Nick McCrea
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Developer
Denver, CO, United States
Toptal member since July 8, 2014
Nick is a seasoned software engineer experienced in both front-end and back-end web development. His work has encompassed real estate and geodata modeling and mapping, robotic simulations, and home solar power modeling. Nick is proficient in TypeScript, React, Node.js, and cloud computing architectures. He enjoys working on cutting-edge projects where teamwork and effective communication are key.
Portfolio
Experience
- Software Architecture - 10 years
- JavaScript - 8 years
- SaaS - 5 years
- Redux - 3 years
- React - 3 years
- TypeScript - 3 years
- C++ - 1 year
- Embedded Software - 1 year
Availability
Preferred Environment
GitHub, Git, Terminal, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), MacOS
The most amazing...
...thing I've built is a real-time, in-browser, 3D real estate development modeling tool that allows users to model financials, zoning, and massing on any parcel.
Work Experience
Engineering Consultant
Deepblocks
- Delivered several critical GIS and mapping capabilities to the Deepblocks platform.
- Trained junior developers in the latest React and Redux development.
- Provided guidance and expertise on cloud infrastructure strategy.
Lead Engineer
Deepblocks
- Owned the design and architecture of the entire software stack (React, Redux, TypeScript, Node.js).
- Managed daily engineering operations, including project planning, software design, code review and approval, integration and acceptance testing, deployments, training, and mentorship.
- Collaborated with the engineering team to quickly break down complicated problems, explore the available solutions, and develop action plans.
- Communicated technical risk to the CEO in order to reach a consensus on engineering strategy decisions.
- Wrote and maintained comprehensive engineering guidelines and technical documentation.
- Maintained a lean engineering operation with low-cost tools and services.
Chief Technical Officer (CTO)
Deepblocks
- Took over responsibility for all engineering from outgoing technical leadership.
- Built an MVP that garnered a 50% boost in seed funding from investors.
- Led screening, interviewing, and hiring decisions to build a small, elite engineering team.
- Established a culture of high technical standards and security-first thinking throughout the company.
- Sought and identified a qualified successor for the executive role to focus on operations and coding.
Lead Engineer
Kinspire
- Partnered on a startup, leading engineering for a platform serving immigrants to the US.
- Delivered a job-matching platform that matched users across six dimensions.
- Built and managed the promotional website.
Technical Editor
Toptal
- Authored popular articles about fundamentals of machine learning and mobile robotics control theory.
- Took over all content responsibilities from the outgoing editor, including author sourcing, topic brainstorming and curation, draft reviews and guidance, copy editing, technical illustration direction, SEO configuration, and publication.
- Published dozens of lucid, technically precise, and evergreen articles on a wide range of topics, including fluid dynamics simulation, Linux namespace isolation, video game physics, and advanced programming design patterns.
- Identified talented authors to join the editing team.
- Increased publication output by four times and website traffic by ten times.
Software Engineer
PVPower
- Built and shipped a home solar power modeling and optimization tool using Ruby on Rails.
- Corresponded with Argonne National Laboratory scientists to develop a high-fidelity solar insolation model.
- Contributed to business and technical strategy decisions.
- Followed strict test-driven development techniques using RSpec and Cucumber to build a comprehensive test suite.
- Participated in complex design and architecture decisions daily.
Software Development Intern
Pathfinder Software
- Implemented finished design mockups in HTML/CSS, including slicing and coding.
- Learned the ins and outs of Ruby on Rails.
- Practiced state-of-the-art lean web development, including small teams, development sprints, test-driven development, and other agile development methods.
Software Tester
TZ, Inc.
- Implemented scientific testing of control software for remotely-controlled storage locks.
- Encountered some common challenges of embedded systems, such as correctly sensing and controlling the physical state of large banks of electromechanical locks via software.
Experience
Sobot Rimulator
http://github.com/nmccrea/sobot-rimulatorGeorgia Institute of Technology provided a link to Sobot Rimulator as an option to students of the January 2014 iteration of their Coursera course "Control of Mobile Robots."
Recursor
https://recursor.nickmccrea.comThis is a small project that I did with React, Redux, and TypeScript to help me practice the latest best practices in these technologies. I found the entire experience very enjoyable and fun.
SolarBear
SolarBear was a free online tool which allowed users to generate these optimal configurations within seconds simply by providing their budget, power requirements, and other factors.
Autonomous Navigation Control for Mobile Robots
This script represents one of the numerous potential behaviors the robot can adopt. For instance, without obstacles in the robot's trajectory, an alternative controller would guide it directly toward its ultimate destination. A state machine that continuously scrutinizes sensor readings manages the transition between different behaviors, exemplifying the "hybrid automata" approach to mobile robot control design.
Education
Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Engineering, Hardware Concentration
University of Florida - Gainesville, FL
Certifications
Machine Learning
Coursera
Cryptography I
Coursera
Control of Mobile Robots
Coursera
Skills
Libraries/APIs
React, REST APIs, Node.js, Redux-Saga, jQuery, Scikit-learn, Pandas
Tools
Atom, Git, GIS, GitHub, Vim Text Editor, Webpack, RSpec, Skype, Google Docs, Terminal
Languages
JavaScript, Ruby, TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3, SCSS, SQL, Python 3, Bash, C++, C, Python, HTML, CSS, Haml, Java, GraphQL
Frameworks
Ruby on Rails (RoR), Redux, Ruby on Rails 5, Bootstrap
Paradigms
Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Test-driven Development (TDD), Behavior-driven Development (BDD), Functional Programming, Scrum, CRUD, Agile, Web Architecture, Agile Software Development
Platforms
MacOS, Firebase, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Mapbox, Linux, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Windows, Raspberry Pi, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Docker
Storage
NoSQL, Relational Databases, MongoDB, PostgreSQL
Industry Expertise
Project Management
Other
Writing & Editing, Algorithms, Software Development, Back-end as a Service (BaaS), SaaS, Documentation, Real Estate, Communication, Software Architecture, Geodatabases, Squarespace, Analytics, Cloud Architecture, Online Payments, Serverless, Security, Calculus, Linear Algebra, Regression Modeling, Optimization, Google Tag Manager, Classification, Embedded Systems, Networks, Machine Learning, Cryptography, Control Systems, Robotics, Data Science, Neural Networks, Differential Equations, Statistics, Data Analysis, Styled-components, Embedded Software
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