kferg.dev

Kevin Ferguson

  • Backend engineer / ML engineer / data scientist
  • Equally comfortable as tech lead / architect or as manager / director
  • San Francisco, CA
  • kevin.a.ferguson@gmail.com

Skills

  • Languages:
    • Python expert
    • C++ aficionado
    • Serious professional experience in Java, Ruby, others
    • Can make stuff work in JavaScript or Swift
  • Distributed systems, databases, API design
  • Mathematical modeling, machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning
  • Audio DSP, computer graphics

Experience

Honor, 2014 - 2021

Director of data science

  • Hired and managed teams to handle both data science and analytics
  • Oversaw re-organization of Looker data warehouse to provide curated analytics access across the company
  • Reworked data request workflows to support a growing company
  • Developed financial analysis framework that helped the company increase gross margin from xx% to yy%
  • Oversaw projects that integrated ML with real-world operational workflows

Software engineer

  • Designed and implemented containerized build/deploy infrastructure
  • Designed and implemented scheduling and matching backend
  • Designed and implemented geocoding and routing backend
  • Contributed to Android app

Google, 2012 - 2014

Senior software engineer

  • TLM for a team working on third-party Google+ integrations
  • Prototyped experimental social Android apps

Meebo, 2008 - 2012

Lead software engineer

  • Redesigned core chat messaging backend to be fully parallelizable, and optimized low-level transport code
  • Led ad targeting and analytics projects
  • Led interest profiling project
  • Managed and hired small teams of engineers

Nethernet, 1999 - 2008

Freelance web developer

  • Jumped into unfamiliar code bases for many different clients
  • Built devops automation systems

Publications

Deep Learning and the Game of Go, with Max Pumperla. Manning Publications, 2019.

An introduction to modern game AI and deep reinforcement learning inspired by AlphaGo.

Education

Virginia Tech, 2001 - 2004

  • B.A., mathematics and computer science