Hi there! I’m a graphics programmer at Bad Robot Games, working on rendering performance and features for a new unannounced title at the studio.
Previously, at Deviation Games, I worked on custom rendering features in Unreal Engine 5, such as signed distance field raymarching, portal rendering, and GPU tessellation.
At Google Stadia R&D, I worked on neural rendering research for fur rendering, and released the SyntheticFur dataset in collaboration with Google Brain and Stadia.
At Rockstar Games, I worked as an AI engineer to optimize physics and animation performance for Red Dead Redepmtion 2.
Tech
- Proficient: C/C++, GPU shader programming
- Secondary: Rust, Python, C#, Javascript
- Graphics APIs: Vulkan, DirectX, WebGL, OpenGL
- Software: Unreal, Unity, Houdini, Blender
Work
SERNIOR GRAPHICS ENGINEER, BAD ROBOT GAMES - JAN 2024 - Present
Established technical direction for all real-time graphics systems to deliver custom rendering features and optimize GPU performance targeting 60FPS, addressing stalls, hitches, shader compilation, crashes, and budget assets size to fit in memory on different PCs specs and PS5. Provided consistent, on time and high quality cross-functional support for tech arts, lighting, VFX, and QA teams as I worked carefully to understand their needs and requirements. Designed and built a networked modular lighting system to support dynamic time of day, weather, and post processing effects to enhance the game visual experience. Trained QA and engineers to understand performance considerations for real-time needs, and to be able to package and profile the game on target platforms, with the goal to align the team’s mindset to be performance first. Coordinated with animation engineers to establish scalable performance regression workflows and used Claude Code to develop artist-friendly dashboard for in-game memory report viewer.
GRAPHICS ENGINEER, DEVIATION GAMES - MAY 2021 - JAN 2024
Implemented real-time signed distance field ray marching for animated characters in Unreal. This feature uses skinned point clouds as an underlying data structure. Collaborated with the R&D team and gameplay engineers to integrate for enemy combat system. Worked on various rendering features, including portal rendering and GPU tessellation.
ML ENGINEER, GOOGLE STADIA - OCT 2019 - MAY 2021
Advocated for and applied neural rendering research toward solving real-time graphics problems for video games. My focuses were AI art generation and high fidelity fur rendering. Worked on generating custom 3D datasets using Houdini and Blender, training generative machine learning models with Google infrastructure, parameter tuning, and interfacing novel workflows with artists.
AI PROGRAMMER, ROCKSTAR GAMES - 2017 - 2019
Analyzed and optimized performance for AI systems in Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar’s premier narrative-driven, open world video game title with deep AI interactions. Specifically worked to improve the C++ game code for LOD management of AI physics, weapon and combat systems, transport systems, and pathfinding systems for PS4 and XBox. Worked on general AI and animation optimization for several specific scripted in-game missions as well as miscellaneous performance bugs in the final weeks before release.
TOOLS PROGRAMMER INTERN, EPIC GAMES - 2016
Implemented VR editing tools for Unreal Engine 4. The tools include terrain editing, virtual keyboards, and foliage painting for level editing. These tools were introduced in the Unreal 4.13 and 4.14 updates.
FIRMWARE ENGINEER, JAWBONE — 2012-2014
Developed infrastructure and applications for the UP3 fitness wristband on ARM Cortex and iOS platforms. This included the BTLE protocol, authentication and encryption between devices and the mobile app, activity classification collection tools, peripheral drivers, USB interface, and UX.
RESEARCH ASSISTANT, UW SENSOR LAB+INTEL LAB — 2010-2012
Designed a GUI with Python QT for the systems used in Wireless Resonant Energy Link (WREL) research. The software supports data collection, data visualization, wireless control, and power diagnostics. Over the years, this software has been extended for use at the startup company Wibotic and in other research ventures.
Education
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA — MSE Computer Graphics, 2017
- University of Washington, Seattle WA — BS Electrical Engineering, 2012