Tom is available for hire
Hire TomTom De Nies
Verified Expert in Engineering
Proof of Concept (POC) Developer
Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium
Toptal member since August 18, 2019
Bio
Tom is a highly versatile developer with both a Master's, and a Ph.D. degree in computer science. He has a strong aptitude for Node.js in back-end development, and HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Angular for the front end. With years of experience, he will adapt the best technology for the job, and have your project up and running in no time.
Portfolio
Toptal Client
Buefy, GlobeKit, Vue 2, ECharts, SCSS, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Vue
Qdots
AngularJS, JavaScript, MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js
Strategic Water
AngularJS, JavaScript, MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js
Experience
- HTML - 15 years
- Proof of Concept (POC) - 9 years
- JavaScript - 6 years
- Node.js - 6 years
- Architecture - 6 years
- Angular - 3 years
- Express.js - 3 years
- Vue - 1 year
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
Linux, Heroku, Git, Atom
The most amazing...
...project I've built from the ground up is an entirely new content management and deployment system for chatbots. It works unlike any existing solution.
Work Experience
Front-end Developer
2019 - PRESENT
Toptal Client
- Created and adapted working responsive web pages from design.
- Developed and adapted standard charts for the client's use cases with eCharts.
- Adapted GeoJSON files to use in web-friendly responsive eCharts.
- Built interactive chart components from scratch in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Implemented Vue.js components to be used in various applications.
- Implemented a custom, interactive animated globe for data visualizations using Vue and Globekit.
Technologies: Buefy, GlobeKit, Vue 2, ECharts, SCSS, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Vue
Co-founding Developer
2018 - PRESENT
Qdots
- Built the full technology stack (MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, Node.js) for the prototype’s content management. This startup is creating a novel way to assess compliance awareness through virtual conversational assistants.
- Created an entirely new way of managing and deploying chatbots with another developer and product owner.
- Built the content management system for the application completely from scratch, using the MEAN stack.
- Assisted in demonstrating and pitching the product at several events and to investor panels.
Technologies: AngularJS, JavaScript, MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js
Software Technical Lead
2018 - 2020
Strategic Water
- Oversaw the development of the analytical dashboard’s full technology stack (MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, Node.js). Strategic Water is a Belgian startup, aimed at water technology providers, merging cutting-edge data science with water treatment technologies, to optimize performance and increase sales.
- Adapted the front-end demonstrator I inherited from a previous development sprint, and designed and implemented a back end to match it.
Technologies: AngularJS, JavaScript, MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js
MVP Developer
2017 - 2017
Hyperflow Studio
- Built the first working prototype, based on the founder's designs and mock-ups. Hyperflow.tv is an Australian startup whose main product is a next-generation video tagging platform for connecting people with knowledge and services through media.
- Spearheaded the research and development iteration of eight weeks, during which I worked as the sole developer in close collaboration with the company's founder. The software was capable of presenting an interactive player for online videos, automatically generating semantic annotations, as well as basic manual authoring. The prototype allowed the company to raise new funding, and transition to its next phase.
- Collaborated with the startup's founder to design and implement various improvements and new features to the prototype for the second R&D iteration. These improvements included advanced manual authoring of semantic annotations, data linking and knowledge graph creation, and cross-platform functionality.
Technologies: JavaScript, MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js
Postdoctoral Researcher
2016 - 2016
Ghent University - Imec
- Worked as a postdoctoral researcher at imec - IDLab after obtaining my Ph.D.
- Researched semantic web technologies, provenance, trust assessment, and semantic similarity.
- Acted as research lead of COMBUST, an industry-driven project to improve the trustworthiness of integrated linked data.
Technologies: W3C, LaTeX, CSS, HTML, Java, SPARQL, RDF, Linked Data, Node.js
Researcher
2011 - 2016
Ghent University - iMinds
- Focused main research topics on semantic web and future media.
- Researched the automatic assessment of the value and trustworthiness of content on the web, based on enriched metadata and provenance.
- Contributed to the PROV standard while a member of the W3C Provenance Working Group between 2012 and 2013.
- Assisted in the development of the iMinds project SMIF (Smarter Media in Flanders) and the former VRT Medialab collaborative production platform CHAMP.
- Involved in several national projects in the digital publishing sector, including "Uitgeverij van de Toekomst" (Publisher of the Future).
Technologies: W3C, LaTeX, CSS, HTML, Java, SPARQL, RDF, Linked Data, Node.js
Junior System Engineer
2010 - 2011
RealDolmen
- Deployed in various companies and projects for the installation, configuration, and management of IT infrastructure components. My main domain of expertise was Microsoft SQL Server.
Technologies: Microsoft SQL Server, SQL
Experience
Strategic Water
Strategic Water is a Belgian startup, aimed at water technology providers, merging cutting-edge data science with water treatment technologies, in order to optimize performance and increase sales.
Qdots
At Qdots, we addressed the recurring need at companies to assess the up-to-date knowledge, skills, and compliance levels of their employees. Instead of bombarding them with long, boring tests, we offer a highly personalized virtual assistant that asks them the right questions at the right time, through the channel of their choice.
FanTALES
https://www.fantales.eu/Part of a European research project, FanTALES focuses on fanfiction writing, a form of creative writing that transforms popular media in some way, and develops interactive fiction, a form of non-linear narrative that verges on the world of gaming.
The FanTALES storytelling platform is an open web application that supports transformative storytelling projects in the language classroom. It integrates storytelling prompts and assessment tools and embeds a writing environment where students can collaboratively create linear stories and interactive fiction in Twine. Teachers can create tasks, assign them to (groups of) students, and evaluate their stories.
I was hired to work on the frontend for this application, using Angular and Material Design components.
The FanTALES storytelling platform is an open web application that supports transformative storytelling projects in the language classroom. It integrates storytelling prompts and assessment tools and embeds a writing environment where students can collaboratively create linear stories and interactive fiction in Twine. Teachers can create tasks, assign them to (groups of) students, and evaluate their stories.
I was hired to work on the frontend for this application, using Angular and Material Design components.
Education
2011 - 2016
Ph. D. in Computer Science
Ghent University - Ghent, Belgium
2008 - 2010
Master of Engineering Degree in Computer Science
Ghent University - Ghent, Belgium
2005 - 2008
Bachelor's Degree in Informatics
Ghent University - Ghent, Belgium
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Node.js, Vue, Passport.js, Vue 2, Material 2, Buefy, D3.js, Chart.js
Tools
Mongoose, Git, Atom, LaTeX
Languages
JavaScript, HTML, SPARQL, CSS, SCSS, RDF, Java, TypeScript, SQL
Frameworks
Express.js, Angular, AngularJS
Paradigms
MEAN Stack, W3C
Storage
MongoDB, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL
Platforms
Linux, Heroku
Other
Semantic Web, Writing & Editing, Technical Reports, Proof of Concept (POC), GlobeKit, Data Modeling, Full-stack, Architecture, ECharts, Linked Data
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