Lead Data Engineer

• Jan 2021 - Present

Research and Development Manager / Data Analyst

• Aug 2016 - Jan 2021

Having joined the company when there were fewer than 10 employees, I have gathered a number of different hats to wear over time. My role at boditrax has evolved into two main areas - developing improvements to the hardware and client-side infrastructure of the product, and taking care of the data both for internal and external reporting both of usage statistics and for fault-finding. The role involves in-depth research of new technologies in order to find which are the most appropriate solutions for problems that we have faced. Using insights gained from my time supporting the product I have been able to identify several key failure points in the hardware leading to substantial savings in support, slashing the number of site visits required for new machines by up to 90%. I have been able to dramatically improve our fault-finding capabilities through analysis of available data, automating the process of detecting faults with servers and client-side hardware. This involved extracting data from MSSQL servers, transforming and loading it through python / numpy / pandas and running diagnostics through that process. I have prototyped a replacement for Windows-based x86 hardware using Linux-based single-board computers, involving the porting of code written in C# .NET to Linux, avoiding incompatibilities in .NET with the Linux OS. I have written protocols and firmware for AVR chips that allows us to control I2C and SPI connected devices via the serial port, leading to substantial simplification of existing processes and the ability to extend the hardware to include peripherals. I have automated our general reporting systems to avoid the need for manual intervention copying and pasting output from SQL to Excel, instead generating spreadsheets and emails through a python / numpy / pandas workflow. I've prototyped facial recognition login using tensorflow/keras and sharded MongoDB using pre-trained models initially, before training a model specific to our use-case. Show less

Technical Support Engineer

• Jan 2016 - Aug 2016

Returning to shore-based life I started to learn about IT and computing through online courses and was able to find a job as a Technical Support Engineer for a firm in Nottingham that develops scales that use Bioelectric Impedance Analysis to determine a user's body composition. I spent a short time at the company in this role before skills that I had learned with microprocessors and Linux saw me take on a more research-focused role along with responsibilities for data analysis. Returning to shore-based life I started to learn about IT and computing through online courses and was able to find a job as a Technical Support Engineer for a firm in Nottingham that develops scales that use Bioelectric Impedance Analysis to determine a user's body composition. I spent a short time at the company in this role before skills that I had learned with microprocessors and Linux saw me take on a more research-focused role along with responsibilities for data analysis.

Professional Yachting - various roles

• May 2012 - Sep 2015

After mingling for sailors for a while I discovered that it was possible to make good money as a professional sailor on yachts, so I made a bee-line for Antibes on the Côte d’Azur where the larger yachts are based. For the next few years I worked on several yachts from smaller sailing boats to some of the largest in the world. My last role was for a season as captain of a day-boat on the island of St. Barthelemy in the French West Indies where we would take well-heeled holidaymakers around the island for snorkelling and sunbathing. Show less

Sailing for pleasure

• Sep 2011 - May 2012

After meeting a number of sailors who had been sailing around the world I was offered the chance to join a boat that was sailing to South Africa from Madagascar. Always a sucker for adventure, I packed my bags and hopped aboard and was able to hitch a ride on various yachts all the way from Nosy Be to Barbados over the course of a few months. After meeting a number of sailors who had been sailing around the world I was offered the chance to join a boat that was sailing to South Africa from Madagascar. Always a sucker for adventure, I packed my bags and hopped aboard and was able to hitch a ride on various yachts all the way from Nosy Be to Barbados over the course of a few months.

Asssistant Manager

• Sep 2010 - Sep 2011

When an opportunity arose to live and work in Madagascar I leapt at it. Here I assisted with the management of a business that manufactured construction materials on the island of Nosy Be off the North-West coast of Madagascar. This taught me a great deal about life and work in the developing world, gave me the opportunity to learn a Malagasy tongue and polish my French and opened my eyes to a larger world. When an opportunity arose to live and work in Madagascar I leapt at it. Here I assisted with the management of a business that manufactured construction materials on the island of Nosy Be off the North-West coast of Madagascar. This taught me a great deal about life and work in the developing world, gave me the opportunity to learn a Malagasy tongue and polish my French and opened my eyes to a larger world.

Sales Executive

• Jan 2008 - May 2010

I am currently responsible for both account management and business development in North America, South America and Iberian territories for a company which specialises in producing analytical tools for financial analysts and energy traders.

Ejecutivo de ventas

• Jan 2008 - May 2010

Responsable para ventas de sistemas de analisis tecnico en LatinoAmerica, Espana y Portugal.