CV / Resume

About

Experienced software engineer, manager, and researcher with background in messaging/eventing, enterprise-level backend development, Data Science, Computer Vision, and Machine Learning.

Technical skill set includes C++, Python, Java, and Go development, systems design/architecture, data analysis, cloud engineering, and communication.

Technical Strengths

Core Programming Languages

Go, C/C++, Python, Java, C#, Javascript/Typescript, Shell Scripting

Domain Knowledge

Backend Development, Systems Engineering, Eventing / Messaging, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Computer Graphics, Signal Processing, Mobile Development (Android)

Frameworks

Gin, Flask, Node.js, Spring, OpenCV, Tensorflow, Keras, Flask, Android, SDL, OpenGL, MPI, Qt

Databases

MySQL, Postgres, CosmosDB, Redis, Prometheus (time-series), ElasticSearch

Observability

Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, OpenTelemetry, Jaeger

Messaging / Eventing

Nats, Kafka, Google PubSub, Azure EventHubs, Azure ServiceBus

Cloud Providers

Azure, GCP

Cloud Technologies

Docker, Kubernetes

Testing

Go Test, Testify, gunit, junit, pytest, GoogleTest, Jest

Additional Tools

Git, Latex, Bash

Operating Systems

Linux, Windows, MacOS

Work Experience

Staff Software Engineer

Dallas, TX – March 2020 – Present

I am currently a technical leader for a team that maintains a high-performance eventing and messaging platform used internally within Sam’s Club. This platform focuses on industry-leading scalability and efficiency, allowing us to process billions of messages weekly.

My core responsibilities include platform architecture and design, writing and reviewing code in an agile environment, team mentoring and management, and overall product direction.

Relevant technologies include Java, Go, Python, and Node.js development, Kubernetes (Azure and Google Cloud environments), Nats, MySQL, Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, and OpenTelemetry.

Skills: Team Leadership · Requirements Analysis · Software Development · Software Architecture · Go · Java · Python · Programming · Data Analysis · Microsoft Azure

Senior Software Engineer

Dallas, TX – May 2019 – March 2020

I was part of an internal research team focused on the retail applications of computer vision and deep learning. In this role, I helped to architect and implement a state-of-the-art computer vision platform used for in-store loss prevention. Relevant technologies included C++/Python development, Tensorflow, Pytorch, TensorRT, OpenCV, ffmpeg, and various Azure technologies (including CosmosDB, ServiceBus, EventHub, and App Services).

My team also built a customized search engine with NLP functionality for Sam’s Club Now. Relevant technologies included Python, Flask, Kubernetes, and several CI/CD tools internal to Walmart.

Skills: Team Leadership · Requirements Analysis · Software Development · Software Architecture · Machine Learning · C++ · Python · Programming · Research · Data Analysis · Microsoft Azure · Computer Vision

Senior Statistical Analyst, Programmer III –  Sam’s Club Technology

Dallas, TX – June 2018 – May 2019
I was part of an internal research team focused on the retail applications of computer vision and deep learning. I was part of an internal research team focused on the retail applications of computer vision and deep learning.

Skills: Software Development · Machine Learning · C++ · Python · Programming · Research · Data Analysis · Microsoft Azure · Computer Vision

Research Assistant – University of Arkansas & JBHT Inc.

Fayetteville, AR & Lowell, AR – Summer 2017 – Summer 2018
PIs: Dr. Xiaoqing Liu, Dr. Michael Gashler

Worked closely with JBHT on a proprietary recommendation engine. Handled feature engineering, model design, and integration efforts.

Course Instructor – University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR – Summer 2016 & Summer 2017

• Programming Foundations I
• Programming Foundations II

Teaching Assistant – University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR – Fall 2015 – Spring 2017

• Programming Foundations I
• Programming Foundations II
• Computer Organization

Research Assistant – University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR – Fall 2012 – Summer 2015
Advisor: Dr. Tingxin Yan

Developed prototype solutions for several research problems, conducted experiments to validate proposed solutions, and co-authored written conclusions with research advisor.

Intern, Information Technology Department – Carroll Electric Cooperative Corporation

Berryville, AR – Summer 2011 & Summer 2012

Developed software for internal corporate use, performed system maintenance and repair, assisted with networking, electrical wiring, and other systems management issues.

Education

Ph.D Computer Science – May 2018

• University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
• Overall GPA: 4.0

M.S. Computer Science – May 2015

• University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
• Overall GPA: 4.0

B.S. Computer Science – December 2012

• University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
• Summa Cum Laude
• Minor in Mathematics
• Overall GPA: 3.97

Research Interests

Context-aware Computing, including Machine Learning, Artificial Neural Networks, General Computer Graphics, Image Recognition, Nonlinear Optimization, Mobile Computing, and Energy-efficient Context Sensing

Selected Industry Projects

Autonomous Shrinkage Detection System – Sam’s Club Technology

December 2018 – March 2020

Part of a team that designed and implemented an automatic shrinkage detection system for use at the front end of Sam’s Club stores. The system recognizes items that are part of a member’s cart but not paid for and sends alerts appropriately. Relevant technologies used include: Tensorflow, TensorRT Inference Server, Nebula Orchestrator, Azure Service Bus, FFmpeg RTSP integration, OpenCV, Pybind11, and Azure CosmosDB. My component is responsible for efficiently streaming live video feeds from 34 simultaneous cameras, processing those frames (including performing item detection and recognition), and forwarding the results to other stages in the pipeline.

