Simon Szalai, Developer in Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Simon Szalai

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Bio

Over the past 7 years, Simon has accumulated a wide range of professional coding experience, spanning full-stack web development, AI, machine learning, data science, data engineering, and mobile app development. With deep expertise in Python and TypeScript and an understanding of recent AI tools, he is able to write efficient code quickly to address real-world challenges. His MBA and experience as a startup co-founder allow him to blend technical skills with business objectives effectively.

Portfolio

Amaru Wellness
Remix, React, HIPAA Compliance, ChatGPT, React Native, Mantine, UI Design...
Workflow Pro
TypeScript, React, Remix, Firebase, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)...
Raiz Vertical Farms
Python, Raspberry Pi, Electronic Sensors, Google Cloud, Deepnote...

Experience

  • Python - 7 years
  • TypeScript - 7 years
  • React - 7 years
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) - 5 years
  • PostgreSQL - 4 years
  • Data Science - 4 years
  • Data Engineering - 4 years
  • PyTorch - 3 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

MacOS, Linux, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), TypeScript, Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Deepnote, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud

The most amazing...

...project I completed is the Quantum Active Inference algorithm, steering an agent through environments extending into the Quantum Realm.

Work Experience

Co-founder | CTO

2023 - PRESENT
Amaru Wellness
  • Implemented a web platform in React Remix from scratch, including a custom scheduler, payments, contract signing and surveys.
  • Implemented a React Native mobile app from scratch, including authentication, Stripe payments, and API communication with a Remix back end.
  • Designed the UI/UX of a desktop web and mobile app for ease of use and an intuitive experience.
  • Heavily used generative AI to speed up the development process.
Technologies: Remix, React, HIPAA Compliance, ChatGPT, React Native, Mantine, UI Design, UX Design, Stripe, SurveyJS, Full-stack, OpenAI, AI Chatbots, Expo, Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Stripe API, Full-stack Development, API Integration, Node.js, OpenAI API, REST APIs, Google API, Fractional CTO, Mobile Development, Architecture, Figma, APIs, Web Development, Python 3, HTML, Back-end, Databases, SQL, CTO, Technical Leadership, TypeScript, CSS, Tailwind CSS, Storybook, Integration, Cloud Infrastructure, Git, Software Development, MERN Stack, CI/CD Pipelines, iOS, Android, Automation, Software Architecture, Stripe Connect, API Design, Cloud Storage, Logging, Metrics, Observability Tools, Algorithms, SciPy, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Solution Architecture, Database Structure, Strapi, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Web Application Design, Web Architecture, Webflow, Docker Compose, Playwright, Front-end, Virtual Private Servers, Payment APIs

Co-founder | CTO

2018 - PRESENT
Workflow Pro
  • Designed and implemented a serverless React application from scratch to manage the daily operations of a CNC manufacturing company using React and Firebase.
  • Maintained the React/Firebase app in production for four years, including updates, bug fixes, and smaller features.
  • Rebuilt the platform in React/Remix after 5 years of successful operations to overcome the inherent UX/speed limitations of the serverless architecture.
  • Designed a natural language interface for the operational data collected by the platform I previously built that generates SQL queries from natural language, runs them, and uses the returned data as context to formulate the answers.
  • Built an integration with the Hungarian Tax Authority's (NAV) API.
Technologies: TypeScript, React, Remix, Firebase, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google Cloud Functions, Firebase Cloud Functions, Google Cloud Storage, Kinde, Progressive Web Applications (PWAs), Mantine, Puppeteer, APIs, Fly.io, Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Full-stack Development, API Integration, Node.js, OpenAI API, Model Deployment, Hugging Face, REST APIs, Google API, Cloud Firestore, Fractional CTO, Mobile Development, Architecture, Figma, PostgreSQL, Web Development, AWS Lambda, Python 3, HTML, Back-end, Databases, SQL, CTO, Technical Leadership, CSS, Tailwind CSS, Storybook, Integration, Cloud Infrastructure, Git, Software Development, MERN Stack, CI/CD Pipelines, iOS, Android, Automation, Software Architecture, API Design, Cloud Storage, Logging, Metrics, Observability Tools, NumPy, Algorithms, Document Processing, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Solution Architecture, Database Structure, Webflow CMS, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Web Application Design, Web Architecture, Webflow, Docker Compose, Playwright, Front-end, Virtual Private Servers

