Bryan Zimmerman
Software Developer
Location
Washington, DC, United States
Toptal Member Since
November 21, 2017
Bryan provides expert and modern C/C++ development of object-oriented, highly concurrent, low latency, cross-platform software. His work encompasses the areas of big data, data communications, machine learning, networking, server-side, and embedded systems, including modeling and simulation in physics and engineering. Bryan has vast experience with real-time, critical, 24/7, commercial, and defense systems.
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eBay
C++, Conan, Git, Python, Linux, Windows, Agile, CMake, GCC, Visual Studio, Clang
FireEye
Conan, Git, CMake, CODE, Xcode, GCC, Visual Studio, MacOS, Linux, Windows...
Finch Computing
Git, CMake, Eclipse, CODE, GCC, Visual Studio, Linux, Windows, C++
Experience
C - 20 yearsConcurrent Programming - 20 yearsDistributed Programming - 20 yearsC++ - 20 yearsEmbedded C++ - 20 yearsPython - 7 yearsCMake - 7 yearsC++17 - 4 yearsLocation
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
GCC, Visual Studio, Linux, Windows
The most amazing...
...thing I’ve coded was a turbo convolutional decoder and all its necessary supporting functions, encoding, BER testing, and channel simulation.
Work Experience
2020 - 2022
Senior MTS Software Engineer
eBay
- Developed cross-platform products using C++ 17/20, high performance, low latency distributed, and core infrastructure software. Performed development in an agile environment utilizing weekly sprints in a Scrum process.
- Recognized as a C/C++ expert of the company on syntax, algorithms, and usage.
- Reviewed extensive peer code for accuracy, completeness, and performance. Mentored other junior and senior-level programmers to increase the team's capability.
- Performed highly concurrent code through rigorous attention to algorithm selection, minimal locking, concurrent structures, cache locality, code style, and a keen eye for efficiency.
Technologies: C++, Conan, Git, Python, Linux, Windows, Agile, CMake, GCC, Visual Studio, Clang
2017 - 2020
Senior Staff Software Engineer
FireEye
- Served as the principal modern C++ developer of cross-platform, high performance, low latency distributed, endpoint security software. Development is in a distributed, scrum agile environment utilizing biweekly sprints.
- Provided extensive peer code review for accuracy, completeness, and performance; as well as, mentoring of other junior and senior-level programmers with a proven record of team productivity and skills increase.
- Developed robust mathematical algorithms for a machine learning engine for malware detection. Also solely designed and implemented a significant part of the architecture of the engine.
- Viewed as C/C++ expert of the company with regards to syntax, algorithms, concurrency, and usage.
Technologies: Conan, Git, CMake, CODE, Xcode, GCC, Visual Studio, MacOS, Linux, Windows, Python, C++
2014 - 2016
Distinguished Software Engineer | Vice President
Finch Computing
- Acted as a key modern C++ developer of a greenfield, cross-platform, high performance, low latency distributed, unstructured big data in-memory enterprise database product.
- Created and implemented novel data compression and decompression methods for which U.S. Patent Number 9,025,892 has been granted. Significant UTF-8 text compression rates were achieved.
- Solely developed the JSON schema, ingestion, compression, decompression, ACID transactional logging, and memory representation systems. Contributed significantly to other systems in the product.
- Developed a highly concurrent indexing system with dynamic instantiation of templated index structures.
- Did an extensive peer code review for accuracy, completeness, and performance; as well as, mentoring of other junior and senior-level programmers with a proven record of team productivity and skills increase.
- Created the CMake build system for the cross-platform Linux and Mac project.
Technologies: Git, CMake, Eclipse, CODE, GCC, Visual Studio, Linux, Windows, C++
2012 - 2014
RF Master Engineer II
Northrop Grumman
- Headed system design, procurement, integration, test, and simulation of RF communications systems for Earth-centric and deep-space satellites. Significant proposal support and development for commercial and defense.
