Dr Robin Neville

Enthusiastic and capable Software Engineer based in Utrecht 🇳🇱

Email / GitHub / LinkedIn / Google Scholar

Experience 🧑‍💻

Backend Engineer @ Deliverect (Oct 2023-present)
Food ordering aggregator integrates restaurant POS systems with delivery platforms.

• Task scheduling service
  • Replacement for scheduled tasks in Celery
  • Wrote the python client library + docs
  • Learned Kubernetes and wrote the Helm charts
• Web crawling project
  • Authored a RFC for modular crawlers
  • Pushed for better code quality + planning
  • Contributed to architecture discussions
• Technologies used: Python, FastAPI, MongoDB, Postgres, Docker, Kubernetes

Backend Engineer @ Tranzer (Feb 2020–Apr 2023)
Mobility aggregator that enables door-to-door planning and ticketing in the Netherlands and Europe.

• Wrote code in many areas of the core backend, from integrations of external services, to new API endpoints.
• Proposed and implemented several important new features within the core planning + ticketing flow
• Set up new microservices and volunteered to help maintain existing ones.
• Built an open-source versioning library that is now used in the core backend and one microservice.
• Provided guidance and mentoring for newer members of the team.
• Involved in the creation, reviewing, and deploying of the production release.
• Technologies used: Python, Django REST Framework, pytest, TypeScript

EPSRC Doctoral Prize Research Fellow @ University of Bristol (Apr 2017–Apr 2019)

• Designed & built a custom robot for experiments
• Developed software in LabVIEW to control the robot, capture sensor data, and execute test algorithms
• Wrote equipment drivers to ensure safe operation of Instron test machine
• Self-taught the LabVIEW & electronics skills required for the project
• Used Python to produce animated videos of experimental results
• Published papers in Phys. Rev. Lett. and Proc. R. Soc. A

Technical skills 🦾

• Python (since 2013)
• Rust (since 2024)
• Go (since 2023)
• Docker, Kubernetes
• Web APIs (Django REST framework, FastAPI)
• Unit + integration testing
• OOP and functional programming
• Writing maintainable / scalable code
• Version control (git flows – hotfixes, production releases)
• Creating microservices
• Logging + monitoring (NodeRed, Elastic, Kibana)
• Creating PyPI packages
• Documenting code (commitizen, mkdocs, mike)
• Organising & processing complex datasets
• Real-time event-based systems (LabVIEW, Pygame)

Personal skills 🫂

• Problem solving
• Independent working
• Self-teaching
• Communication (written & oral)
• Teaching / mentoring
• Attention to detail
• Motivation & focus
• Creativity
• Presenting complex data to specialist and non-specialist audiences

Currently learning 📖

• Rust
• Go
• Devops + CI/CD
• SQL

Education 🎓

PhD in Aerospace Engineering
University of Bristol, University of Bristol (2011–2016)

• Competitive 4-year PhD course in which the first year consists of taught components and the remaining 3 years comprise the PhD research project
• Taught myself Python to automate numerical simulations.
• Worked as a teaching assistant in 1st/2nd year programming (Matlab) courses

MEng in Aerospace Engineering (2:1)
University of Bristol (2007–2011)

• Achieved 1st class honours on my final year research project (Kirigami Cellular Structures)

Projects I'm proud of 👾

See also my github

• yes-chef -- a Python CLI recipe manager
• packtrack -- a Rust CLI for tracking packages
• Versioning library for Django REST Framework
• Object-oriented expansion of Pygame
  • Which I used to create a (sort of) clone of the Chrome dinosaur game
• My Advent of Code solutions (in several languages)
• abstrat -- a Rust CLI for Abstract Strategy Games

Volunteering / outreach 🫶

MakerShack contributor @ Cheltenham Science Festival (June 2017 & 2018)

• Designed and ran interactive activity stalls aimed mainly at schoolchildren.
• Trained other volunteers to help run the stalls.
• Stall topics included laser cutting and sand pendulums.

Accomplishments 🥲

• 1st place @ Tranzer internal Advent of Code competition (2022) 🌟

Public speaking 🎤

• Invited talk @ Bristol Bright Night festival (Sep 2015)
• Invited talk @ BuroHappold's Bath office (Sep 2015)
• Finalist @ University of Bristol Three Minute Thesis competition (Jun 2015)

Hobbies 🎸

• Ukulele / guitar / bass
• Reduction linocut
• rock climbing
• gaming
• ...and coding of course.

Languages 🗣️

🇬🇧 English: native
🇳🇱 Dutch: native
🇪🇸 Spanish: can order a cerveza