Pavel Puzikov, Developer in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Pavel Puzikov

Full-stack Developer

Location
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Toptal Member Since
December 16, 2014

Pavel is a full-stack Rails and React developer with 15 years of experience. He has a significant background in startups, including a social marketing platform that sold at a $17 million valuation. Pavel also built the largest data science competition platform in Africa and has work featured on slate.com. He has a strong sense of responsibility for the products he builds and a passion for humane interfaces.

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Portfolio

Zindi.africa
Redux, Node.js, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ruby, JavaScript, Azure, Docker...
Tecstone Granite USA, Ltd.
Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, WebGL, Three.js, Node.js, Software Engineering...
Infraplan
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ruby, JavaScript, MySQL, D3.js, React...

Location

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Tmux, OS X

The most amazing...

...thing I've built is Zindi, Africa's largest data science competition platform and community.

Work Experience

2017 - 2022

Full-stack Developer

Zindi.africa
  • Worked closely with the founders to design and build Africa's largest data science competition platform.
  • Implemented a CI system with automated testing, deployment, test environment setup, centralized logging, and error reporting.
  • Built a Ruby on Rails API back end, deployed on AWS and Azure, with autoscaling and an independent polyglot background jobs pipeline.
  • Developed a React front end with a complex data layer, deployed as a Node.js app with server-side rendering and as a static fallback version auto-balanced by AWS Route 53.
Technologies: Redux, Node.js, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ruby, JavaScript, Azure, Docker, PostgreSQL, Ruby on Rails (RoR), FlowType.JS, React, Architecture, DevOps, Data Visualization, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Software Engineering, CSS, Functional Programming, HTML, R, Python, API Design, Next.js, HTML5, ECMAScript (ES6), Data Science, Machine Learning, Full-stack, Jupyter Notebook, Figma, API Integration, Data Analysis, REST APIs, Back-end, APIs, Integration, Technical Architecture, Leadership, Front-end, Git, Startups
2020 - 2021

Full-stack Rails and React Developer

Tecstone Granite USA, Ltd.
  • Built a browser-based 3D editor for creating granite monuments using WebGL.
  • Defined the requirements and architecture in a new and unexplored field.
  • Developed the version that supports live editing, including changing materials and engravings and importing from the company's catalog.
Technologies: Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, WebGL, Three.js, Node.js, Software Engineering, Data Visualization, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Architecture, CSS, HTML, HTML5, ECMAScript (ES6), NoSQL, Full-stack, Back-end, Technical Architecture, Front-end, Git
2018 - 2020

Full-stack Developer

Infraplan
  • Developed an internal platform for an urban planning company that utilizes statistical analysis, built with Ruby on Rails and React.
  • Inherited an outdated Ruby on Rails codebase, optimized it, and added a React front end.
  • Implemented a data pipeline to support comprehensive data calculations and visualizations.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ruby, JavaScript, MySQL, D3.js, React, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Architecture, Software Engineering, Data Visualization, CSS, HTML, API Design, HTML5, ECMAScript (ES6), Full-stack, Figma, API Integration, Data Analysis, REST APIs, Back-end, APIs, Technical Architecture, Front-end, Git
2016 - 2017

Developer

Eleos
  • Co-founded a company with two friends to create an environmentally-aware messaging and notes app. For example, users could send messages that would only be received on a sunny afternoon when their friends were outside.
  • Built the back end using Ruby and Apache Kafka to provide message storage and processing.
  • Developed a React web app, a React Native app, and a Facebook Messenger bot as different interfaces with the messenger.
Technologies: Redux, Node.js, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ruby on Rails (RoR), JavaScript, TensorFlow, PostgreSQL, Ruby, React Native, React, TypeScript, Architecture, DevOps, Software Engineering, CSS, HTML, API Design, Progressive Web Applications (PWA), HTML5, ECMAScript (ES6), NoSQL, Data Science, Machine Learning, Full-stack, API Integration, Data Analysis, MongoDB, Apache Kafka, REST APIs, WebSockets, Back-end, APIs, Integration, Technical Architecture, Leadership, Front-end, Git, Startups
2016 - 2016

Full-stack Developer

Votecastr (with Slate.com)
  • Built a website and widget in collaboration with slate.com to track, model, and publish real-time 2016 presidential election results.
  • Developed a Ruby on Rails API that connected all services and data processing pipelines, enabling rapid adjustment of prediction models.
  • Created an administrative interface to collect and validate poll data quickly.
  • Developed a real-time map widget embedded on slate.com using D3.js.
Technologies: Redux, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ruby on Rails (RoR), JavaScript, Twilio, D3.js, PostgreSQL, React, Ruby, DevOps, Software Engineering, Data Visualization, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Architecture, CSS, HTML, API Design, HTML5, ECMAScript (ES6), NoSQL, Data Science, Machine Learning, Full-stack, API Integration, Data Analysis, REST APIs, Back-end, APIs, Integration, Scraping, Technical Architecture, Leadership, Front-end, Git, Startups
2015 - 2015

