Owner / Technical Lead @ Braillest LLC

Led the end-to-end architecture, design, and implementation of an innovative solution for tactile literacy, creating a 3D-printed mold system capable of embossing braille onto paper. This initiative combined hardware and software integration, with a strong emphasis on accessibility, open-source contribution, and community-driven refinement. Strategic Initiative & Innovation: Conceived and independently launched Braillest to address accessibility gaps in physical braille production using open technologies. Developed a positive/negative mold architecture leveraging 3D printing to create reusable embossing tools, emphasizing modularity, scalability, and reproducibility. Full-Stack Product Development: Engineered a toolchain of Python and PHP scripts to automate the transformation of public domain literature into braille, then into embeddable STL files for 3D printing. Architected a browser-based web application (Symfony) to democratize access to the toolset via an intuitive UI layer. Advanced Toolchain Proficiency: Acquired and rapidly mastered a diverse array of technologies—Fusion 360, Blender's Python API, Build123d, slicing software, and Liblouis—adapting them to serve a novel manufacturing pipeline. Emphasized reproducibility, with Docker-based environments and automated tests via PHPUnit ensuring reliable deployments. Community Leadership & Technical Evangelism: Fostered engagement across Reddit, GitHub, Hacker News, and LinkedIn to share technical insights, solicit feedback, and build awareness around accessible design. Integrated community feedback into the product roadmap and design decisions, reinforcing an agile and collaborative development culture. Open Source & Knowledge Sharing: Released a complete braille mold model set into the public domain via Printables as a free technology demonstrator, lowering barriers for makers, educators, and accessibility advocates. This contribution catalyzed grassroots interest and feedback, informing future development priorities. This role exemplifies self-directed learning, systems-level problem solving, and technical leadership at the intersection of accessibility, fabrication, and software innovation.

Senior Security Engineer (AI) @ H&R Block

Led the end-to-end architecture, development, and deployment of a next-generation fraud detection platform leveraging .NET, Azure, and machine learning capabilities. As the technical driver within a compact, high-impact team, I blended hands-on engineering with strategic foresight to build a scalable, performant, and adaptable rule engine designed to evaluate tax document data in real-time. Architected and implemented a custom .NET-based rule engine featuring atomic transaction support, dynamic rule composition, and performance-optimized evaluation metrics to detect and mitigate probabilistic fraud signatures present in DIY tax system. Pioneered a caching strategy to extract high-frequency values from semi-structured JSON tax documents, improving rule evaluation throughput and reducing compute costs across API endpoints. Redesigned the system's data pipeline by integrating Azure Event Hub, Azure Functions, and Azure Data Explorer, enabling asynchronous frequency analysis and offloaded statistical computation outside the primary transaction loop—enhancing both system stability and fraud modeling sophistication. Spearheaded infrastructure automation, authoring Terraform modules and Azure DevOps pipelines that orchestrated the secure provisioning of microservices via Azure App Services, Key Vault, Application Gateway, and custom ASE environments. Influenced cross-functional stakeholders including data analysts, cloud architects, security engineers, tax professionals, and Microsoft cloud advisors to align strategic priorities around fraud intelligence, detection fidelity, and operational resilience. Championed DevSecOps best practices creating CI/CD workflows that automated environment provisioning, compliance checks, and zero-downtime deployments, while mentoring engineers across teams in secure coding and infrastructure-as-code principles. Drove innovation through internal R&D, winning recognition during a company-wide hackathon for developing an LLM-powered assistant deployed to Azure, designed to enhance email tone and clarity for tax professionals less familiar with generative AI tools. Led real-time defense efforts, serving on a 24/7 on-call rotation to ensure platform availability, diagnose security events, and continuously harden cloud infrastructure. Delivered measurable impact by directly impacting the company's bottom line by refusing to serve known fraudulent actors. In addition to automated efforts, manually created rule sets in collaboration with domain experts to proactively identify and mitigate emerging fraud schemes; incorporated whitelist/blacklist modeling with sensitivity to regulatory confidentiality standards. This role exemplified my ability to drive architectural direction, foster a culture of technical excellence, and influence security outcomes at the intersection of cloud-scale data, AI, and cross-domain collaboration.

