Bio
Please see my LinkedIn profile for the most up-to-date info.
Previously I was a founding engineer, architect, and backend team lead at Pulse, which was acquired by LinkedIn. (2010-2013).
Before that, I was a senior researcher at Sandia Labs, where I started/led their Hadoop research program (2009–2010).
Working in the Bay Area
I love the SF Bay Area and couldn’t bring myself to leave! After grad school I started working on several side projects – in addition to my day job in big data analysis research. After a year or so, I decided to focus my efforts on the startup world. (2009-2010)
In 2009, I co-founded a company that makes it easier and safer to communicate on-the-go. We participated in the Lightspeed Summer Grant program and launched the iPhone application ZapText. My masters research focused on platforms for mobile/social interaction and was part of POMI project in Prof. Monica Lam’s research group.
Grad School
So far I have met lots of great people at Stanford. I am enjoying being back in the college lifestyle: working hard, learning a lot, and still trying to fit in a bit of fun. Now that classes are in full swing, I don’t really have much free time. If you are curious about my courses, check out my course work page. Lately, I’ve been working on mobile infrastructure and applications. Let me know if you have any ideas for great mobile applications or clean-slate infrastructure. Check out this great app on the iPhone App Store! ZapText (2007-2008)
Work Life
After undergrad, I took a full-time position at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. Over a three year period, I started as a software engineer, strengthened my technical expertise in systems and security, and took on new responsibilities as a project lead. This meant I had a good mix of project management, tackling complex systems integration challenges, and good old coding. I consider it important to have a job I enjoy and am glad to say that I enjoyed coming to work every morning. After having achieved some of my goals, I was still looking forward to new challenges and decided to pursue a Masters Degree in Computer Science at Stanford University. (2004-2007)
College – Senior Year
Here’s what I had to say: “I am currently a senior at the University of Tennessee. I major in Computer Science and minor in Math and German. Computer Science has always been a passion of mine. Ever since the first time that my dad encouraged me to figure out how our old XT computer worked, I have loved discovering new ways to understand and control computer systems. I also love studying German and always feel that I am improving myself when I learn something new. I am currently working on rebuilding the German Club with the help of some very dedicated friends. In addition, I am involved in many charity activities in Knoxville through our chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society. Anyone is welcome… come get involved and have fun!” (2003-2004)
Study Abroad
For my junior year, I made the decision to study abroad. I wanted to improve my language skills, while simultaneously gaining a unique perspective on my major and the world as a whole. From September 2002 to August 2003 I lived and studied in Dortmund, Germany. It was one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had. I learned to see things from a German point of view, which in turn, allowed me to better understand my own views. I had the opportunity to travel extensively, which added to this effect by allowing me to feel out many different cultures. I still feel at home in Germany and hope that I will have the chance to go back and visit all of my German friends sometime soon. (2002-2003)
College
In college, I spent my first two summers interning at Duthie Associates, Inc. Duthie Associates is a multimedia company located in downtown Nashville. They specialize in interactive presentations that persuade and train. While there, I helped develop a system of training programs for Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA). Other projects included web sites, editing, interactive presentations, etc. My time at Duthie Associates allowed me the chance to learn the benefits of working in a real-world team environment and how to overcome the problems which inevitably arise in the business world. (2000-2002)
High School
I went to high school in Brentwood, TN, a suburb of Nashville. While in Nashville, I tried my best to build up my experience and serve my community. In high school, Boy Scouts was a big part of my life, and I am proud to have been able to serve my community through many events, including my Eagle Project. As an introduction into the working world, I worked part time as an Electronics Associate for my local OfficeMax for over a year. Then I started a small company (which some locals may recognize) called Ultimate Computer Services. My mission, inspired by my time at OfficeMax, was to provide the very best one-on-one computer support and service possible. In my senior year of high school, I interned at Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN as a Network Technician. This position not only helped to hone my troubleshooting skills, but allowed me to learn through direct involvement in the installation, management, and maintenance of a large
(40 client/5 building) Microsoft NT network. (1996-2000)
In The Beginning
I was born on July 28 in Huntington, Long Island (a suburb of New York City). It’s a great place to grow up, and I still love returning home to visit my friends on Long Island. At the beginning of high school, my family moved to Nashville, where my father was Director of Security for Vanderbilt University (1982-1996)