# Elais Player > Staff Software Engineer @ Joint Genome Institute | Dhalsim main. Location: Oakland, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/elais Let’s connect if you’ve ever unironically called a programming language “ergonomic.” ## Work Experience ### Staff Software Engineer @ Joint Genome Institute Jan 2023 – Present | Berkeley, CA Scaling High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems requires more than just adding hardware it requires scalable architecture. I recently had the opportunity to architect and expand the JAWS platform, a system designed to orchestrate scientific workflows across multi-site HPC clusters. The goal was to move from a legacy setup to a robust, high-throughput environment. We replaced a legacy Flask backend with FastAPI behind a load balancer and completely overhauled the data layer. The results spoke for themselves: Throughput: Scaled from processing dozens to hundreds of daily workflows. Performance: Slashed data transfer times from hours down to minutes. Developer Experience: Migrated from haphazard scripts to a modular distribution system using uv, creating a consistent build/deploy pipeline. I helped define the coding standards and architecture for our small five person team while staying 100% hands-on in the code. ### Web Application Developer @ Los Alamos National Laboratory Jan 2020 – Jan 2023 | Los Alamos, NM Working at LANL often means pivoting quickly to solve critical national challenges. During the height of the pandemic, I had the opportunity to directly contribute to the global SARS-COV-2 sequencing and understanding effort. I rapidly built tools that made a tangible difference, including a COVID-19 incident tracking site built with Clojure and Hiccup. Beyond the immediate crisis, I focused on enabling science at scale: Support: acted as a technical bridge for 30+ researchers across the NMDC. Automation: Developed APIs for microbiology data collection, unifying streams from DoE, DHS, and NMDC projects. Tooling: Built custom desktop applications to make it easier for scientists to run their workflows. It was a privilege to use engineering to accelerate research when it mattered most. ### Senior Programmer @ BBVA Compass Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | Greater Birmingham, Alabama Area In retail banking, speed and personal connection matter. At BBVA, I focused on optimizing "Sabre," the platform used by our frontline staff. My primary goal was to remove friction. By redesigning the backend and migrating to AWS, we reduced the time it took to open a new account from 1 hour to <10 minutes. That’s 50 minutes given back to the customer and the teller. I worked to humanize the banking experience within Client Vista (our frontend), adding features like birthday reminders to help tellers make customers feel more at ease and build relationships. I ensured these improvements never compromised security, rigorously enforcing KYC and banking compliance standards throughout the loan and account lifecycles. ### Associate Programmer @ BBVA Compass Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 | Birmingham, Alabama Contracted full stack developer for BBVA Compass's Client Vista and SABER Framework ### Software Engineer @ McLeod Software Jan 2015 – Jan 2017 | Greater Birmingham, Alabama Area At McLeod Software, I engineered critical features for LoadMaster TMS, the system that keeps some of the largest transportation fleets in the U.S. moving. My work directly impacted how companies dispatched loads to drivers. Optimization: Streamlining the load selection process to maximize bidding efficiency for our customers. Compliance & Safety: Implemented a Hazmat tank wash-tracking module—a critical feature for maintaining safety standards and regulatory compliance for hazardous materials. Collaborating with industry giants like FedEx, Tyson Foods, and Swift, I learned what it takes to build software that stands up to the demands of the national supply chain. ### Software Quality Analyst @ Atlas RFID Solutions Jan 2014 – Jan 2015 | Birmingham, Alabama Area I did QA and I will never do QA again. ### Graduate Research Assistant @ The University of Alabama at Birmingham Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 Produced reports on current cyber security threats. Communicated with industry experts on the nature of newly discovered malware distributers and jihadist groups. Created a social media data miner. ### Summer Research Intern @ National Institutes of Health Jan 2013 – Jan 2013 | Bethesda, Maryland Implemented algorithms for analyzing and contextualizing biological data. Worked with various research groups in NIH to design software. ### Undergraduate Research Assistant @ Santa Fe Institute Jan 2010 – Jan 2010 Produced a publication on strategic allocative mismatch. Researched situations on firm resource allocation in a formal setting. Designed agent-based models of social interactions. Developed simulation software to test models. ### Data Analysis Research Assistant @ Tennessee State University Jan 2009 – Jan 2010 | Nashville, Tennessee Researched self-efficacy among HBCU students. ### Summer Researcher @ The University of Texas at El Paso Jan 2009 – Jan 2009 Used MATLAB to segment a breast cancer mammography image. ## Education ### MS in Computer and Information Sciences University of Alabama at Birmingham ### Bachelor of Science in Political Science Tennessee State University ### Santa Fe Institute ### Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Government Tennessee State University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/elaisj --- Source: https://flows.cv/elais JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/elais/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-12