Full Stack Engineer @ FlyCo

Spearheaded the end-to-end architecture and delivery of a bespoke flight booking and bidding platform for a regional aviation service in Bentonville, AR, serving both customers and pilots. Operated as one of two engineers on a lean, high-impact team, driving both technical execution and stakeholder alignment in a fully remote setting. Architected and delivered a scalable full-stack web application enabling real-time trip booking, pilot bidding workflows, and integrated payment processing—materially enhancing operational efficiency and customer experience. Led cloud infrastructure design using Docker and AWS ECS, ensuring cost-effective, resilient deployment while establishing a DevOps pipeline that supported agile iteration and zero-downtime updates. Owned strategic technical decisions, from selecting frontend frameworks (React + Redux) to designing API interfaces and database schemas aligned with long-term extensibility and maintainability. Worked cross-functionally with stakeholders, leading biweekly product briefings, translating business objectives into technical priorities, and proactively managing delivery scope and expectations. Cultivated a culture of ownership and transparency, co-managing a shared task board and fostering a structured async communication rhythm with fellow engineer and non-technical stakeholders. Demonstrated self-directed learning and initiative, navigating complex third-party integrations (e.g., Stripe) and adapting to evolving requirements without external supervision. Delivered a strategic customer experience upgrade, replacing legacy and manual processes with an intuitive, web-first interface—streamlining bookings and enabling intelligent trip allocation through pilot-side reverse bidding UI. This engagement reflected a balance of architectural foresight and hands-on implementation, with impact spanning user experience, internal workflows, and long-term platform scalability.

Graduate Teaching Assistant @ University of Arkansas

Led and scaled instruction across three Programming Foundations lab sections, supporting 83 students through both C++-based introductory and intermediate computer science courses. Delivered live coding demos, deconstructed complex concepts, and fostered a collaborative learning environment grounded in real-world development practices. Architected the student experience beyond the lab through personalized, high-frequency office hours, guiding students through debugging strategies, memory optimization, and performance trade-offs—introducing practices like mob programming, rubberducking, and version control workflows often absent from early curricula. Acted as a bridge between academia and industry, leveraging prior professional software experience to expose students to pragmatic, systems-level thinking early in their education. Proactively introduced applied software engineering patterns, instilling habits of resilience, curiosity, and technical rigor. Influenced curriculum design by co-authoring exam banks, assignments, and lab exercises, ensuring alignment with both pedagogical goals and industry expectations. Took initiative in redesigning grading workflows to handle over 1,500+ student submissions efficiently while maintaining feedback quality and consistency. Championed a mentorship-first approach, cultivating student confidence and autonomy. As the sole graduate-level TA and with prior industry experience, became a go-to resource and informal mentor across multiple sections, earning a reputation for approachability, depth, and technical leadership. Balanced high-impact responsibilities while completing and defending a master's thesis, demonstrating strong organizational leadership, time management, and strategic prioritization.

Graduate Research Assistant @ University of Arkansas

Spearheaded the architectural design and iterative development of a Department of Energy backed machine learning system for CVE patch recommendation, aimed at securing mission-critical infrastructure within electrical grid control stations. Designed and trained deep learning models (Keras, PyTorch) for real-time vulnerability prioritization, incorporating deterministic evaluation techniques to ensure transparency, auditability, and explainability of recommendations. Architected and implemented a dynamically scaling Celery task cluster to support high-throughput environments with fluctuating operational demands, enabling seamless adaptation across diverse deployment contexts. Established a secure and regulation-compliant CVE data synchronization protocol using encrypted channels, enabling timely, remote updates while respecting air-gapped infrastructure constraints. Led on-site deployment and integration across multiple critical infrastructure nodes, coordinating closely with operational staff and ensuring full-stack isolation, regulatory compliance, and robust fault tolerance. Championed cross-functional communication through daily standups, backlog refinement, and direct collaboration with the principal investigator, translating high-level research objectives into actionable engineering sprints. Contributed significantly to long-term strategic direction by proactively identifying system bottlenecks, introducing tooling improvements, and mentoring peers on advanced cybersecurity and machine learning techniques. Delivered a resilient, fully integrated vulnerability assessment platform capable of automated device inventory, CVE scanning, and periodic vulnerability reporting—demonstrating impactful intersection of research, engineering, and national security.

Full Stack Engineer @ Center for Training Transportation Professionals (CTTP)

Led modernization and engineering efforts at CTTP, a state-accredited organization responsible for training and certifying employees and contractors of the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT). Operated in a small, high-impact team where I influenced cross-functional technical decisions and helped guide the transition of critical legacy systems to a maintainable Symfony LTS architecture. Architected scalable backend systems by refactoring tightly coupled legacy code into modular Symfony components using best practices in PHP, Doctrine ORM, and Twig templating. Drove infrastructure modernization by introducing Docker-based development environments, significantly reducing onboarding time and enabling consistent local and staging parity. Owned end-to-end feature delivery, including the design and implementation of a standalone registration system for non-ARDOT users, automated email workflows, and integration with the University of Arkansas's payment gateway. Elevated DevOps workflows, managing production and staging environments via SSH, Apache, and Git, while streamlining deployment processes through repeatable, versioned configurations. Proactively contributed to system-wide efficiencies, including automation of certification card printing, a calibration record tracking system for lab equipment, and enhancements to the grade recordkeeping service for certification compliance. Collaborated directly with business stakeholders, translating regulatory requirements into actionable technical deliverables, providing timeline estimates, and helping define sprint scopes with fellow engineers. Led documentation and knowledge capture initiatives, improving developer onboarding and creating a culture of maintainability and transparency. Extended team capabilities by contributing to the architecture of an offline-capable Angular inspection tool for use by field personnel during state-mandated lab inspections, enhancing fieldwork reliability and state compliance. This role deepened my ability to act as a bridge between technical execution and business needs, affirmed my capability to lead through influence, and cemented my confidence as a systems-level thinker and engineer.

