romania

Sept 2023 – Aug 2025 (2 years)

Master's programme focused on embedded computing, performance, verification, and modern software engineering practices. Completed all taught modules across operating systems, compilers, parallel and distributed computing, and hardware-oriented development.

• Completed advanced coursework spanning Microcontrollers and Embedded Systems, Digital System Design, Distributed and High-Performance Computing, and Parallel Programming.
• Developed hands-on expertise in Reconfigurable Computing with emphasis on FPGA implementations, and deepened knowledge in Performance Analysis and Optimisation, and Software Development Process and Testing.
• Expanded technical foundation through studies in Functional Verification, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Operating Systems, and Compilers.
• Chose not to pursue the dissertation component, with all taught modules and assessments completed.

B.Sc. in Information Engineering

National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest

Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology

Bucharest, Romania

Sept 2019 – Aug 2023 (4 years)

Undergraduate degree combining computer science fundamentals with electronics, signal processing, and networking, with strong emphasis on programming, data structures, microprocessors, and applied mathematics. Completed a thesis on deep-learning-based image inpainting, supported by broad coursework in machine learning, image processing, and distributed systems.

• Thesis: "Degraded colour images inpainting system using deep learning techniques"
• Excelled in core computer science courses, including Computer Programming, Data Structures, Algorithms, and Object-Oriented Programming, with a strong focus on Microprocessor Architecture and Microcontrollers.
• Built practical skills in Circuit Synthesis and Testing using Verilog, complemented by a solid understanding of digital circuit design principles.
• Developed a foundation in analogue circuit design, including simulation and analysis using SPICE programs.
• Completed diverse coursework spanning Machine Learning, Image Processing and Analysis, Distributed and Parallel Computing, Database Systems, Digital and Statistical Signal Processing, Information Theory, Communication Systems, and Computer Networks.
• Strengthened mathematical skills, including Statistics, Probability, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, and Differential Equations.

Projects

Sensor Board

Designed a custom sensor PCB around an STM32 microcontroller, integrating multiple sensors via SPI, I2C, and ADC. Owned the hardware design work in KiCad, from schematic capture and component selection through validation, and prepared the design for manufacturing and bring-up testing to validate sensor data acquisition in real conditions.

• Designed a custom PCB featuring an STM32 microcontroller and multiple sensors via SPI, I2C, and ADC, using KiCad for schematic capture and PCB layout.
• Built the project from scratch to gain hands-on experience with PCB design, component selection, and schematic validation, following established industry practices and tutorials.
• Prepared the board for manufacturing and testing, ensuring design readiness and enabling validation of sensor data acquisition.

Environmental Station

Built an IoT-style environmental monitoring system using two AVR 8-bit microcontrollers to measure temperature, pressure, and humidity. Designed a robust Bluetooth UART communication protocol between sensor and base boards, including CRC-based redundancy checks, and integrated I2C sensors alongside an SPI OLED for real-time acquisition and on-device visualisation.

• Developed an IoT-style system to monitor environmental parameters, including temperature, pressure, and humidity, using two AVR-based 8-bit microcontrollers.
• Designed and implemented a Bluetooth-over-UART communication protocol between sensor and base boards, including CRC-based redundancy checks.
• Integrated environmental sensors via I2C and an OLED display via SPI, focusing on efficient, real-time acquisition and visualisation.

Ultrasonic Range Detection

Implemented an ultrasonic distance measurement prototype on the PIC18-Q71 family, leveraging Core Independent Peripherals to minimise CPU involvement while maintaining accurate timing. Configured alternating PWM for the transmitter, and used a peak detector, comparator, and universal timer to capture time-of-flight precisely, then validated the design on a demo protoboard with standalone ultrasonic transducers.

• Designed and implemented an ultrasonic range-detection system using Core Independent Peripherals (CIP) on the PIC18-Q71 family to minimise CPU usage.
• Configured alternating PWM signals to drive a transmitter, and used a Peak Detector, Comparator, and Universal Timer (UTMR) for signal acquisition and time-of-flight measurement.
• Built and tested a functional prototype on a demo protoboard with standalone ultrasonic transducers, demonstrating practical hardware integration.

Tic-Tac-Toe

Developed a complete Tic-Tac-Toe game on a Raspberry Pi Pico with an LCD for gameplay, a matrix keypad for input, and a multiplexed seven-segment display for scorekeeping. Implemented three AI difficulty levels using minimax, introduced variability via a pseudo-random number generator, and used the RP2040's second core to offload input and interface tasks for smoother gameplay in both single-player and two-player modes.

• Developed a Tic-Tac-Toe game on the Raspberry Pi Pico, integrating an LCD for gameplay, a matrix keypad for input, and a multiplexed seven-segment display for scorekeeping.
• Implemented three difficulty levels using minimax for AI decision-making, and a pseudo-random number generator to add variability, supporting both single-player and two-player modes.
• Leveraged the RP2040 dual-core architecture by offloading input handling, menu control, LCD backlight management, and brightness adjustments to the second core.

Certifications

• CCNA: Introduction to Networks – Issued by Cisco (2021)

• Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate – Issued by Coursera (2020)

• Google IT Support Professional Certificate – Issued by Coursera (2020)

• TensorFlow: Data and Deployment Specialization – Issued by Coursera (2020)

• TensorFlow Developer Professional Certificate – Issued by Coursera (2020)

• Deep Learning Specialization – Issued by Coursera (2020)

• Cambridge C1 Advanced – Issued by Cambridge English (2018)

• International Computer Drivers License – Issued by ICDL (2018)