Dr. Jeff Durst, AI/ML Research Scientist turned Technical Copywriter
With a PhD in Computational Engineering and 16 years of experience working as a professional AI/ML Scientist and Technical Writer, I bring a fresh perspective on copywriting for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Since 2018, I have brought my clients’ products to life using a creative approach to copywriting that blends years of technical expertise with an innovative and approachable writing mindset. I’ve created everything from blog posts to listicles, technical articles, and new user tutorials.
My Approach
Technology First
I believe that good technical writing starts with the “technical” side. In other words, a good AI/ML writer also needs to be a good AI/ML engineer. It’s almost impossible to truly stand out in the super-saturated AI/ML market unless you have the secret marketing “sauce” others lack - the ability to distill your AI’s personal, creative, and innovative powers into digestible yet technically informative content. You can’t resonate with your clients if you can’t explain how your AI works in an accessible and entertaining way.
Collaboration Also First
Unlike traditional copywriters, I use my hands-on experience in the engineering world to communicate and collaborate effectively with your coders and developers. Instead of intruding on the engineers to pull blurbs or begrudgingly given quotes, I can work hands-on, side-by-side with the developers to understand your core technology and create content as a team.
Creating Your Voice
Every good writer has a voice, but not every copywriter finds theirs. We can get so lost in the SEO landscape that we forget to write content that a human actually wants to read. Sure, I can dig into SEO, keywords, lengths, formats, all that jazz - numbers and charts are my bread-and-butter. But I can also bring a unique voice and style to your content. Good writing isn’t about putting the right words in the right order, the right number of times. Nor is it about making each text block 4-5 lines long and maintaining a fifth-grade reading level. It’s all about doing these things for humans to read and enjoy, not for Google to find.
(Additional talents include wandering around farms with pockets full of treats for the bestest mules and occasionally fighting dinosaurs)
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15+ Clients since 2018
Technical Copywriting, Users Guides, Tutorials, and Academic Publications
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6 Years in Marketing and Business Development
Across conferences, trade shows, and professional committees
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20+ Peer-reviewed Publications
Proven Expertice in AI/ML Technologies
Where it all began - SkimAI
In 2018, I began my techincal copywriting journey with SkimAI, an early adopter of large language models and document distillation.
“Phillip was fast, reliable, and communicated with us throughout the project. He took his time to understand a difficult topic and asked great questions throughout the project. An excellent technical writer."
Notable Clients
Working with highly techincal partners
As a freelancer, I take great pride in helping many college students, professors, and young businesses produce highly technical content. I help my clients articulate the heart and soul of their innovations.
"Phillip pointed out subtle issues and improved the quality of writing significantly. I highly recommend him for scientific proofreading and editing jobs."
User guides, press releases, and tutorials
I am here for more than just the standard copywriter fare of blogs and short-form content. Over the years, I’ve written new user tutorials for Functionize, an AI-powered testing platform, press releases for Samsung Semiconductor on new chips, and educational content for Cybrary, a popular online cybersecurity learning platform.
"I can't recommend enough Phillip's work. We worked together in the middle of a quite messy timeline due to the pandemic and changing requirements and yet the work was done perfectly."
Academic Works
Since I began my career in 2009, I have produced a steady stream of peer-reviewed academic publications. During this time, I also served as the editor of multiple journals and an organizer for many conferences. In addition to copywriting, I am happy to help you polish and publish your academic research in top-tier journals! To see some of my academic publications, check out my ResearchGate profile:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Phillip-Durst-2
Programming Courses and Tutorials
Through my work as an Adjunct Professor of Game Design and Computer Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology, I have created several fun git repositories on topics like agent-based modeling with video game engines and foundational topics in computer vision. Check it out here: