Me in a Nutshell
I'm a full-stack engineer specializing in TypeScript, React, and other web tech. Iʼve been writing code for the web for over twenty years, thirteen of them professionally. Some of my interests include scaling web applications, building great UX, and improving developer experience. I strive to write clean, well-tested code thatʼs a delight to maintain, and I love to learn and improve my skills so I can apply them to make the world a better place. I also have a passion for teaching and mentoring and Iʼm always looking for opportunities to share my skills and knowledge with other engineers.
My Stack
- Code I write: TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, shell; occasionally Java, Kotlin, PHP, etc.
- Things I like: React, Remix, TanStack, Testing Library, PragmataPro
Work Experience
ecobee Inc., Toronto, Ontario
Staff Software Engineer — April 2018 to present
Interviewed, onboarded, and mentored new hires on the SmartBuildings team. Drove a culture of learning and continuous improvement through collaborative architecture discussions, pair programming, and constructive code review. Improved processes and introduced tools to improve quality and increase developer productivity. Sought out and preemptively fixed security vulnerabilities before they were exploited. Designed and implemented new microservices in TypeScript and JavaScript. Wrote codemods to automatically refactor large codebases.
Kijiji Canada Ltd., Toronto, Ontario
Software Engineer — April 2016 to March 2018
Designed, built, and maintained all frontend components for Kijijiʼs seller-focused initiatives. Analyzed performance and scaled Node backend to support server-side rendering thousands of React components per second. Built and launched live chat for the web to enable buyers and sellers to communicate in real time. Improved developer productivity by automating code formatting and linting. Designed subsystems for routing and navigation. Rewrote and optimized Webpack config to reduce bundle size and improve cacheability of assets. Mentored interns and new hires through pairing, code review, and knowledge sharing.
eBay Classifieds Group, Toronto, Ontario (assignment via Kelly Services)
Software Developer, Gumtree/Kijiji — February 2012 to April 2016
Developed desktop web site, internal customer service tools, and public-facing support site. Led efforts to improve the quality of Kijijiʼs ad moderation tool, contributing to a long-term decline in customer exposure to bad ads. Co-designed and built a reply moderation tool frontend using modern tools including React, transforming the UX and improving moderator satisfaction and productivity.
Business Analyst, eBay Classifieds — November 2011 to February 2012
Using regular expression based rules, ensured that customers were not exposed to spam, fraud, and abuse on eBayʼs American classifieds site.
Research in Motion, Waterloo, Ontario
Software Testing Specialist — October 2008 to November 2009
- Developed code coverage analysis tools and integrated with testing infrastructure
- Built graphical application to assist manual testers with code coverage data collection
Support Solutions Developer Co-op — Fall 2007
- Responsible for maintenance of several internal servers running Ubuntu and Windows
- Built and maintained internal web applications for hundreds of users in multiple departments
Navtech Inc., Waterloo, Ontario
Software Developer Co-op — Winter 2007
- Designed and implemented unit testing framework for command-line flight planning application
- Researched, evaluated, and compared load testing applications
- Developed scripts and other tools to assist testers
Software Developer Co-op — Summer 2006
- Implemented automated test suites for Navtechʼs crew planning web application
- Cooperated with testers to lay groundwork for automation of all functional and regression tests
Education
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Courses for Bachelor of Computer Science — Fall 2005 to Winter 2008
- Relevant courses: Principles of Computer Science, Foundations of Sequential Programs, Computer Organization and Design, Logic and Computation
- Awarded University of Waterloo Presidentʼs Scholarship