Software Developer (Intern) @ Walmart

Initiated and led the development of an in-house Optical Character Recognition (OCR) solution to replace third-party vendor offerings, showcasing both technical proficiency and leadership in driving the project from concept to completion. Leveraged Tesseract OCR, Electron, and custom technologies (Python, Flask, Celery, MQTT) to design a scalable, multi-node backend system, dramatically improving the digitization of scanned receipts by using distributed computing across clusters. Architected a server-based system to process and extract text from receipts, utilizing a combination of **custom TCP/UDP streaming protocols**, **Asyncio**, and **FFmpeg**, enabling high throughput and efficient handling of large-scale data processing. Spearheaded the integration of the OCR solution within Walmart's existing systems, resulting in the company selecting this homegrown solution over two other vendor-based alternatives, highlighting its competitiveness. Demonstrated self-driven innovation, solving complex engineering problems without direct oversight, while also collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth project transitions and ongoing support. Developed a highly usable Electron-based application that allowed human moderation of OCR results, improving data accuracy and handling edge cases that automated systems couldn't resolve on their own. Enhanced technical decision-making skills by evaluating various software solutions, optimizing for cost-efficiency, scalability, and performance. Recognized for leadership within the team as a self-starter, managing the project's direction and taking ownership of its success, despite being one of four interns. Chose not to accept a full-time offer to focus on completing my degree, demonstrating a commitment to personal and academic growth.

Full Stack Developer @ Thrive GmbH

In my role as a Full Stack Developer at Thrive GmbH, I led and contributed to the development of innovative software solutions for two high-stakes projects, driving impactful change while balancing technical rigor with strategic foresight. I approached each project not just as a developer, but as a leader—shaping architectural decisions, collaborating cross-functionally, and fostering long-term technical solutions that scaled across complex systems. BMW Engineering Challenge (Part Pulling Automation): Spearheaded the implementation of a custom broker server to integrate bespoke hardware solutions, using an e-ink display system with LED indicators and a barcode scanning glove, into BMW's high-security MQTT network. Leveraging an architecture-first mindset, I led a collaborative effort to define specifications, ensuring seamless communication between devices and BMW's network, despite stringent access restrictions. The system guaranteed precise part pulling, eliminated human error, and optimizing production flow. The successful deployment required strategic testing using a simulated network, ensuring scalability and robustness under real-world constraints. Leadership & Influence: Orchestrated cross-functional collaboration with hardware engineers to refine system design, ensuring both software and hardware components integrated flawlessly. Technical Excellence: Applied deep expertise in IoT, MQTT, and custom protocols to create a highly resilient edge server, ensuring reliable device interaction and event-driven communication. EU Public Transit Project for Rural Towns (Bürgerbus): Directed the development of a dynamic, PHP-based Laravel application for scheduling and managing citizen buses in rural Germany. Designed to solve a critical accessibility issue for underserved communities, the application integrated with Open Street Maps and OSRM, enabling real-time routing adjustments based on flexible customer pickup and drop-off times. I architected dynamic routing algorithms, clustering customer requests for optimized scheduling, delivering significant improvements in system performance and operational efficiency. Strategic Problem Solving: Led the initiative to extend OSRM's capabilities, introducing dynamic time constraints to handle real-world complexities in rural public transit. Throughout these projects, I consistently exercised self-directed learning to stay ahead of evolving technologies and best practices, ensuring that our solutions not only met immediate client needs but were also scalable and forward-thinking. By approaching every challenge with an architecture-first mindset, I consistently delivered solutions that were both innovative and pragmatic, with lasting cross-functional impact.

Master of Science - MS, Computer Science

GPA 3.7GPA

Activities and societies Research Assistantship, Teaching Assistantship, hackathons, 2021 NSA codebreaker challenge, CTF events

Thesis on Privacy-Preserving Distributed Machine Learning

Privacy-Preserving and Secure Divide-and-Conquer Learning

Submitted to The Seventh ACM/IEEE Symposium on Edge Computing - 3rd Workshop on Edge Computing and Communications. Published to ACM Digital Library. This paper details the application of my thesis work applied to an edge computing environment.