Hi, I'm Maikel. Nice to meet you.

I help engineering teams ship what matters — replacing legacy systems, scaling build infrastructure, and getting AI into production.

Let's talk about your project Currently available for new projects

Trusted by

ASML Defensie / EATC TU/e Acheron
Maikel Leemans

About me

I'm a freelance software architect and engineer with 18+ years of experience and a PhD in Process Mining from TU/e.

My work has ranged from redesigning build infrastructure used by software engineers at ASML, to integrating AI and LLM capabilities at Acheron, to developing and optimising legacy military logistics software for ETAC (Defense).

If you bring me into a project, you get more than a developer. You get someone who understands the bigger picture — who will challenge assumptions, flag risks early, and leave your codebase in better shape than I found it.

High-tech Defense Academia Scale-ups

Technical skills

Breadth across the full stack. Depth where it counts.

Where I go deep

Software Analysis & Performance

Formal methods, language tooling, process mining, and deep profiling — from PhD research to production results.

50–90% performance improvements on legacy military logistics systems. PhD-level research in process mining and software reverse engineering.

TU/e · Defense
Process Mining ANTLR4 Formal Modelling SQL Java Profiling Reverse Engineering

AI & LLM Engineering

LLM & RAG engineering, AWS serverless, and AI-driven product features.

Built production LLM and RAG pipelines on AWS serverless at Acheron — from system design to deployment.

Acheron
LLMs RAG AWS Serverless Python Pandas PM4PY

Build System Architecture

Polyglot build system design, developer environment modernisation, and large-scale CI/CD at enterprise scale.

Led the migration of a million-line monorepo to Bazel at ASML. The result: reliable build infrastructure for software engineers.

ASML
Bazel CI/CD DevContainers DevEnv Docker CMake Gradle

Also solid across the full stack

Frontend

TypeScript Astro Next.js React TailwindCSS Shadcn/UI MUI HTML CSS JavaScript

Backend

Java Python TypeScript C/C++ Golang Node.js Express.js Spring Boot FastAPI C# PHP

DevOps & Cloud

AWS Scaleway Cloud Docker Terraform Ansible CloudInit Prometheus Grafana Kubernetes GitHub GitLab

Databases & APIs

OracleDB Postgres MongoDB Redis MySQL REST gRPC

Methods & Leadership

Agile SAFe 5 Tech Lead Team Coaching Requirements Engineering User Journeys

Want to see how this applies to your project?

Let's talk →

Experience

1 2025 – 2026

Senior Software Engineer

EATC (Defense)

Development of web-based enterprise military logistics software, including legacy migration support, infrastructure and DevOps, and requirements elicitation.

Key result

50–90% performance improvement on SQL for core functionality

2 2024 – 2026

AI Software & Cloud Engineer

Acheron

Development of AWS serverless AI software using LLM and RAG technology.

Key result

Driving force in greenfield project from feasibility assessment through product development

3 2019 – 2024

Bazel Build Architect & Senior Software Engineer

ASML

Architecture and migration of a legacy build system to Bazel for a codebase of millions of lines of code.

Key result

Build infrastructure for software engineers; led and coached a team of 10+ engineers

4 2014 – 2018

PhD Researcher & Senior Software Engineer

TU/e

Research into Process Mining and reverse engineering of legacy software, combined with development of supporting tooling.

Key result

Successful combination of academic-theoretical research and practical product development, validated in an industrial context

5 2012 – 2013

Chief Software Architect

Solar Team Eindhoven

Architecture and development of embedded software systems for the Solar Car, plus leading the software team.

Key result

Flawless operation during the World Solar Challenge 2013 — World Champion Cruiser Class

6 2007 – 2014

Full-stack Developer

QForma

Design and development of front-end and back-end web applications and platforms.

Curious what I could do for your team?

Let's talk →

Services & Approach

01

I need to ship something

Full-stack development of web and business applications — from prototype to production.

From scoping and architecture to deployment — I own the full technical journey. Whether it's a greenfield prototype or a production-grade platform, you'll get clean, maintainable code and a delivery you can build on.

02

I have a complex technical problem

Software architecture, legacy modernisation, performance optimisation, and code review.

Legacy systems, performance bottlenecks, architectural debt — this is where I'm most effective. I bring PhD-level analytical rigour and 18+ years of production experience to your hardest engineering challenges.

03

I need AI in my product

LLM and RAG integration, AWS serverless cloud architecture, and AI-driven features.

Not just prompting — real AI engineering. RAG pipelines, LLM orchestration, AWS serverless infrastructure, and AI-driven product features built for production scale and reliability.

04

I need a senior engineer in my team

Tech lead or engineering lead capacity: embedded in your team, coaching, and technical direction.

I embed in your team and bring senior perspective immediately — setting technical direction, unblocking engineers, running code reviews, and making sure the right decisions are made at the right moments.

I work on a day-rate basis, typically in multi-week to multi-month engagements. Part-time and advisory arrangements are possible. Rates available on request.

Frequently asked questions

What's your day rate?
My rate reflects senior-level expertise with a track record of measurable impact. I'm happy to share specifics once I understand your project — reach out and I'll provide a transparent proposal.
Do you work remote or on-site?
Both. I'm based in the Netherlands. Most of my work is remote-first, but I'm happy to work on-site or hybrid depending on the project and team.
What's the minimum engagement?
Typically I work on engagements of at least one month, though this is flexible depending on the nature of the work. Short advisory sessions are possible too.
Do you work with startups?
Yes — my sweet spot is wherever the technical challenges are real. That includes scale-ups growing past their first architecture, enterprises modernising legacy systems, or teams integrating AI seriously.
Can you sign an NDA?
Yes, confidentiality is standard. I've worked with defence organisations and enterprise clients and handle sensitive information with care.
Can you work part-time?
Yes — from one or two days per week to a full engagement, depending on what your project needs. Let's discuss what works for both sides.
How do I get started?
Send me a short message describing your project or challenge. I'll respond within one business day and we'll schedule a call to explore fit.

Contact

Have a project in mind? Tell me about it.

Currently available for new projects.

Or reach me directly:

CoC
93037074
VAT
NL004301621B27

I typically respond within 3 business days.