Just a bit about me.

Professional

Professionally, I’m a software engineer. I’m most interested in backend work and building tools for developers. So far, my favorite technical project has been designing a distributed data processing system for scientists developing image analysis algorithms. Recently I’ve been enjoying designing frameworks and libraries. It’s surprising how much fun creating a good test library can be.

I want to spend my day job working on important problems with serious social impact. I am especially interested in the areas of climate change, sustainability, and environmental conservation.

One of the most important things I look for in a job is the team. The best kind of team is collaborative, supportive, curious about a wide variety of things, and passionate (in both professional work and personal projects).

(Here’s my resume page, which describes my experience in more detail.)

Personal

I grew up on a farm in South Dakota, with a few years in rural Cambodia. Then I went to MIT in Boston, and am now based in San Francisco. This has given me a diverse perspective on the world, as well as a love for raising goats, catching frogs in rice paddies, banging my head against the wall while solving hard problems, mountains, and costume parties.

I love hiking in the mountains or finding dark skies to look at the stars - there’s nothing better to remind me that my problems are tiny and the universe is vast and beautiful. My apartment has been described as a jungle: ~40 species of mostly-tropical plants, two geckos, and the occasional tropical cockroach. I spend a lot of time hanging out with my cat, since she’s the best cat. Occasionally I’ll have a flash of inspiration and dive into a project that I know nothing about (recently, thermoplastics for cosplay). My favorite kind of project is one that leads me into brand new territory.

Source: Sara Brockmueller; Oct 2019