Co-founder | CTO

2020 - 2024
Raiz Vertical Farms
  • Architected and implemented a real-time data pipeline that collected data from various IoT devices, stored it in a data warehouse, and analyzed it to compute control signals, which were then executed by the IoT devices.
  • Deployed and maintained an ML model for inference to a local IoT device using TensorFlow Lite, which generated control signals from time series data.
  • Built a first-principles-based simulation to model the behavior of the vertical farm under different weather conditions. This enabled us to run experiments much faster and accurately predict OPEX before deployment.
  • Worked as a core contributor to the company's technical and business strategy. This included fundraising, hiring, developing a modular hydroponic farm from scratch, and operating it profitably.
Technologies: Python, Raspberry Pi, Electronic Sensors, Google Cloud, Deepnote, Process Simulation, Data Collection, Data Science, Predictive Modeling, Prompt Engineering, ChatGPT, Machine Learning, Full-stack, OpenAI, AI Chatbots, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Full-stack Development, API Integration, Data Analysis, Node.js, OpenAI API, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Model Deployment, REST APIs, Google API, Google Sheets API, Fractional CTO, Mobile Development, Architecture, Figma, Google Sheets, APIs, PostgreSQL, Web Development, Python 3, Web Scraping, Website Data Scraping, HTML, Back-end, Databases, SQL, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), CTO, Technical Leadership, TypeScript, React, CSS, Tailwind CSS, Storybook, Business to Business (B2B), Integration, Cloud Infrastructure, Git, Software Development, MERN Stack, CI/CD Pipelines, iOS, Android, Automation, Data Scraping, Scraping, Software Architecture, API Design, Cloud Storage, Grafana, Logging, Metrics, Observability Tools, NumPy, Algorithms, SciPy, Time Series Data, Blockchain, Document Processing, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Solution Architecture, Database Structure, BigQuery, Strapi, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Web Application Design, Web Architecture, Docker Compose, Vercel, Front-end, Ethers.js, Web3, Virtual Private Servers, Payment APIs

Senior Full-stack Developer

2022 - 2023
Quantified Citizen
  • Architected and built an ETL pipeline using Python and Dagster which cleaned and normalized both real-time and historical data, preparing it for analysis.
  • Cleaned, normalized, analyzed, and visualized data collected through the mobile platform. This included data collected over 5 years using multiple applications, frameworks, and platforms, each containing errors that resulted in polluted data.
  • Implemented a React app embedded in a Flutter web view to display study results generated by the ETL pipeline.
Technologies: Python, Dagster, TypeScript, React, Flutter, Data Science, OpenAI GPT-3 API, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Prompt Engineering, ChatGPT, Machine Learning, HIPAA Compliance, Full-stack, OpenAI, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Full-stack Development, API Integration, Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Node.js, OpenAI API, Natural Language Processing (NLP), LangChain, REST APIs, Mobile Development, Figma, APIs, PostgreSQL, Statistical Analysis, Regression Modeling, Web Development, AWS Lambda, Python 3, HTML, Back-end, Databases, SQL, CSS, Integration, Cloud Infrastructure, Git, Software Development, CI/CD Pipelines, Automation, Software Architecture, API Design, Logging, NumPy, Algorithms, Scikit-learn, SciPy, Document Processing, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Solution Architecture, Agile Software Development, Agile, Database Structure, Docker Compose, Front-end, Virtual Private Servers

