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VP, Head of Data at Figma - I’m hiring AI+Data Scientists and Engineers!
I lead Data at Figma, this includes machine learning, data science, analytics - as well as data and software engineering. I’m hiring scientists, SWEs, ML and Data engineers at all levels with a variety of skill sets including AWS infrastructure for big data processing, scalable ML, Gen AI, deep learning, stats, and more! Please contact me directly if you’re interested. I was previously Head of AI and Data at.Samsara, Head of ML at Alexa Smart Home, Founder and CEO of AlgoSnap Inc., a company that accelerates the development cycle for edge analytics in the Internet of Things through automated machine learning. I also managed the Computer Vision Research Group at Amazon and led the Device Intelligence Group at Samsung Research. Prior to Samsung I was Sr Researcher on the Personalized Relevancy team at Nokia Research Palo Alto. I did my Ph.D. at the University of Washington, CSE where I led the RFID Ecosystem project. I'm most passionate about building and working with high-performance teams to ship innovative new software products. My current focus is on infrastructure and tools that support and accelerate our interactions with machine learning, analytics, and intelligent computing systems. My work is also strongly oriented toward device-cloud architectures that optimize efficiency while preserving privacy by design - as well as collaboration with the academic research community. Technical Specialties: LLM and Gen AI, Sensor and Location data, Machine Learning, Scalable Analytics, Data Management, Privacy, Device-Cloud Collaboration, Context-Aware Computing, HCI, Crowdsourcing, Human Computation and Labeling, Software Tools, Energy Efficiency, Relevancy
University of Washington
Ph.D., Computer Science & Engineering
January 1, 2006 – January 1, 2010
University of Washington
M.S., Computer Science & Engineering
January 1, 2002 – January 1, 2005
University of Toronto
Hons B.Sc., Computer Science and Mathematics
January 1, 1998 – January 1, 2001
Figma
VP, Head of Data
November 1, 2025 – Present
Seattle, Washington, United States
Samsara
VP, Head of AI and Data
July 1, 2022 – November 1, 2025
Seattle, Washington, United States
Samsara
Head of Machine Learning and Computer Vision
November 1, 2021 – June 1, 2022
Seattle, Washington, United States
Amazon
Head of Machine Learning, Alexa Smart Home
March 1, 2020 – November 1, 2021
Greater Seattle Area
Amazon
Product and Engineering, Machine Learning for Alexa Smart Home
May 1, 2017 – March 1, 2020
Greater Seattle Area
AlgoSnap
Founder and CEO
August 1, 2015 – August 1, 2017
Bay Area and Seattle
Amazon
Manager, Computer Vision Research Group
January 1, 2015 – August 1, 2015
Greater Seattle Area
Samsung Research America
Manager, Device Intelligence Group
September 1, 2012 – January 1, 2015
San Jose, CA
Nokia
Senior Researcher
July 1, 2010 – September 1, 2012
Palo Alto, CA
University of Washington
Research Assistant
October 1, 2006 – June 1, 2010
Seattle, WA
Microsoft Research
Researcher
October 1, 2005 – October 1, 2006
Greater Seattle Area
Intel Corporation
Researcher
May 1, 2005 – August 1, 2005
Seattle, WA and Santa Clara, CA
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
High-Performance Computing Performance Engineer
September 1, 2001 – September 1, 2002
Berkeley, CA
Cultural Fit Analysis
The candidate's career trajectory shows a strong focus on cutting-edge technologies, particularly in AI, ML, and IoT, which aligns with an innovative and fast-paced engineering culture. Their experience spans large corporations (Amazon, Samsung, Nokia, Intel, Microsoft) and a startup (AlgoSnap), indicating adaptability to different organizational structures and work environments. The academic background (Ph.D. from University of Washington) and research contributions suggest a strong inclination towards continuous learning and pushing technical boundaries. However, the target role is 'Backend Engineer' while the candidate's recent experience is heavily skewed towards senior leadership in AI/ML/Data. While they possess the underlying technical depth, the direct hands-on backend engineering experience might need validation, which could impact cultural fit for a purely individual contributor backend role.
Soft Skills & Operational Fit
The candidate's extensive leadership roles (VP, Head of Data/AI, Manager) at prominent companies like Figma, Samsara, and Amazon demonstrate strong leadership, strategic planning, and team management skills. Their descriptions highlight experience in hiring, performance reviews, budget management, and coordinating cross-functional teams across global locations. This indicates a high level of operational maturity and the ability to drive complex technical initiatives. The entrepreneurial experience as Founder and CEO of AlgoSnap further underscores initiative, problem-solving, and business acumen.