David Lowenfels

About David Lowenfels

I\'m a product-focused software engineer who\'s been writing code since I was 5 years old on my family\'s Apple IIe (Logo and BASIC anyone?). From Alaska to San Francisco, and now the UK — I\'ve spent over 25 years in tech industry as a developer, architect, trainer, and Scrum Master.As a backend-leaning Full Stack Engineer, my favorite tools are Ruby and Rails. I’ve mentored junior devs, lectured at Stanford, and was a host of the SF Ruby Meetup. My work has ran the gamut from social networks, online games, media players, web scrapers, and project management tools. I also have experience with crafting embedded hardware/software systems with Arduino, and realtime signal processing algorithms in C++.I\'m also a polymath with deep experience beyond web dev: DSP, embedded systems, healthtech, biochemistry, and somatic healing arts. My cross-disciplinary expertise gives me a unique lens for creative problem-solving — along with my AuDHD brain which gifts me with pattern recognition, hyperfocus, and out-of-the-box thinking to see solutions others might miss.As a founder of a Web 2.0 consultancy in Silicon Valley (Internaut Design) and the CTO of a bootstrapped SaaS product (ScrumNinja), I’ve learned how to navigate ambiguity, ship products that matter, and find elegant solutions to complex problems. What really excites me is innovation—taking messy, real-world challenges and simplifying them into something beautiful and functional.I thrive in diverse, inclusive environments built on integrity, transparency, and mutual support. I\'m a big advocate for pair programming—not just for reducing the “bus factor” through knowledge exchange, but also for team bonding, and upskilling with the latest dev tools. I\'ve seen how the best solutions emerge from different perspectives working together.I’m especially interested in Rails modernization, AI integration, and anything that requires both technical depth and product thinking.When not writing code, you’ll find me practicing qigong and breathwork, crafting mad scientist recipes, and foraging for wild foods. I\'m always looking for meaningful problems to solve and solid teams to solve them with. If that sounds like a fit, let\'s connect!

Experience

1. Staff Software Developer

   Code for America

   Mar 2026 — Present

Education

• Transformative Technology Academy (TTA)

  Certificate

  2018 — 2018

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  Science Baccalaureate

• Stanford University

  Master of Arts (M.A.)

• World School of Massage and Holistic Healing Arts

  Holistic Health Practitioner

  2003 — 2004

• Yoga Teachers College

  Certified Breath Coach

  2020 — 2020

• Institute for Phenomenal Touch

  Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage

  2018 — 2019

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)

Skills

• Javascript
• Web Development
• Jquery
• Ruby on Rails
• Ruby
• Sql
• Embedded Systems
• Digital Signal Processing
• Electrical Engineering
• Saas
• E-Commerce
• Start-Ups
• Scrum
• Agile Methodologies