YaleThomas

1 (314) 630 9258lordchair@gmail.comlinkedingithub
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profile

Full-stack software engineer working end-to-end across web, backend, and ML; experience includes startups, Google, Amazon, and Meta. A particular passion of mine is using machine learning to answer questions and surface information that would otherwise be too difficult to communicate. I believe that we are quickly moving towards a time where the boundary between user and computer will fade and I want to help us get there.

timeline

RdiordioPandorapandoraTophattertophatterGooglegoogleAmazonamazonMetameta'14'16'18'20'22'24'26

work

Meta — Software Engineer, Machine Learning Generalist

2024 — now

python·Hack·pytorch

  • ML engineer on Instagram's Relevance Labs team, building and shipping new recommendation features.
  • Worked on the initial launch of Friendly Viewer (shows which of your friends liked a post with little profile bubbles).
  • Brought Blend through global launch (combine your algorithm with a friend's in a DM thread).
  • Initial engineer on Your Algorithm; built the prototype with two other coworkers and currently own "see less" (users tell the algorithm which topics they want to see more or less of).

Amazon — Software Engineer, Robotics AI

2022 — 2023

python·pytorch·AWS

  • Initially worked on computer vision for warehouse robotics.
  • Completed a camera calibration project before transitioning to a damage detection team due to team merger.
  • Delivered detailed analyses and trained models for integration into the final Mixture of Experts (MoE) model.
  • Contributed a model instrumental in achieving the team's year-end accuracy goal for the MoE system.
  • After we hit the year-end goal, my team and sibling teams were eliminated in a broad reorg.

Google — Dialer Team Software Engineer

2019 — 2022

java·kotlin·android

  • Co-inventor of the patent for automatic call screening, improving Android's default Phone app.
  • Collaborated with a large team to build the automatic call screening feature.
  • Worked with one other coworker to prototype a new test framework that is now in use to run the same test suite as unit/emulator/device tests.
  • Handled client side implementation of the initial i18n pilot for call screen (Japanese support).
  • Implemented and launched caller tags, a less specific type of caller ID that tells users what type of business is calling.
  • Set up crowdsourcing flows to continually improve our caller ID/tag coverage.
  • Built server side pipeline for internationalizing and hosting the set of available caller tags. Continuing work on server side heuristics/anti abuse policy to choose caller tags based on past feedback.

Tophatter — Full Stack Software Engineer

2017 — 2018

rails·coffeescript·python·spark·tensorflow

  • Spent a hack week on web performance; implemented viewport rendering and improved mobile web performance, producing a stat-sig +6% new-user conversion and +4% total web revenue.
  • Started off working on front end web. Demoed a react version of Tophatter but didn't get support to move forward with it.
  • Learned Rails and transitioned to full stack.
  • Pitched and worked with a team of 3 to build a collaborative filtering model for product recommendation.
  • Worked with team of 3 to rebuild product deduplication pipeline from the ground up. Used neural networks to process item features into a few feature vectors, generated candidates using faiss vector similarity search, judged if candidates were actually duplicates using a random forest.
  • Pitched, designed, and built a human review queue for our model to get ground truth data for product deduplication. This improved the performance of a NN I had set aside before to the point where it replaced the random forest model. Closed the training loop so the system will continue to improve with time.
  • Infrastructure work on data pipelines. Built service that efficiently tracks recent user-product interactions using ring buffers in redis.

Pandora — Web Team Engineer

2015 — 2017

JS (react)·HTML·CSS

  • Worked on angular UI for a tool for artists to send messages to their listeners.
  • Spent last year and a half working on complete react rewrite of web client.
  • Implemented Pandora Premium subscription tier on web.

Rdio — Web Team Engineer

2014 — 2015

JS (backbone) (react)·HTML·CSS·SQL·python

  • Grew into working effectively on a software team during my time here.
  • Dropped out of school to pursue a full time software engineering position.
  • Worked on "music feed", the final rdio.com homepage page.
  • Pitched, created, and deployed a viewport tracker for the content on our homepage.
  • Implemented Rdio Select subscription tier on web.

Facebook — Site Integrity Team Intern

2013

PHP·HTML·CSS

  • Worked with content review staff to improve internal tools that had been slowing them down.
  • Really enjoyed the challenge of making an interface that is intuitive and looks good.
  • Productivity could have been better, I was afraid of asking for help because I wanted to look smart. I learned from my experience.