Context-aware Search Engine – Sam’s Club Technology

September 2018 – November 2018

Designed and implemented a “smart search” API as part of the Sam’s Club Now project. NLP functionality was used to enhance relevance of user-provided queries. The application was written in Python using Flask, containerized using Docker, and deployed to Azure. Relevant technologies used include: Redis caches, Google Firebase, Azure CosmosDB, ElasticSearch (via a Kubernetes cluster), and Stanford CoreNLP. The search API is invoked 1000+ times daily in production.

Load-based Recommendation System – JB Hunt, Inc.

Summer 2017 – Summer 2018

Built a proprietary recommendation system in partnership with JB Hunt to assist in pairing drivers with loads. System was implemented in Java and relied on a custom Neural Network-based model.

Selected Research Projects

Application of Machine Learning to Context Awareness

Advisor: Dr. Michael S. Gashler University of Arkansas, May 2016 – May 2018

Explored several experimental techniques to apply modern machine learning methods (e.g. Artificial Neural Networks) to important problems in the field of Context Awareness including Logical Status Inference, Depth-based Positioning, and Image Recognition. Such techniques include taking advantage of sparse inputs and parameters, applying novel regularization schemes that guide learning, and exploring novel architectures and components specific to the Context Awareness domain.

Context Sensing and Inference for Mobile Systems

Advisor: Dr. Tingxin Yan University of Arkansas, August 2013 – May 2016

Design and implement a continuous energy-efficient virtual sensing framework for mobile systems. The framework incorporates individual usage statistics such as application usage, notication responses, screen status (on or off), and connected network information, as well as data from hardware sensors such as traditional RGB and depth cameras into a single inference engine capable of efficiently enabling human behavior analysis and prediction. This enables multiple context-driven mobile services such as logical activity recognition (e.g. isWorking), application prelaunching, and notication batching, as well as recommender systems and targeted mobile ads. I was the primary developer of the framework.

Papers & Publications

• Learning Resolution-independent Image Representations Jon C. Hammer & Michael S. Gashler, In Proceedings of IEEE ICCI*CC 2018. Berkeley, CA, July 2018.
• Improving the Efficacy of Context-Aware Applications  Jon C. Hammer, University of Arkansas 2018. (Doctoral Dissertation)
• Expanding the Capabilities of Mobile Systems to Enable Enhanced Context-Awareness Jon C. Hammer, University of Arkansas 2016. (Dissertation Proposal)
• Enabling Usage Pattern-based Logical Status Inference for Mobile Phones
  Jon C. Hammer, University of Arkansas 2016. (Master’s Thesis)
• Inferring Mobile User Status with Usage Cues Jon C. Hammer & Tingxin Yan, Computer Magazine, 48 (6), 34-40, 2015.
• Exploiting Usage Statistics for Energy-efficient Logical Status Inference on Mobile Phones
  Jon C. Hammer & Tingxin Yan, In Proceedings of ACM ISWC 2014. Seattle, WA, September 2014.
• Poster: A Virtual Sensing Framework for Mobile Phones
  Jon C. Hammer & Tingxin Yan, In Proceedings of ACM MobiSys 2014. Bretton Woods, NH, June 2014.
• The Design and Implementation of a Mobile Game Engine for the Android Platform
  Jon C. Hammer, Advisor: Dr. John Gauch, University of Arkansas 2012. (Honors Thesis)

Patents

Patent Number	Title	Link
US-20210019725-A1	SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING UNPAID ITEMS IN RETAIL STORE TRANSACTIONS	PDF
US-20210150245-A1	SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING TEXT IN IMAGES	PDF
US-20220383383-A1	SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CHECKING AND CONFIRMING THE PURCHASE OF MERCHANDISE ITEMS	PDF
US-11620839-B2	Systems and methods for detecting text in images	PDF
US-20230222825-A1	SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING TEXT IN IMAGES	PDF

Honors & Awards

• Sam’s Club Technology – Making A Difference Award – October 2022
• Sam’s Club Technology – Making A Difference Award – Fall 2019
• University of Arkansas ACM Hackathon, 1st place – March 2016
• MobiSys 2014 Best Poster Award
• University of Arkansas ACM Hackathon, 1st place – May 2014
• MobiSys 2014 Travel Grant Award recipient – April 2014
• Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship recipient – May 2013
• University of Arkansas Computer Science Department: Outstanding Senior – May 2012
• Summa Cum Laude – December 2012
• Arkansas Academic Competitiveness Grant recipient August 2010 – December 2012
• University of Arkansas Dean’s List August 2008 – December 2012
• University of Arkansas Chancellor’s List August 2008 – December 2012
• Chancellor’s Scholarship recipient August 2008 – May 2012

Hobbies

• Puzzle solving – Especially Rubik’s cubes and other similar twisty puzzles.
• Music – I played trumpet in the concert, marching, and pep bands all throughout high school and college, and I’ve performed in many choral ensembles. I also play piano and guitar!
• Casual programming – I’m usually working on one or more personal projects in my spare time.