Darren Buttigieg, Developer in Lija, Malta
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Darren Buttigieg

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Software Developer

Location
Lija, Malta
Toptal Member Since
November 29, 2022

Darren is unique in having two and a half years of experience as a software developer on top of a Master's degree in Astrophysics. He specializes in developing Python applications in scientific or mathematical fields. Darren has proven in previous freelance engagements his ability to make himself adequately familiar with new fields quickly. He has experience with APIs, working with large amounts of data, and is a firm believer in code cleanliness and testing.

Scientific ComputingBack-endBack-end DevelopmentPythonPython 3LaTeXPytestJSONREST APIsData VisualizationMachine LearningFastAPIJavaScriptGitLinux

Portfolio

Freelance Clients
Python, MATLAB, Mathematica, Fortran, C++, Web Scraping, Selenium
Onna
Python 3, Docker, Kubernetes, RabbitMQ, Grafana, Prometheus, Redis, Linux...
Freelance
Python 3, LaTeX, Mathematica, MATLAB, Fortran, Matplotlib, NumPy...

Experience

Scientific Computing - 7 yearsPython - 7 yearsPhysics - 6 yearsMathematics - 6 yearsPytest - 3 yearsREST APIs - 3 yearsBack-end - 3 yearsDocker - 1 year

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

MacOS, Linux, PyCharm, Python 3, Python

The most amazing...

...experience was collaborating with another mathematician to co-author a mathematical paper behind a fintech startup's client score model.

Work Experience

Software Developer

2022 - 2022
Freelance Clients
  • Utilized Python to replicate results and plots from a scientific paper called Shear Instability in a Viscoelastic Material as the Cause of Deep-focus Earthquakes. I familiarised myself with the subject and solved temporal and spatial PDEs.
  • Cleaned up a MATLAB script that needed improving and added new functionality to replicate results from a scientific paper. I studied the effects of the electrically stimulated brain, spinal cord, and nerves as a way to treat neurological disorders.
  • Translated a Visual Basic script to Python. This script solved a finite difference model of heat transfer, gas diffusion, and advection, as well as pyrite oxidation in a waste rock pile.
  • Created a linear regression app in C++ to solve a client's scientific equations.
  • Wrote a common-opponent stochastic model in Python to predict outcomes of professional tennis matches.
  • Wrote a web scraping application to retrieve articles containing certain keywords.
Technologies: Python, MATLAB, Mathematica, Fortran, C++, Web Scraping, Selenium

Software Developer

2020 - 2022
Onna
  • Participated in the team that integrated over 20 third-party APIs to retrieve data to a central platform. Companies like Dropbox and Slack have used these connectors to sync terabytes of data for purposes such as eDiscovery.
  • Investigated, designed, developed, documented, and tested a new feature for Slack Connect, possibly the most complex integrator. This allowed for syncing the same data by performing fewer API calls, improving performance.
  • Identified and implemented multiple metrics, such as the response status codes, number of calls made, and size of data synced. This improved observability and bugs were detected several times before the launch.
  • Added and improved several Graphana dashboards to enable the most precise understanding of the metrics.
  • Refactored and documented code to improve readability and testability.
  • Improved the Jenkins continuous integration pipeline.
  • Participated in a decoupling effort to break microservices from a monolith.
Technologies: Python 3, Docker, Kubernetes, RabbitMQ, Grafana, Prometheus, Redis, Linux, Agile Software Development, APIs, Git, Jenkins, Pytest, Python, JSON, Asyncio, REST APIs, Slack API, Dropbox API, Office 365 API, Zoom, API Integration, Data Integration, Jenkins Pipeline, Data Visualization, Dashboards, OAuth 2, CI/CD Pipelines, FastAPI, Back-end, Back-end Development

Software Developer

2018 - 2022
Freelance
  • Developed code for different projects in fields such as computational mathematics, astrophysics, hydromechanics, geophysics, and statistics.
  • Set up typesetting for scientific documents in LaTeX. Reproduced figures using Matplotlib.
  • Negotiated requirements, rates, and deadlines with clients.
Technologies: Python 3, LaTeX, Mathematica, MATLAB, Fortran, Matplotlib, NumPy, Scientific Computing, Python

Junior Software Developer

2016 - 2017
Sherpa
  • Participated in the back-end development of "The Brain," the company's main algorithm to calculate client insurance scores.
  • Co-authored the mathematical paper behind "The Brain."
  • Developed and documented an API that served as communication between the back and front ends of the application.
  • Tracked and fixed bugs as they arose. Used Jira as a reporting tool.
Technologies: Python 3, Flask, Swagger, SQLAlchemy, JavaScript, Postman, Git, Python, JSON, SQL, APIs, REST APIs, API Integration, Pandas, Machine Learning, Back-end, Back-end Development

Connector Integration for a Knowledge Discovery App

Built an app using Python, Docker, Kubernetes, Redis, and RabbitMQ. I was part of the back-end team in the connectors section, which dealt with integrations with third-party APIs, retrieving the data specified by the customer coming through the front end. I stored the relevant fields in the appropriate format in the database.

Risk Assessment Score Calculation

Co-authored a mathematical paper delineating the algorithm for calculating an individual's insurance risk assessment score. I worked together with another mathematician while also being on the software development team. I liaised with the CEO, CTO, COO, and the rest of the development team to design the equations and algorithms in line with the needs of the company.

Travel Mapper

Developed a React application that provides users with a highly interactive way of creating travel maps. Users can add multiple transportation modes and additional features as part of the same journey. I am the sole contributor working on this ongoing project.
2014 - 2016

Master's Degree in Astrophysics

Leiden University - Leiden, The Netherlands

2010 - 2014

Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and Physics

University of Malta - Malta

Languages

Python 3, Python, JavaScript, HTML, Fortran, C++, SQL

Libraries/APIs

REST APIs, Slack API, Matplotlib, NumPy, Asyncio, Dropbox API, Office 365 API, SQLAlchemy, Jenkins Pipeline, Pandas, React, Leaflet

Tools

Pytest, LaTeX, Adobe Lightroom, Git, Mathematica, Postman, Zoom, RabbitMQ, Grafana, Jenkins, MATLAB, Adobe Photoshop, Plotly

Storage

JSON, Redis, MySQL, Data Integration

Other

Scientific Computing, APIs, Mathematics, Physics, API Integration, Back-end, Back-end Development, Data Visualization, Dashboards, Machine Learning, FastAPI, Prometheus, CI/CD Pipelines, Maps, Web Scraping

Paradigms

Agile Software Development

Platforms

MacOS, Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Mapbox

Frameworks

Flask, Swagger, OAuth 2, Selenium

Collaboration That Works

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