Nicholas Hobbs
Professional Summary
Entrepreneurial engineer with a strong foundation in data science, distributed systems, and cybersecurity. My career trajectory began with hands-on threat analysis, evolved into building robust data science tools, designing secure distributed systems, and ultimately launching my own technical ventures. I'm now seeking to apply this unique blend of deep technical skills and business acumen to drive innovation in security-focused or data-driven environments.
Professional Experience
Contract Work
- Focused on entrepreneurial ventures, leveraging a broad range of technical skills to develop and launch new products and services. This period honed my ability to identify market opportunities, rapidly prototype solutions, and manage full-stack development cycles. I have also been able to take some time off for health concerns and to travel.
- Developed and deployed AI/NLP-driven applications using Python and Flask, leveraging MongoDB for data persistence.
- Implemented forecasting and model training pipelines, including A/B testing methodologies to optimize performance.
- Utilized Docker and AWS for containerization and cloud deployment, ensuring scalability and reliability of services.
- Managed and maintained Linux-based environments for development and production.
Software Engineer
- Driven by a passion for Rust and low-level systems design, I contributed to the development of novel smart contracts, focusing on performance, security, and the intricacies of distributed ledger technology.
- Architected and implemented smart contracts in Rust, ensuring secure and efficient execution within a distributed system.
- Developed backend services and microservices using TypeScript and Node.js, integrating with blockchain infrastructure.
- Designed and implemented asynchronous and concurrent programming patterns to optimize system performance.
- Established robust CI/CD pipelines and comprehensive unit testing frameworks to ensure code quality and reliability.
- Contributed to distributed system design and performance optimization for blockchain applications.
Data Scientist
- Managed and contributed to the development of sophisticated data science tools, overseeing projects that spanned from data engineering to the creation of advanced machine learning models in both Python and Java environments.
- Led projects focused on building and optimizing data science tools using Numpy and Pandas for data manipulation and analysis.
- Developed and maintained backend services and RESTful APIs using Java and Kotlin.
- Implemented TensorFlow and LLM-based deep learning models for various data analysis tasks.
- Utilized Dagster for orchestrating complex data engineering pipelines and data architecture.
- Employed Docker and Git for version control, containerization, and collaborative development.
Data Analyst
- Engaged with leading experts in machine learning and data loss prevention to develop and refine models for identifying and protecting sensitive information, gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge NLP techniques.
- Contributed to the development and evaluation of PyTorch-based NLP models for data loss prevention.
- Applied principles of experimental design and data selection to optimize model performance and generalizability.
- Gained practical experience with the application of LLMs in security contexts.
Cybersecurity Analyst
- Performed anomaly detection and investigated security incidents using Splunk.
- Applied deep understanding of networking fundamentals to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
- Implemented and enforced security best practices, data governance, and data privacy protocols.
Education
B.S. in Mathematics and Statistics
2012 – 2017
- Data Science Fellowship: Sorenson Impact Center (2017)
- Conducted econometric analysis and built predictive models for social impact projects.
- Exchange Programs: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Mathematics) & Nankai University (Mandarin Chinese) (2013)
- Relevant Coursework: Cryptography, Number Theory, Statistical Inference, Statistical Programming, Stochastic Processes.