Alfredo Deza

Alfredo Deza embodies a unique combination of athletic excellence and technological expertise, transitioning from a distinguished career as Peru's first World Junior Champion in high jump and 2004 Olympian to becoming a leading voice in technology education and development. Currently serving as a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, Deza has built an impressive career spanning nearly two decades in software engineering and education. His academic contributions extend through guest lectures at prestigious institutions including Oxford University, Georgia Tech, and Carnegie Mellon University, where he shares expertise in machine learning, cloud computing, and programming languages. As an accomplished author, he has co-authored several influential books with O'Reilly Media, including "Practical MLOps" and "Python for DevOps," while developing comprehensive courses on Coursera covering topics from large language models to Rust programming. His teaching portfolio at Duke includes graduate-level courses in machine learning operations and Python programming, reflecting his commitment to making complex technical concepts accessible. Deza's expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of technologies, including Azure, MLOps, DevOps, Python, Rust, and Databricks, which he leverages to bridge the gap between academic theory and industry practice. His unique perspective, shaped by his background as an Olympic athlete, influences his approach to teaching and technology, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and knowledge sharing in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence and cloud computing.