Jim is available for hire
Hire JimJim Kukla
Verified Expert in Engineering
Python Developer
Location
Baltimore, MD, United States
Toptal Member Since
January 28, 2014
Jim is a proactive problem solver. He has produced proven results in a variety of environments including academia, large companies, and small startups. He has solved problems large and small in a variety of roles including developer, team lead, and engineering manager.
Portfolio
RedShred
Elasticsearch, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, Keras, React, Python
Secured Sciences Group
MongoDB, Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), jQuery, PostgreSQL, Python, Django
Sourcefire
C, YUI, JavaScript, Perl
Experience
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
MacOS, Linux, Emacs
The most amazing...
...thing I've coded recently is an opportunistic environment for online parallel text analysis.
Work Experience
CTO
2014 - PRESENT
RedShred
- Designed and developed RedShred's SaaS machine reading solution.
- Developed machine learning models for text classification using a variety of traditional and deep learning methods.
- Developed crawlers and custom ETL pipeline for public datasets.
- Won an NSF STTR and led a team of researchers (from RedShred and our university partner) on executing on that grant.
- Developed initial UX and managed an outside team of developers on a new version.
- Developed RedShred's data annotation process, maximizing the value of annotators at multiple skill levels.
Technologies: Elasticsearch, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, Keras, React, Python
Principal Engineer
2008 - PRESENT
Secured Sciences Group
- Worked as part of a larger team to design streamlined user experiences for a media content management team. Worked within this team to deploy a new Django-based solution to replace a legacy CMS deployment.
- Led teams in managing content migration from legacy platforms into a new Django-based CMS.
- Developed a customized pressroom portal in Django for media clients. Created custom middleware, tags, filters, and extensions for the Django admin.
- Created a system to automatically import content from an external asset management feed. Interfaced with third party teams over time to ensure smooth handoff of information. Included a video management system that was replaced during the lifetime of our system for managing the interaction with the new vendor to ensure a smooth transition.
- Developed several new product prototypes for Django-based software as a service offering.
- Developed an opportunistic environment supporting massively parallel text analysis.
Technologies: MongoDB, Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), jQuery, PostgreSQL, Python, Django
Ranging from Developer to Engineering Manager
2002 - 2008
Sourcefire
- Developed cutting edge solutions in network intrusion detection software.
- Managed two teams (user experience and communications) across a broad array of product functions.
- Led the communications team for managing box-to-box synchronization and communications across the multi-tier Sourcefire 3D network suite.
- Led a major initiative to bring a localized UI to the Sourcefire 3D product line.
- Worked as a developer for the user experience team providing FCAPS (fault, configuration, accounting, performance, security) interfaces across a broad array of product functions.
- Designed and implemented novel user interfaces for intrusion analysis and policy configuration and enforcement.
- Coordinated with product management to ensure that customer features were implemented in an exceptional fashion.
Technologies: C, YUI, JavaScript, Perl
Software Engineer II
2001 - 2002
Corvis Corporation
- Developed network management software for a major optical telecommunications startup.
- Worked with a team to prototype and develop a replacement next-generation network management system.
- Helped troubleshoot field operations issues with management software and communications with SNMP agents.
Technologies: Java
Engineer
1997 - 1999
University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies
- Developed an open repository for NASA earth science data resources (Landsat, AVHRR, and others).
- Created an interactive, vector-map-based data browser from parsed ESRI shapefiles in the days before Google Maps and other mapping services were available.
- Worked with a team of engineers to handle loading of resources and metadata from an IBM HPSS storage system.
- Interfaced with cross-disciplinary teams in computer science and geography to help bring products to life.
Technologies: IBM Informix, IBM Db2, JavaScript, Java
Experience
Sourcefire 3D System
I worked as one of the first dozen engineers who helped design and build the Sourcefire 3D product suite. Over the course of six years in engineering, I helped Sourcefire grow from a local startup to a publicly traded market leader.
RedShred
http://redshred.comRedShred is an AI solution that uses machine reading to help users get more value from their text documents. As CTO and Co-Founder of RedShred, I helped bring our team's vision to life including full stack and machine learning development.
Skills
Languages
JavaScript, C, Python, HTML, C++, CSS, Perl, SQL, Java, Common Lisp (CL), Scheme
Paradigms
Agile Software Development, Imperative Programming, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Functional Programming, Test-driven Development (TDD)
Other
Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Deep Learning
Frameworks
Django REST Framework, Django, AngularJS
Libraries/APIs
SpaCy, Scikit-learn, Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), jQuery, YUI, React, Keras, TensorFlow, jQuery UI, OpenGL
Tools
bzr, Emacs, Git, Elastic, CVS, Eclipse IDE
Platforms
MacOS, Linux
Storage
IBM Db2, IBM Informix, Elasticsearch, MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL
Education
1997 - 2000
Master of Science Degree in Computer Science
University of Maryland Baltimore County - Baltimore, Maryland
1993 - 1997
Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science
University of Maryland Baltimore County - Baltimore, Maryland
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