Full-stack Developer

Predictions Dashboard
  • Created an app to process and present vast amounts of data in a readable way. The data was hundreds of gigabytes of historical information with predictions for the future, delivered weekly in CSV format.
  • Selected Google BigQuery for data storage, which provided linear query time, and created a pipeline to automatically update the data whenever new files were added to an Amazon S3 bucket.
  • Built a Ruby on Rails back end with two-factor authentication for a data API and user management panel.
  • Created a front end with React and heavy use of D3.js.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ruby on Rails (RoR), JavaScript, PostgreSQL, BigTable, Ruby, D3.js, React, DevOps, Software Engineering, Data Visualization, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Architecture, CSS, HTML, R, Python, API Design, HTML5, NoSQL, Full-stack, API Integration, Data Analysis, REST APIs, Back-end, APIs, Integration, Technical Architecture, Front-end, Git
2012 - 2014

CTO

Flocktory
  • Served as the CTO of this social marketing platform after joining the company as a contractor and architecting and building the platform.
  • Built a Ruby on Rails app with an Angular front end, multiple APIs, and embeddable widgets. Led an internal team, including hiring and mentorship.
  • Played a pivotal role in the company's sale a few years later at a $17 million valuation.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ruby on Rails (RoR), JavaScript, Chef, Angular, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Ruby, Architecture, DevOps, Software Engineering, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), CSS, Functional Programming, HTML, API Design, HTML5, Full-stack, API Integration, Data Analysis, REST APIs, WebSockets, Back-end, APIs, Integration, Technical Architecture, Leadership, Front-end, Git, Startups
2010 - 2013

Web Developer

Grapevine
  • Founded and ran a web consultancy specializing in early-stage startups.
  • Consulted with multiple clients, including habr.com with 13 million MAU and rutube.ru with 20 million MAU.
  • Worked with the founders from inception, making prototypes, building the MVP, hiring, and transferring a project to an in-house team.
Technologies: D3.js, Amazon Web Services (AWS), MySQL, Ruby, JavaScript, Google Closure, jQuery, Ruby on Rails (RoR), DevOps, Software Engineering, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Architecture, CSS, Functional Programming, API Design, HTML5, Full-stack, API Integration, Data Analysis, REST APIs, Back-end, APIs, Integration, Scraping, Technical Architecture, Front-end, Git, Startups

Experience

Zindi Africa

https://zindi.africa
Zindi is the biggest platform for hosting data science competitions in Africa. I worked closely with the founders to architect and build the platform, which connected 50,000 data scientists and has Microsoft, Uber, and Amazon as partners. The technologies used include Ruby on Rails and React, and the platform is hosted on Azure and partially on AWS.

Votecastr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Votecastr
Votecastr was a real-time voting coverage and prediction app built in partnership with slate.com and used for the United States presidential elections in 2016. I led data processing and the development of dashboards and maps on the Votecastr and slate websites, the admin panel, the dashboard for monitoring and curating incoming data, and the API to communicate with people in the field. In short, I was responsible for all the technology except the Android app and actual prediction models.

ezyorganizer

https://ezyorganizer.com/
An activity management app designed for iOS and Android devices that I built in React Native. The app features a calendar, task management, real-time collaboration, customized alerts and notifications, and paid subscription options. The back end is powered by Firebase, providing seamless access to the database, authentication, storage, and serverless functions.

Skills

Languages

CSS, HTML, Ruby, JavaScript, HTML5, ECMAScript (ES6), TypeScript, GraphQL, Clojure, Elm, Python, R

Frameworks

Redux, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Tailwind CSS, React Native, Next.js, ClojureScript

Libraries/APIs

D3.js, Node.js, React, REST APIs, FlowType.JS, WebGL, Three.js

Tools

Git, Figma, BuildFire

Paradigms

Web Performance Optimization (WPO), DevOps, Functional Programming, Data Science

Platforms

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Docker, Jupyter Notebook, Apache Kafka, Mobile, Firebase, Android, iOS

Storage

MySQL, PostgreSQL, NoSQL, MongoDB, BigTable

Other

Data Visualization, Software Engineering, Architecture, System Design, Full-stack, API Design, API Integration, Documentation, WebSockets, Back-end, APIs, Integration, Technical Architecture, Front-end, Startups, Progressive Web Applications (PWA), Machine Learning, Data Analysis, Storybook, Scraping, Leadership

Education

2004 - 2008

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics, and Optics - Saint Petersburg, Russia