I am a driven, practical and sociable junior web developer. I trained as a scientist, and now I'm looking for a new challenge in software development. I've just completed the Maker's 12-week course; please feel free to look around my Github.
I have 8 years' experience in commercial enterprise and world-class research institutions. I thrive in a collaborative environment and love to teach myself, whether it's programming, cooking, or geography. I find coding fascinating because of its contrasting natures of pedantry and creativity: how solving sticky coding problems requires rigid logic combined with lateral thinking.
I'm seeking a large company, preferably with training structures in place, access to professional mentors, and clear career progression.
| Name | Description | Tech/tools |
|---|---|---|
| Scrummy final project | A location-based mobile app for street food markets Video of presentation |
MongoDB, Mongoose, Express, React Native, Node.js, and Google Maps API |
| Poké | A Facebook webapp clone, supporting different user logins & authentication, posts and comments (both editable within a timeframe), and liking/unliking | Ruby on Rails, jQuery, postgreSQL, Canva, Bootstrap, Heroku, circleCI, Commontator, Acts-as-favoritor, Devise |
| Tech tests | Tech tests to mock those found in the hiring process. Emphasis on clean, DRY, flexible, and altruistic code | Ruby with RSpec testing framework |
| Single-page notes app | A single-page webapp to save users' notes to local storage and toggle display | Vanilla JavaScript with Jasmine testing framework |
| Monarch MakersBnb | An Airbnb webapp clone, supporting different user logins, owner/renter identities, listings, and acceptance of bookings | Ruby and Sinatra, with RSpec and Capybara testing framework |
| AD Gene app | An RShiny app to help identify genetic targets for Alzheimer therapies | R, RShiny, Javascript, jQuery, HTML |
Eli Lilly (08-2018 to 01-2019)
Bioinformatician
Global pharmaceutical company at which I worked with sensitive data. I rapidly taught myself RShiny and used it to build an app to collate and present relevant data to help identify new genetic targets for Alzheimer disease. I worked with my team and manager to identify which visualisations and analysis would be most useful, and worked alone to create a useful, scientifically sound app with arresting graphics. It was incorporated into the drug development process and allowed earlier focus on drugs with relevant targets, reducing costs. [Tech: R, RShiny, JavaScript, HTML, CSS]
UBC (09-2016 to 05-2018)
Trainee bioinformatician
World-class research institution The Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver at which I analysed tumour genomes with R. I also worked with a team at a weekend hackathon to write tutorials for lesser-known clustering algorithms, which were then adopted by professors as teaching aids. [Tech: R, Rmarkdown]
Healx (01-2016 to 08-2016) Trainee bioinformatician and science writer
Biotech startup at which I learnt simple Python scripting and used it to identify funding sources from publicly available data. I also wrote the company blog to communicate rare disease theory to patients, patient families and potential investors.
Self-led learning
During my time at UBC, Eli Lilly, and Maker's, I used the tools at my disposal to pick up new technologies rapidly. I used a combination of walkthroughs, targeted Google/StackOverflow searches, and documentation pages to build up my own knowledge and confidence. I learnt how to identify when I need hands-on experimenting with the code, and when I would make more progress if I took a step back and delved deeper into the theory behind it. Owing to the anarchic and satellite nature of programming, whatever resource you seek, the internet will have it; it's just a matter of knowing how to find it. During the last 16 weeks, I've got to grips with two programming languages (Ruby and JavaScript), and built projects using dozens of other tools. I've attended five external reviews to evaluate information gathering from a client, programming level, debugging, process, and modelling, and taken on board feedback from each to improve iteratively.
Accuracy
While working as a copy editor, I honed a keen eye for spelling and grammar errors. I worked for a globally renowned journal, so their reputation was on the line, and I took this responsibility seriously. This skill translates well to coding: I can always spot a missing full stop or an extraneous bracket, and am happy to pass on the info. Luckily in coding it's always received well, as it prevents confusing bugs later down the line and allows the team to focus on the problem.
Resilience
As a data cleanser at the NHS, my role was to remove personal identifying information from incident reports such that they complied with GDPR data regulations. There was often a large backlog of reports to clear, making it an extremely repetitive role, in which I often cleared over 1000 records per day. I focused on the end goal of better patient care and frequently challenged myself to top my previous highest score, without compromising on quality.
Makers Academy (01-2021 to 03-2021)
Process and theory
| Object-oriented programming | Version control | XP values |
| Test-driven development | Pair programming | Agile processes |
| Behaviour-driven development | Team building | MVC |
Tech and tools
| Ruby | JavaScript | HTML | jQuery | CircleCI | RSpec |
| React Native | Ruby on Rails | Sinatra | Bootstrap | Canva | Jasmine |
| Node.js | Sinatra | Heroku | CSS | PostgreSQL | Capybara |
University of Manchester (09-2009 to 06-2012)
Biochemistry ║ 2i ║ Dissertation: Matlab analysis of spectra to observe protein aggregation
Amateur linguist ║ Country music fan ║ Doting plant owner ║ Low-skilled but enthusiastic member of a netball team