Michael Seltenreich
Verified Expert in Engineering
Full-stack Developer
New York, NY, United States
Toptal member since September 19, 2022
Michael is a full-stack (MERN) engineer and data scientist (Python). In 2013, Michael co-founded and served as CTO of Becomics.com, a publishing platform for webcomics and home to 17 million works by independent creators. In 2018, he exited to pursue his PhD at New York University, where he currently works as a research scientist. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael created psyxperiments.com, a web platform for conducting psychology experiments on remote participants (by invitation).
Portfolio
Experience
- Web Development - 10 years
- Full-stack Development - 10 years
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) - 10 years
- MongoDB - 10 years
- Node.js - 10 years
- Express.js - 10 years
- Python - 5 years
- React - 5 years
Preferred Environment
Windows, WebStorm, PyCharm, JavaScript, Python, Mongoose, MongoDB, Pandas, Web Design, Data Visualization
The most amazing...
...solution I've created is a software package that became the golden standard for many scientists working in music research.
Work Experience
Full-stack Engineer/Tech Lead
Market Cal
- Worked on front end, I implemented a fully-responsive single-page application (SPA) with React using components from MUI and styled components. For state management, I used Redux and implemented a persisted store.
- Worked on the back end, taking advantage of Next.js support for server-side rendering (SSR) for SEO optimization. Designed an API back end that implements all the microservices required by the project.
- Implemented an authentication system using Auth0 and added custom claims and actions for the client's specific needs. I also created an additional machine-to-machine provider with our server to execute Auth0 authenticated actions automatically.
- Integrated a payment system using Stripe for the subscription services offered by the client.
- Created the infrastructure for deployment on Vercel using Next.js along with an integration with GitHub for continuous integration (CI) with development, preview, and production environments seamlessly updating from different Git branches.
- Designed and deployed data aggregation services using Python running on a serverless Vercel entity and integrated and used GitHub Actions to trigger scheduled scripts automatically.
- Facilitated an integration with Airtable both to read and modify data from service, which seamlessly manifests on the site using a collection of microservices written for the integration.
- Wrote QA testing procedures for end-to-end behavior and unit testing using Cypress.
- Set up a collaborative work environment with Jira, Confluence, and Slack to accommodate a streamlined experience for larger teams as the company grows.
Research Scientist
New York University
- Generated controlled pseudo-randomized stimuli for psychology and neuroscience experiments systematically.
- Developed an npm-based software package for musical analysis used for academic research. Published an article about it in a peer-reviewed journal.
- Developed a framework for denoising and analyzing brain-data recordings procured using a MEG machine.
Senior React Front-end Developer
Paperplane Inc.
- Developed a modern React front end with fully typed TypeScript.
- Architectured back-end logic and routes for seamless integration with a PostgREST DB instance.
- Managed a wide range of services and tools via Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Data Scientist
New York University
- Executed advanced analysis using machine learning and statistical models, including using NLP techniques where appropriate.
- Created well-controlled datasets of behavioral data from human subjects.
- Produced print-ready detailed data visualization and plots using matplotlib and Seaborn.
Senior Full-stack Developer
New York University
- Created a web environment comprising MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) to deploy online psychology experiments.
- Optimized the web environment for accuracy in its statistical aggregation of the user interaction timing and positioning to a scientific standard across many platforms and devices.
- Integrated with Sona Systems, a comprehensive research platform for universities.
- Designed complex user interactions with D3.js for graphics and animations and the Web Audio API for in-browser live sound processing.
CTO
Becomics
- Founded a web-comic publishing platform that became the home for millions of comics by independent creators.
- Managed its hosting and deployment on AWS using IAM, Amazon S3, Amazon EC2, and other services.
- Oversaw a team and led the app's growth from inception to having 17 million comic strips by independent authors.
- Architectured a scalable platform from A to Z from back end with Node.js and Express within AWS, data structure using MongoDB and Mongo Atlas, storage management with S3 buckets and CDNs, to the front end with React, Vue, D3, Snap.svg, and Raphael.
- Implemented industry-standard authentication methods using OAuth2, SSH, and JWTs.
