Research Programmer
2019 - 2020USC ISI (via Toptal)- Improved cross-lingual query summarization system, resulting in the team winning during the evaluation period (despite being in second place before the summarization stage).
- Increased the speed of experiment runs by using an approximate k-nearest neighbors algorithm for embedding lookups (using the Annoy library) after identifying the bottleneck using py-spy.
- Increased iteration speed and reliability by enforcing design decisions with tests and structuring code.
Technologies: Doccano, Jupyter, PyCharm, ZeroMQ, Flask, Gensim, NLTK, PythonData Scientist
2018 - 2019Instabridge- Migrated data system from AWS to Google Cloud.
- Developed models to identify moving WiFi hotspots, e.g., those hotspots on trains or mobile devices.
- Built models to estimate locations of WiFi hotspots from scans and connections by Android devices.
- Wrote and deployed data models in/with dbt (data build tools).
- Produced various ad-hoc analyses for stakeholders.
- Deployed Snowplow event pipelines on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) with Cloud Pub/Sub, Dataflow, BigQuery, and Google Compute Engine.
Technologies: Data Flows, Keras, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, Pandas, PyTorch, Spark, BigQuery, EMRBack-end Developer
2015 - 2018Instabridge- Designed and implemented the back-end architecture utilizing Heroku, AWS, and GCP.
- Implemented data pipelines in Spark running on EMR scheduled with Airflow.
- Applied machine learning to solve core data problems such as estimating locations of WiFi hotspots, quality of hotspots, classifying hotspots as moving or stationary, public or private, matching hotspots, and venues.
- Implemented near real-time data pipelines using AWS Kinesis, lambda functions, and DynamoDB.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Spark, MongoDB, RabbitMQ, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), AWS, Heroku, Ruby on Rails (RoR)Solutions Engineer
2013 - 2014Cadence Design Systems- Developed internal productivity/process web applications for one of the two leading electronic design automation companies.
- Improved my ability to work effectively in teams.
- Developed communication skills.
- Continuously evaluated and ranked priorities based on business value.
Technologies: Microsoft Office, Linux, Oracle, Perforce, MySQL, PHPAssociate Tutor
2008 - 2012University of East Anglia- Communicated successfully difficult concepts to a range of students.
- Marked coursework.
Technologies: Blackboard, Pen & Paper
Ben Summers
Machine Learning Developer in Uppsala, Sweden
Member since April 26, 2019
With a PhD in pure maths, Ben would describe himself as an academic at heart, which means he’s deeply passionate about his work. Since finishing his PhD in 2012, he’s worked professionally as a back-end and data engineer for both a large global company and a small startup. For the past four years, he's been obsessed with machine learning, especially neural networks, and enjoys applying these techniques to solve real-world problems.
Ben is now available for hire
Portfolio
- USC ISI (via Toptal)Doccano, Jupyter, PyCharm, ZeroMQ, Flask, Gensim, NLTK, Python
- InstabridgeData Flows, Keras, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, Pandas, PyTorch, Spark, BigQuery...
- InstabridgeAmazon Web Services (AWS), Spark, MongoDB, RabbitMQ...
Experience
- Linux 17 years
- Python 16 years
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) 5 years
- Machine Learning 5 years
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) 4 years
- Neural Networks 4 years
- Convolutional Neural Networks 2 years
- Fast.ai 1 year
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
Linux, Git, PyCharm, Jupyter
The most amazing...
...project I've worked on is my PhD thesis because it was the first time I was really challenged. Writing did not come naturally at all. I always want to explore.
Employment
Experience
- Web-based Server Monitor and Admin Tools for Medal of Honor (Other amazing things)
This was written in PHP and has lots of socket programming, sessions, and user authentication. The client tool was built using C# and .NET.
Skills
Languages
Python, SQL, Python 3, JavaScript, PHP, Haskell, ScalaLibraries/APIs
LSTM, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Fast.ai, Spark ML, FFmpeg, Keras, PySpark, Scikit-learn, NLTK, ZeroMQ, Sklearn, Pandas, NumPy, OpenCVTools
BigQuery, Amazon Elastic MapReduce (EMR), Spark SQL, Apache Airflow, AWS Athena, Jupyter, PyCharm, Git, Perforce, Microsoft Office, Gensim, Doccano, RabbitMQ, Google Compute Engine (GCE)Platforms
Linux, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Heroku, AWS Kinesis, AWS Lambda, Oracle, Blackboard, Arduino, AnacondaOther
EMR, Convolutional Neural Networks, Linear Algebra, Google BigQuery, Neural Networks, Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Deep Neural Networks, AWS, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Probability Theory, Stream Processing, IP Networks, Image Recognition, Statistics, Deep Reinforcement Learning, Data Engineering, Computer Vision, Audio, Audio Processing, Digital Signal Processing, Serverless, Big Data, AWS API Gateway, Reinforcement Learning, Data Flows, Pen & Paper, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)Frameworks
Apache Spark, AWS EMR, Spark, Flask, Django, Ruby on Rails (RoR)Paradigms
Functional Programming, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), ETL, Data Science, Serverless Architecture, AgileStorage
PostgreSQL, Redshift, MySQL, MongoDB
Education
- B2 CEFR in Greek Language and Culture2014 - 2015University of Ioannina - Ioannina, Greece
- PhD degree in Mathematics2008 - 2012University of East Anglia - Norwich, UK
- Master's degree in Mathematics2004 - 2008University of East Anglia - Norwich, UK