- Designed RF communication systems utilizing detailed custom-developed RF link budgets and tools.
- Led specification, procurement management, and oversight of integration and test for all the RF hardware necessary to create complete communication systems for Earth-centric and deep-space satellites.
- Developed communications systems modeling, automation of testing, and data processing.
- Designed custom RF hardware, box-level products, and complete embedded industrial systems.
Technologies: Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), FPGA, MATLAB, GCC, Visual Studio, Linux, Windows, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Radio Frequency (RF) Protocol, C++
2008 - 2011
Director of Embedded Systems | HW Engineering
Q.E.D. Inc. now CTI (Commonwealth Technology Incorporated)
- Completed life cycle development of several defense-related custom small SWaP (size, weight, and power) RF PCB’s including an S/W digital radio and several antenna tuning units in the HF to GPS frequency range.
- Designed and constructed effective electrically disadvantaged antennas undersize and weight limits.
- Designed and prototyped a miniature software-designed radio transceiver in the HF(2-20 MHz) band.
- Modeled, designed, and implemented antenna matching circuits in custom hardware for HF and GPS.
- Developed a C++ algorithm for communications systems modeling and design verification.
- Developed a C++ algorithm for communications systems modeling and design verification.
- Developed hardware and software DSP algorithm and processed signals.
Technologies: Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Altium Designer (PCAD), AVR, ARM, Visual Studio, Radio Frequency (RF) Protocol, C++
2007 - 2008
RF Scientist
Northrop Grumman
- Headed system design, procurement, integration, test, and simulation of RF communications systems for Earth-centric and deep-space satellites. Significant proposal support and development for commercial and defense.
- Designed RF communication systems utilizing detailed custom-developed RF link budgets and tools.
- Led specification, procurement management, and oversight of integration and test for all the RF hardware necessary to create complete communication systems for Earth-centric and deep-space satellites.
- Developed C++ for communications systems modeling, automation of testing, and data processing.
- Designed custom RF hardware of PCB’s, box-level products, and complete embedded industrial systems.
Technologies: Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Visual Studio, Radio Frequency (RF) Protocol, C++
1997 - 2007
Director of Engineering
Avtec Systems, Inc.
- Led an engineering team responsible for the production and delivery of high rate communication and data processing systems earning several million dollars a year in company revenue (40% of the division).
- Oversaw all aspects of costing, scheduling, tasking, and manufacturing coordination both, in-house and with vendors, are controlled during the full product life cycle development process from the initial proposal preparation to the delivery of a viable commercial product to the customer.
- Delivered numerous custom FPGA-based high speed digital, analog, and RF boards for PCI- and cPCI- based systems, which utilized many modern design concepts, such as controlled impedance traces, matched trace lengths, proper decoupling, noise minimization, and low-loss dielectric materials.
- Verified RF communication systems utilizing detailed RF link budgets and EMI analysis; confirming the results of said systems and components with state-of-the-art test equipment and custom designed RF hardware. Systems included custom modulators, receivers, and a LEO tracking system.
- Developed the C++ algorithm for the simulation, modeling, and decoding of data communication channels, as well as object oriented cross platform, high performance, multi-threaded design for data processing and control of custom designed hardware.
- Implemented engineering team and manufacturing process changes to streamline production efficiency and increase profit by creating uniform base components, standardizing/automating repetitive testing, and promoting common hardware/code reuse across systems where possible.
- Developed Windows drivers for the communications and control of custom industrial PC boards.
Technologies: Perforce, Radio Frequency (RF) Protocol, Visual Studio, Windows, PCB Design, FPGA, C++
1996 - 1997
Senior RF Engineer
CFW Communications (now NTELOS Inc.)
- Coordinated the site selection, installation, evaluation, and optimization of a PCS-1900 CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) wireless cellular systems serving a large geographic region.