AI Specialist

2021 - 2022
Bicameral NFT
  • Developed a machine learning pipeline to turn brainwave data and digital artwork into a unique animated art piece using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs).
  • Recruited a team to use this technology to create an NFT collection of 5,000 pieces on the Ethereum blockchain.
  • Laid the foundations for the technology to be deployed as an API in the future.
Technologies: PyTorch, TensorFlow, Deepnote, Python, Pandas, Matplotlib, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Full-stack, Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Full-stack Development, Model Deployment, Image Processing, Python 3, Back-end, Integration, Cloud Infrastructure, Git, Software Development, Algorithms

Full-stack Engineer

2020 - 2022
KitchenMate
  • Designed and implemented control software running on an Android tablet for the hot food kiosk using Ionic React and Node.js.
  • Evolved requirements constantly despite a lot of ambiguity.
  • Oversaw the software integration of many different hardware systems (AI vision system, induction cookers, cameras, payment terminals, smart fridge, WiFi hotspot, etc.).
  • Expanded a user-facing mobile app and internal tools using JavaScript.
Technologies: TypeScript, Node.js, React, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Python, PostgreSQL, JavaScript, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Stripe API, Full-stack Development, API Integration, REST APIs, Mobile Development, Figma, APIs, Web Development, Internet of Things (IoT), Python 3, HTML, Back-end, Databases, SQL, CSS, Integration, Cloud Infrastructure, Git, Agile Project Management, Software Development, CI/CD Pipelines, Automation, Software Architecture, API Design, Logging, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Agile Software Development, Agile, Database Structure, Docker Compose, Front-end

Full-stack Engineer

2018 - 2020
SynerScope
  • Executed the transition of SynerScope's entire data management platform from an on-premises app to a microservices-based cloud-native solution on Azure.
  • Increased the prediction accuracy of a client's required tools and expertise for field-work of their employees from 80% to 99.98% on two million visits, saving approximately 40 million EUR a year in collaboration with my team.
  • Engineered data pipelines to move documents, metadata, text, and images between Hadoop, Azure, and various databases.
  • Deployed an image vectorizer model to Azure Cloud as a REST API using Docker.
Technologies: JavaScript, Python, Node.js, Docker, PostgreSQL, Go, PyTorch, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Full-stack Development, API Integration, Model Deployment, REST APIs, Chart.js, D3.js, APIs, Web Development, Python 3, HTML, Back-end, SQL, TypeScript, React, CSS, Tailwind CSS, Vue, Business to Business (B2B), Integration, Cloud Infrastructure, Git, Agile Project Management, Software Development, MongoDB, MERN Stack, CI/CD Pipelines, API Design, Logging, NoSQL, Algorithms, Scikit-learn, Time Series Data, Document Processing, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Agile Software Development, Agile, Database Structure, Front-end

Software Engineer

2018 - 2018
Dekimo Experts
  • Developed a computer vision product to classify cells in microscope images.
  • Delivered core development in C++, UI in QML using Qt5, image manipulation in OpenCV.
  • Contributed to the project while learning C++ autonomously from zero.
Technologies: C++, Qt, Computer Vision, Full-stack Development, Integration, Git, Software Development, Logging, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Agile Software Development, Agile

Co-founder | CTO

2015 - 2017
Intersection Records
  • Set up an electronic record label, including website, distribution, and promotion.
  • Created artwork, released, and promoted over ten albums.
  • Helped organize live events with artists to promote the albums.
Technologies: WordPress, Photoshop CC, CSS

Experience

Quantum Active Inference

https://github.com/simonszalai/Creative-Destruction-Quantum-Hackathon-2022
I won third place in Creative Destruction Lab's Quantum Hackathon in 2022 with this project, which navigates an agent through environments extending into the Quantum Realm. This algorithm aims to demonstrate Quantum Advantage in multiplayer environments.

