Robert Ross

About Robert Ross

At my core, I want to solve problems. I believe in triage, which means, solving the most important, solvable problem first, and then moving down the list. This is the throughline to my entire career, and in many ways, my entire life.I enjoy the dual crafts of scientific research and software engineering. I enjoy the scientific process: being open and thoughtful as you develop a research question, being meticulous as you design, conduct, and analyze an experiment, and being thorough as you implement engineering and experimental next steps. I also enjoy the engineering process: considering quality attributes, developing design docs, and writing, testing, and reviewing code. In the era of LLM-supported software development, the way I engage those steps has changed. However, the need for precise, correct, and clear thought remains.I am skilled at communication with different audiences at different levels of technical depth. I flow information from customer to team. I listen to customer desires and constraints, decompose them into 3-4 month roadmaps, and guide my team through roadmap implementation. I also flow infomation from team to customer. This communication ranges from ad hoc phone calls and emails to hour-long, slide supported, presentations. For each communciation, I think carefully about the technical depth of my audience in order to optimally present information.For the last seven years, I have solved problems by developing machine learning systems. From 2019 to 2022, I did this as an individual contributor. From 2023 to the present, I have done this as a technical lead. My team of 10 scientists and engineers develops object detection systems that operate on overhead imagery. The team receives labeled imagery as input and returns containerized models ready for deployment as output. Along the way, the team performs EDA, tailors systems to overhead imagery, trains, security scans, and integration tests models. My leadership is both technical and administrative. I enjoy designing both an efficient algorithm and an efficient meeting.What I am looking for is a direct outgrowth of the above. I want to work on the most important, solvable problems that I can. I want to have opportunities to engage in both scientific research and software engineering. I think I would add the most value as a team lead, but I would also be happy as an IC. If you read this bio and want to talk more, I\'d love to talk with you. Please reach out over LinkedIn and start a conversation!

Experience

1. Sr Data Scientist Machine Learning Engineer

   Amazon Web Services (AWS)

   Dec 2024 — Present · Dayton, VA

   Co-lead team of 10 engineers and scientists- Provide front-line leadership of engineering and science efforts which included time bound, high pressure, customer- Make targeted technical contributions to the code base (e.g, data ingestion pipelines, model T\\ & E process, and model delivery processes)- Manage day-to-day execution of the team\'s work: lead long range planning, organize sprints, assign work to the team, and organize meeting cadence and topics- Direct long-term and strategic technical process improvements, such as automated CICD pipelines, MR reviews, runbooks, and code testing expectations- Create and deliver 30-90 minute presentations on our research and development, to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, six times a year. Build strong relationships with various stakeholders- Coach and support team members in their career growth

Education

• Drexel University

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Computer Science (Math minor)

  2015 — 2019

• Carnegie Mellon University

  Master's, Software Engineering

Skills

• C++
• Research
• Microsoft Office
• Public Speaking
• Linear Algebra