Technologies: Visual Studio, Windows, MapInfo, Microsoft Excel, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), C++
1991 - 1996
Senior RF Project Engineer
Allied Signal Technical Services Corporation (now Honeywell)
- Served as the technical director of a five-person team responsible for the design, procurement, assembly, and testing of a global Ku and C-Band satellite data and communications system for the bent pipe transfer of LEO satellite data.
- Designed PCB for digital communications.
- Created the C software for the scheduling and tracking of LEO satellites.
Technologies: pSOS, GCC, Visual Studio, Linux, Windows, PCB, C, Radio Frequency (RF) Protocol
Experience
In Memory Unstructured Big Data Enterprise Database
Developed a green field cross-platform, high performance, low latency distributed, unstructured big data analytics in memory enterprise database product in modern C++, i.e. C++ 11/14/17. Solely wrote more than 75% of the core of the product covering JSON document schema verification, ingestion, compression & selective decompression, ACID transnational logging, indexing, thread pools UTF-8 support, and many other low-level libraries.
Excel C++ XLL Library
Developed a C++ library for the creation of Excel XLL add-ins. The library wraps Excel SDK components such as XLOPER12 and manages conversions to and from Excel along with necessary memory management. The project has wide applicability to engineering, physical, and financial modeling and computation.
Turbo Convolutional Decoder
Solely developed a multi-threaded turbo convolutional block decoder based on an older version of CCSDS 131.2-B-1. At the time this was written there was no commercially available hardware or software implementations. In order to fulfill requirements the following components were created in C++: encoder, soft symbol frame synchronizer, decoder, PRN Bit Error Rate(BER) testing, and channel simulator. Delivered product operated at 10x required rate in worst channel conditions.
HF Software Defined Radio
Developed a small SWaP (size, weight, and power) HF transceiver software-defined radio (SDR) with tunability in a 2-20 MHz range and -130 dBm noise floor. The board was approximately 3x4 inches and designed with Altium including schematic, layout, and routing.
High Speed PCI64 I/Q NECL PCB
Created a custom high-speed FPGA board for the transmission or reception of high-speed digital NECL data to and from receivers and modulators at rates over 1.2 Gbps. Board was designed for CCSDS communications in custom industrial PC systems running Windows operating system. This also involved driver development.
Machine Learning Mathematical Algorithms
Green field development of robust modern C++ mathematical algorithms for a machine learning engine for malware detection.
Skills
Languages
Embedded C++, C, C++17, C++14, C++11, C++, Excel VBA, XML, Python, C#, Fortran, Assembly, Embedded C, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), SQL, Java
Frameworks
CODE, Boost
Libraries/APIs
Windows API, ZeroMQ
Tools
Visual Studio, Microsoft Word, PCB Layout, GCC, CMake, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Excel, Xcode, Conan, MapInfo, Altium Designer (PCAD), Word 2016, Microsoft Access, Arm Cortex-M3, Microsoft Visual Studio, Subversion (SVN), MATLAB, Git, GitHub, Perforce, CAD
Paradigms
Radio Frequency (RF) Protocol, High-performance Computing, Distributed Programming, Concurrent Programming, Parallel Programming, Agile Software Development, Waterfall Development, Agile
Platforms
Windows, Linux, Windows Server, Android, MacOS, Eclipse, Windows Server 2016, AVR, Embedded Linux, AVR (8-bit MCU), NVIDIA CUDA
Other
PCB, Embedded Hardware, Digital Design, PCB Design, Digital Signal Processing, RF Design, Concurrency, Multithreading, Clang, Embedded Systems, Embedded Software, Embedded Development, Development, Analytical Thinking, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Trading, 3D Math, ARM, FPGA, Networking, Cryptography, Shell Scripting, pSOS, GPU Computing
Storage
JSON, SQL Server 2016, PostgreSQL
Education
1989 - 1990
Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering
Georgia Institute Of Technology - Atlanta, GA, United States
1986 - 1988
Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and Physics
James Madison University - Harrisonburg, VA, United States
Certifications
JANUARY 2016 - PRESENT
HackerRank Rating
https://www.hackerrank.com/bryanzim