WASHU — Medical Imaging Dept. Intern

2012

java·HTML

  • Worked with a self directed team of 3 on tool for XDS medical document transfer protocol.
  • Built test endpoint with ability to select custom datasets that contained relevant file formats.
  • Just enough HIPAA training that I am terrified of touching any medical documents for fear of getting sued.

education

UIUC

2011 — 2014
  • Studied Materials Science and Computer Science.
  • Eclectic class list.
  • 2nd place in Microsoft Windows Phone hackathon. I won a copy of viva pinata.
  • Participated in Engineering Open House the last 2 years I was there.
  • Dropped out after 3 years to pursue a full time software engineering position.
class list
CS 125Intro to CS
CS 196Freshman Honors
HIST 253Enlight. to Existentialsm
MATH 231Calculus II
MATH 299Topics in Mathematics
MSE 100Engineering Orientation
MSE 182Intro to MatSE
PHIL 101Intro to Philosophy
ANTH 101Intro to Anthropology
GEOL 107Physical Geology
MATH 241Calculus III
MATH 415Applied Linear Algebra
PHYS 211Univ Physics: Mechanics
MATH 285Intro Differential Eq.
MATH 463Statistics and Probability
PHIL 202Symbolic Logic
PHYS 212Univ Physics: Elec & Mag
CS 225Data Structures
CS 357Numerical Methods I
HIST 461Russia: Peter the Great
PHYS 213Univ Physics: Thermal
PHYS 214Univ Physics: Quantum
ARTD 215Introduction to Typography
ATMS 120Sev. & Hazardous Weather
CS 173Discrete Structures
CS 440Artificial Intelligence
CHEM 232Organic Chemistry
CPSC 116Global Food Production
MSE 206Mechanics for MatSE
MSE 450Polymer Science & Eng.

St. Louis Priory School

2006 — 2011
  • Tutored Chemistry and Physics for school program. Then proceeded to start much more lucrative independent classroom-style prep courses for Chemistry that I ran for the summers of 2011-12.
  • National Merit Semi-Finalist
  • FIRST robotics team 1329 leader

projects

Travel

2024

communication·adaptability

  • Went on an extended honeymoon with my wonderful wife.
  • Cities in order visited -> Austin -> Chicago -> Orlando -> New Orleans -> St. Louis -> (green card!) -> Singapore -> Chaing Mai -> Bangkok -> Taipei -> Taichung -> Seoul -> Shanghai -> Singapore -> Kuala Lumpur -> Ho Chi Minh City -> Hanoi -> Sydney -> Istanbul -> Alacati -> Pamukkale -> Cappadocia -> Bucharest -> Budapest -> Vienna -> Amsterdam -> Rome -> New York -> St. Louis -> Tokyo -> Hakuba -> Hiroshima -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Tokyo -> Singapore -> Chiang Mai -> Singapore

Noter

2024

python·annoy (vector database)·huggingface transformers·openAI API·HTML

  • AI assisted note taking app that embeds your notes and uses a vector database to retrieve notes similar to the one being edited.
  • Automatic summarization of all notes.
  • Powered by local models or the OpenAI API if you provide an API key.
  • Learning project to brush up on retrieval augmented generation (openAI can sumarize similar notes in the context of the note being edited).

GraphTV

2017

JS·HTML·CSS

  • Super bare bones site that visualizes TV shows imdb episode ratings.
  • Inspired by the great late http://graphtv.kevinformatics.com/
  • Try it out by clicking on the title above. Just enter a TV show name, hit enter, click on result.

React Resume

2015

JS (react)·HTML·CSS

  • This very page you are looking at!
  • Rewrote my resume in react for practice.
  • Periodically updated to keep skills up to date, see link for more info on the git page.

text analyzer webapp

2014

JS·HTML·CSS

  • Web app that visualizes word usage throughout long documents (think book series).
  • First attempt at webapp personal project.
  • Created about halfway through my last internship to test out web dev skills.
  • Try it out by clicking on the title above

Engineering Open House

2013 — 2014

hardware·Arduino C·PureData (never again)

  • EOH is a school wide tech demo.
  • 2013 - Designed, helped assemble, and programmed a Ferrofluid Music Visualizer.
  • 2014 - Designed, built, and programmed a Morse Code Keyboard.

FIRST Robotics

2006 — 2011

hardware·java

  • Team 1329 leader from 2008-2011
  • Head of mechanics team.
  • Learned how to manage a group of high school underclassmen through a large project.