Sr. Software Engineer

Over a decade of professional experience in the development of compilers, software tools, and programming at the software-hardware interface on both production and pre-production platforms.

Skills and Expertise

• C, C++, Java, Common Lisp, Scheme (extensive programming experience)
• HTML, Javascript, Prolog, Pascal, Ada, Standard ML, Smalltalk (working knowledge)
• Compilers: parsing, semantic analysis, code generation, optimization
• Static program analysis and verification tools
• Dynamic binary translation and VM-based language runtimes
• Industry-standard PC (x86) platform architecture
• Hardware-level (device driver/kernel) programming and debugging
• Hardware lab procedures and use of test equipment, e.g., PCI and USB bus analyzers
• Implementation of interactive programming environments (“on-the-fly” analysis)
• Programming language extensibility and generative programming

Professional Experience

Adobe Systems, San Jose, CA (12/2009-present)

Sr. Computer Scientist - SW Dev.

Virtual machine development for Actionscript (extended Javascript with bytecodes and types).

• Co-developer of AVM4 runtime for the Flash Player Next project.
• Currently principal maintainer of the Actionscript VM in the Adobe Flash Runtime.

Cadence Design Systems, San Jose, CA (9/2008-1/2009)

Architect

Member of a four-person team building Newspeak, a Smalltalk-derived language and platform for collaborative networked applications. (Project terminated and position eliminated in restructuring.)

• Slimmed down the Squeak virtual machine for Newspeak and prepared it for external release.
• Performed preliminary design of VM-level object serialization mechanism to allow bootstrapping from an empty Squeak VM without a base image.

Google, Mountain View, CA (4/2007-9/2008)

Software Engineer

As member of C/C++ compiler team, contributed to ongoing GCC community compiler development efforts, including gimple-tuples and LTO (link-time optimizer) branches. Also performed compatibility testing of application codebase against new compiler releases.

• Implemented serialization of types and global declarations for LTO.
• Converted optimization passes to new tuples-based IR.
• Corrected issues in Google codebase revealed by new compiler releases.

Transmeta Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (11/2000-3/2007)

Member of the Technical Staff

Implemented enhancements and fixes to Code Morphing Software (CMS) for Crusoe and Efficeon processors. Implemented validation and optimization tools.

• Developed CMS workaround for USB transfer glitches that had become a major customer issue.
• Implemented virtualized (CMS-emulated) northbridge configuration and legacy VGA interface for Crusoe-derived system-on-a-chip.
• Adapted CMS power management code for the new SOC platform.
• Implemented thermal diode calibration mechanism for Efficeon CMS.
• Diagnosed CMS failures during Efficeon bringup and validation.
• Identified a race condition in the Linux kernel pagefault handler as the actual cause of system failures originally attributed to CMS.
• Extended static pipeline hazard checking tool to check dynamic translations generated by CMS, closing a significant gap in testing coverage.
• Implemented core infrastructure for link-time “whole program” optimizer; retained responsibility for core architecture for duration of project.

Sun Microsystems, Cupertino, CA (6/1997-10/2000)

Staff Engineer

Technical lead for the JDK reference compiler (‘javac’) in the Java Software division.

• Transitioned compiler to new purchased codebase, including acceptance testing, preparing early-access release, and adapting for full command-line compatibility with previous compiler.
• Coordinated with compiler vendor; relayed bug reports and integrated code drops.
• Directed work of additional half-time engineer working on the compiler.
• Presented compiler roadmap and fielded community feedback at annual JDK Tools and Libraries birds-of-a-feather session at JavaOne.

Member of the Technical Staff

Member of the ‘javac’ engineering team.

• Evaluated, prioritized, and resolved compiler bug reports. Provided feedback to users and licensees.
• Corrected numerous failures of reference compiler to conform to published language specification, allowing company to strengthen conformance testing of licensee products.
• Coordinated closely with Java specification lead during preparation of JLS 2e to assure resolution of errors and omissions in the first edition exposed by bug reports against the compiler.
• Co-authored white paper on the eve of annual JavaOne trade event to counter competitive attack.
• Advised JDK project management team in rotating role of engineering liaison (“Lead Engineer”) during development of JDK 1.2.2.

Additional Relevant Experience

Graduate Student Researcher, UC Berkeley

• Designed and implemented incremental “on-the-fly” static semantic analyzer for language-based programming environments. System translated declarative specification of constraints into an executable analyzer.
  Dissertation available online.
• Developed extensible language and compiler permitting user-definition of additional language constructs while retaining robust error reporting and static typechecking.
  Report available online.

Research Programmer, Carnegie-Mellon University

• Designed and implemented code generator for an Ada compiler.
• Developed attribute grammar evaluator generator for static semantic analysis in a transformation-based programming environment.

Education

• Doctor of Philosphy, Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley
• Master of Science, Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley
• Bachelor of Science, Applied Mathematics, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh

Other

• Member Association for Computing Machinery
• Member IEEE Computer Society
• Awarded AT&T Bell Laboratories Scholarship
• Avid collector of vintage minicomputers from the 1960s and 1970s