Transform Data into Insights with Dagster and Deepnote Lecture

Created this 38-lecture course on Udemy with 8.5 hours of video materials. It teaches students how to use Dagster and Deepnote to extract valuable business insights from real-world data. It includes lessons on accessing, cleaning, transforming, and storing data.

SorterBot

https://github.com/simonszalai/sorterbot_cloud
This project controls a small robotic arm to automatically identify, classify and sort small objects with a magnet. It includes control software running on a Raspberry Pi, a control panel web app and a cloud service for inference using YOLO.

Education

2019 - 2020

Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA)

Quantic School of Business and Technology - Online

2010 - 2014

Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry

University of Szeged - Szeged, Hungary

Certifications

AUGUST 2021 - PRESENT

Qiskit Global Summer School on Quantum Machine Learning

IBM

MAY 2020 - PRESENT

Deep Reinforcement Learning Nanodegree

Udacity

OCTOBER 2018 - PRESENT

Deep Learning by Andrew Ng

Coursera

Skills

Libraries/APIs

Node.js, React, Mantine, Stripe, Stripe API, REST APIs, NumPy, PyTorch, Pandas, Matplotlib, SurveyJS, OpenAI API, Google API, Google Sheets API, Vue, Stripe Connect, Scikit-learn, SciPy, SQLAlchemy, Playwright, TensorFlow, OpenCV, Puppeteer, Chart.js, D3.js

Tools

ChatGPT, Expo, Git, Logging, Docker Compose, You Only Look Once (YOLO), Figma, Grafana, Observability Tools, BigQuery, LabVIEW, Photoshop CC, Google Sheets, Amazon SageMaker, Terraform

Languages

TypeScript, Python, JavaScript, Python 3, HTML, SQL, CSS, Go, C++

Frameworks

React Native, Remix, Django, Flask, Tailwind CSS, Qt, Flutter, Redux

Paradigms

Mobile Development, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Web Architecture, UI Design, UX Design, Automation, Agile Software Development, Agile, HIPAA Compliance, Agile Project Management

Platforms

MacOS, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Firebase, Webflow, Linux, Docker, Raspberry Pi, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), AWS Lambda, Webflow CMS, Vercel, WordPress, AWS IoT, Arduino, iOS, Android, Blockchain

Storage

PostgreSQL, Cloud Firestore, Databases, Database Structure, Google Cloud, MongoDB, Google Cloud Storage, NoSQL

Industry Expertise

Web Design

Other

Deepnote, Data Collection, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer Vision, Dagster, Data Science, Data Engineering, OpenAI GPT-3 API, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Prompt Engineering, Machine Learning, Full-stack, APIs, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Full-stack Development, API Integration, Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Architecture, Web Development, Back-end, Integration, Cloud Infrastructure, Software Development, API Design, Metrics, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Web Application Design, Front-end, Virtual Private Servers, Electronic Sensors, Process Simulation, Deep Learning, Predictive Modeling, Object Detection, OpenAI, AI Chatbots, Firebase Cloud Functions, Open-source LLMs, Large Language Models (LLMs), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Model Deployment, Fractional CTO, Statistical Analysis, Regression Modeling, Image Processing, Internet of Things (IoT), CTO, Technical Leadership, Storybook, Business to Business (B2B), MERN Stack, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Architecture, Cloud Storage, K-means Clustering, Clustering Algorithms, Algorithms, Time Series Data, Document Processing, Solution Architecture, Strapi, Payment APIs, Business Administration, Reinforcement Learning, Deep Reinforcement Learning, Quantum Machine Learning, Quantum Computing, ISO Compliance, Robotics, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Google Cloud Functions, Kinde, Progressive Web Applications (PWAs), Fly.io, Recording, Technical Writing, Writing & Editing, Hugging Face, LangChain, Video Analysis, Video Processing, Web Scraping, Website Data Scraping, Data Scraping, Scraping, Ethers.js, Web3

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