Experience
EDO.js | A Comprehensive JavaScript Library for Interaction with Musical Set Theory
https://joss.theoj.org/papers/10.21105/joss.03784Becomics WebComic Platform
Psyxperiments.com
During the COVID-19 outbreak, psychological experiments on human subjects reached a standstill. This platform was launched to allow for scientific investigations to resume online.
The platform requires that experiments executed will replicate as closely as possible in a laboratory setting. Therefore, the interaction with the platform has to be identical across different browsers and devices, which is no easy feat.
In addition, this platform requires highly accurate data collection, including reaction times which can be as quick as 100 milliseconds. This necessitates a high-performative environment where data can be recorded reliably.
Note: This platform is only accessible with custom personalized URLs for data tracking purposes and compliance with academic ethical standards.
MEG Denoising and Analysis Framework
Brain-signal is highly complex and noisy. This platform uses machine learning and advanced statistical analysis techniques to amplify the signal, remove the noise, and extract meaningful data to advance our understanding of how the human brain works.
Education
PhD (Expected 2023) in Science
New York University - New York, NY, USA
M. Phil. in Music Composition
New York University - New York, NY, USA
Master's Degree in Music Composition
The Juilliard School - New York, NY, USA
Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition
Tel Aviv University - Tel Aviv, Israel
Certifications
Learning Airtable
LinkedIn Learning
Presto Essentials: Data Science
LinkedIn Learning
Master SQL for Data Science
LinkedIn Learning
Advanced SQL for Data Scientists
LinkedIn Learning
SQL: Data Reporting and Analysis (2019)
LinkedIn Learning
Learning SQL Programming
National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Learning SQL Programming
LinkedIn Learning
SQL Essential Training
LinkedIn Learning
TypeScript Essential Training
LinkedIn Learning
Migrating from REST to GraphQL
LinkedIn Learning
Learning Go
LinkedIn Learning
Learning GraphQL
LinkedIn Learning
React Native Ecosystem and Workflow
LinkedIn Learning
From React to React Native
LinkedIn Learning
Learning Webpack 4
LinkedIn Learning
React: Building Large Apps
Linkedin Learning
Blockchain Basics
Coursera
Building Modern Projects with React
LinkedIn Learning
Skills
Libraries/APIs
React, Node.js, Raphaël, SVG.js, jQuery, REST APIs, Matplotlib, Auth0 Management API v2, Auth0 API, Pandas, Redux-Saga, Libraries/APIs, OpenAPI, OpenID, Stripe, Stripe API, React Redux, D3.js, Vue, jQuery UI, NumPy, PyTorch, SciPy, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, Web Audio
Tools
Mongoose, Jupyter, Seaborn, NPM, Stripe Checkout, Redux Thunk, Webpack 4, Canvas, WebStorm, PyCharm, NGINX, MongoDB Atlas, Zapier, Auth0, Seos, Jira, GitHub, Slack, Confluence, Figma
Languages
JavaScript, Python, HTML, SQL, TypeScript, CSS, Python 3, Ruby, GraphQL, Go, TypeScript 3
Frameworks
Redux, Express.js, OAuth 2, Bootstrap, Material UI, Next.js, JSON Web Tokens (JWT), React Native, Presto, Serverless Framework, Tailwind CSS
Paradigms
Agile, Database Development, Continuous Integration (CI)
Industry Expertise
Web Design
Storage
Amazon S3 (AWS S3), NoSQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Databases
Platforms
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Blockchain, Windows, Linux, Jupyter Notebook, Vercel
Other
Music, jsPsych, Web Development, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, APIs, Back-end, MERN Stack, Responsive UI, SaaS, Data Visualization, Interactive UI, API Integration, Scripting, Component Libraries, Data Collection, Styled-components, SDKs, Web Services, ESLint, WebSockets, Agile Sprints, Word2Vec, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Authentication, OpenID Connect (OIDC), Accounts, Airtable, Stripe Payments, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Algorithms, Science, SVG, DNS, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Machine Learning, Statistics, Statistical Learning, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Modeling, Statistical Methods, Spatial Audio, Spatial Statistics, MEG, Dimensionality Reduction, Audio, BERT, Pavlovia, Data Science, GitHub Actions, SEO Tools, Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT)
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