Madelyn Douglas, Developer in Seattle, WA, United States
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Madelyn Douglas

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Bio

Madelyn is a full-stack developer and technical writer specializing in mobile development, AR/VR, games, and data ethics. As a software engineer at Meta, she worked on various products, including the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, Facebook News Feed, and Meta VR store. Madelyn is the former lead editor for the Toptal Engineering Blog. Her writing on technology and data ethics, which has focused on AI, AR/VR, and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), has won awards and been published by the IEEE.

Portfolio

Toptal
Technical Writing, Writing & Editing, Software QA, Leadership...
Toptal
Technical Writing, Writing & Editing, SEO Tools, Journalism, Software QA
Meta
Kotlin, Java, SQL, Mobile UX, Front-end Development, Full-stack Development...

Experience

Android - 8 yearsJava - 8 yearsFull-stack - 8 yearsTechnical Writing - 8 yearsComputer Science - 8 yearsSoftware QA - 8 yearsData Ethics - 5 yearsAgile Project Management - 5 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Mobile, Agile Project Management, Kotlin, Java, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Data Ethics, Technical Writing, Games, Full-stack

The most amazing...

...project I’ve worked on is the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses Android app. I launched the media editing and viewing features from scratch and led product roadmaps.

Work Experience

Lead Editor, Engineering

2022 - 2024
Toptal
  • Headed the team and motivated members, including giving editors assignments, holding one-on-ones to communicate performance feedback, communicating team updates, and representing team needs to stakeholders.
  • Oversaw all technical content for the Toptal Engineering Blog from start to finish while managing the publication calendar, including pitching ideas, creating outlines, getting stakeholder approval, and top editing.
  • Initiated and drove major search engine optimization (SEO) and growth deliverables, hiring six team members and setting team standards around generative AI.
  • Acted as a project manager for all engineering content, including keeping editors and other collaborators on track for assignments under tight deadlines.
Technologies: Technical Writing, Writing & Editing, Software QA, Leadership, Agile Project Management

Senior Editor, Engineering

2022 - 2022
Toptal
  • Produced technical articles on AI, data science, and machine learning targeting senior-level programmers, including research, writing, editing, fact-checking, and debugging tutorial code.
  • Collaborated with SEO, illustrations, copy editors, top editors, and developers.
  • Managed projects under tight deadlines using collaboration tools like Slack, Asana, and Google Drive.
Technologies: Technical Writing, Writing & Editing, SEO Tools, Journalism, Software QA

Software Engineer

2020 - 2021
Meta
  • Launched Ray-Ban Stories app as an Android owner of media surfaces, including complex full-stack video editing features in Kotlin, Java, and SQL.
  • Oversaw product roadmaps and collaboration with three teams to prioritize features.
  • Reviewed technical papers on BCI diversity and responsible innovation.
Technologies: Kotlin, Java, SQL, Mobile UX, Front-end Development, Full-stack Development, Mobile Development, Augmented Reality (AR), Wearables, Agile Project Management

Software Engineering Intern

2017 - 2019
Meta
  • Completed three summer internships working across the Android Facebook app and the Oculus (now Meta VR) store with three return offers.
  • Implemented new features for Oculus Store on the back and front end across mobile, web, and virtual reality environments using React and React Native. Updated iOS and Android Oculus app alongside full-time peers.
  • Coded and rolled out a new feature on the Facebook News Feed on Android using Java, including beta and unit tests, documentation, and launch plan.
Technologies: Java, Android, React Native, React, Mobile, Full-stack, Software QA

Location-based Android Game

A simple mobile app for Android. As part of a Meta internship program, I worked on a team of three to build the entire app from scratch, including APIs, location-based functionality, and database integration. I presented the app to the Meta Seattle office with a live demo.

Brain-computer Interfaces, AI, and Engineering Ethics Published Research

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9441184
As a USC Viterbi research fellow, I independently researched the technical and security risks of AI and BCIs under the guidance of my supervisor, Dr. Alice Parker. My research resulted in a 30-page paper that I presented and published to industry stakeholders at the 10th International IEEE EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering (2021).

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Companion App

https://www.meta.com/smart-glasses/
The companion app used with the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to set up the glasses, view and edit media, and adjust settings. I was the owner of the Android app's media surfaces and worked on complex full-stack video editing features in Kotlin, Java, and SQL. I led my area's product roadmaps and collaborated with three teams to prioritize features.
2024 - 2024

Progress Toward a PhD in Communications, Technology, and Society

University of Washington - Seattle, WA, USA

2016 - 2020

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

University of Southern California - Los Angeles, California, USA

Libraries/APIs

React

Tools

MATLAB

Languages

Java, Kotlin, C++, SQL

Paradigms

Agile Project Management, Mobile Development, Mobile App Design

Platforms

Android, Arduino, Mobile

Frameworks

React Native

Other

Technical Writing, Writing & Editing, Software QA, SEO Marketing, Mobile UX, Computer Science, Data Ethics, Full-stack, Research, Electrical Engineering, Game Programming, AI Ethics, SEO Tools, Journalism, Leadership, Front-end Development, Full-stack Development, Augmented Reality (AR), Wearables, Mobile App Development, APIs, Front-end, Virtual Reality (VR), Games, Risk Assessment, AI Risk Assessment, Ethics

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