About Me

I am a software engineer with proven ability to work constructively and cohesively in dynamic teams of varying sizes. I have worked on numerous projects across the tech stack from frontend, to data, to backend, and infrastructure. I'm passionate about exploring new technologies to make a positive impact on society, and particularly interested in developer tooling, media streaming, data engineering, and the application of AI and Large Language Models to improve software development.

For fifteen years I performed as an orchestral musician (French Horn) with many orchestras across the United States, including several years frequently on stage and touring with the San Francisco Symphony. You can read more about my musical background (and diagnoses of Focal Dystonia) in this Otia article.

My non-technical interests include reading, movies, sports, running, camping, traveling and generally being outdoors. I also enjoy writing, and have had several concert reviews published by San Francisco Classical Voice. I live in San Francisco with my wife and our adopted Muttville pup.

GitHub Profile → Read My Blog →

Professional Experience

Architect I: R&D - American Express (2025: Contract)

  • Conduct research, design solutions, and explore emergent technologies such as post-quantum cryptography and generative AI
  • Develop foundational frameworks, prototypes, and proofs of concept that pave the way for innovative applications and advancements aligned with organizational goals
  • Collaborate with internal organizations, external vendors, industry partners, and technology providers to evaluate, integrate and influence solutions shaping the direction of future innovations

Senior Software Engineer - Ark Project (2024 - 2025)

  • Architected and deployed custom end-to-end AI systems, with speech-to-text/text-to-speech and interactive video
  • Designed and implemented RAG-based AI solutions with custom training data for enhanced information retrieval
  • Architected full-stack Django applications, implementing features from database design to front-end development
  • Orchestrated containerized deployments using AWS services (EKS, ECR, RDS), Docker, and Kubernetes
  • Engineered and deployed healthcare API dashboard, fast-tracking technical review from 8 weeks to 3

Team Lead: Software Engineer Contributors - ScaleAI (2023 - 2024: Contract)

  • Trained cutting-edge proprietary AI large language models to improve code writing ability in numerous languages, on projects ranging from computer science logic/reasoning to producing functional end-to-end applications
  • Solved discrete, highly variable problems while engaging with LLM's to write functional and efficient code, including robust test cases to confirm code worked efficiently and effectively
  • Evaluated the quality of AI-generated code, including human-readable summaries
  • Acted as focal point of communication between 25+ team members and ScaleAI engineers/project managers
  • Identified and resolved issues affecting project or team performance. Implemented innovative solutions to overcome challenges as the team scaled rapidly

Software Engineer - Evercast (2021 - 2023)

  • Developed custom tool for Admin Portal using React/Typescript/Node for account verification emails, saving ~5-10 dev hours/week
  • Automated process of deleting client recordings from AWS S3 using Python Boto3, helping reduce AWS costs by 70%
  • Automated platform usage reports (PSQL, AWS Lambda, Google Cloud) to share data directly with senior management and support
  • Debugged and documented services in Go (Room Scheduler) and C (Janus WebRTC server) to streamline developer onboarding
  • Refactored authentication service (Typescript, Node) for Okta integration to satisfy strict security for global enterprise clients

Developer Intern - Beezwax Datatools (2021)

  • Built FileMaker applications with emphasis on Schema Design, Relational Database Normalization
  • Studied internal company tools for Scripting, Record Manipulation, Auditing, UI/UX, and Event Management Conversion in application architecture

Education

🎓 MS Computer Science

Qwasar College of Engineering - Woolf University (2025 - )

🎓 MM Music Performance

San Francisco Conservatory Of Music (2003-2005)

🎓 BM Music Performance

Northwestern University (1999-2003)

Groovy Tunes

musicbrain