# Julien Spronck > Staff Software Engineer at Minerva Project Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/julienspronck Hi, I am a Staff Software Engineer at Minerva Project, working on all parts of the stack: back-end (Python, Django, …), front-end (JavaScript, React, Redux, Backbone, Marionette) and dev ops (AWS, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes). Before becoming a software engineer, i was an instructor for a Data Analytics and Visualization bootcamp at UC Berkeley Extension, where students learn how to use the industry’s most popular programming languages and tools in data analytics (Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, SQL, Hadoop, Tableau, Machine Learning, R, ...). Before that, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Leiden University, working as project manager and lead scientist on the Multi-site All-Sky CAmeRA project (MASCARA). MASCARA consists of fully-robotic stations distributed across the globe with the goal to find planets orbiting the brightest stars. I obtained my Ph.D. in applied optics from Delft University of Technology. I then worked at San Francisco State University and then Yale University as a Postdoctoral Researcher. During that time, I designed, integrated and tested interferometers, high-resolution spectrographs, optical fiber scramblers and various imaging systems. My contributions have spanned many aspects of instrumentation and optics. My work was published in refereed papers. I also published an international patent entitled “Polarization nulling interferometry”. I am proficient in optical and mechanical CAD software (Zemax, SolidWorks or AutoDesk Inventor). I also have gained valuable experience in project management. Over the years, I have developed strong programming skills. I am proficient in Python: e.g. I developed the control and data-acquisition software for completely robotic operations in the MASCARA project. I also particularly enjoy web design (html, html5, php, css, javascript, jquery, ajax, mysql, …). In addition to my technical experience, here is what a Ph.D and 8 years of work at some of the best universities gave me: team spirit and ability to work independently, initiative, project management, design and innovation, resourcefulness, dedication, ability to meet deadlines and to write documentation and the most important to me, a passion for problem solving. ## Work Experience ### Staff Software Engineer @ Minerva Project Jan 2023 – Present | United States ### Software Engineer @ Minerva Project Jan 2018 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Data Analytics and Visualization Instructor @ Trilogy Education Services Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 | UC Berkeley Extension In this bootcamp, I teach students how to use the industry’s most popular programming languages and tools in data analytics (Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, SQL, Hadoop, Tableau, Machine Learning, R, ...). ### Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Astronomy @ Leiden University Jan 2013 – Jan 2016 | Leiden, The Netherlands At Leiden University, I was the project manager and lead scientist on the MASCARA (Multi-site All-Sky CAmeRA) project. MASCARA is a battery of small robotic telescopes to search for planets around the brightest stars. I worked on all aspects of the project, including but not limited to - Optical design - Mechanical design - Procurement and optical testing - Instrument integration - Development of control and data acquisition software - Development of a web interface for monitoring purposes - Development of command-line tools for remote operations - Operations and maintenance - Supervision of multiple bachelor students ### Research Scientist @ Department of Astronomy, Yale University Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 | New Haven, CT I co-designed CHIRON (PI Prof. D. Fischer), a high-resolution Echelle spectrometer for the 1.5m telescope at CTIO. CHIRON has four modes of observation: bare fiber (R = 25 000), slit (R = 80 000), image slicer (R = 80 000) and narrow slit (R = 120 000). I have been involved in all steps of the process: optical and mechanical design, procurement, assembly, integration, optical testing, commissioning and data extraction for the spectrograph. In particular, I have worked on the opto-mechanical design of a modified Bowen-Walraven image slicer for CHIRON. Additionally, I was the project manager and one of the lead scientists for a major upgrade of the instrumen to improve the throughput and the stability of the spectrograph. As project manager of this upgrade, I learned how to manage a small team of people, while keeping track of both time and budget constraints. I also co-designed, assembled and tested the Yale Doppler Diagnostics Facility, a bench-mounted high-resolution (up to R ~ 250 000) echelle spectrograph, designed to study the impact of hardware choices on radial velocity (RV) precision in the lab. While working on all these projects, I became very familiar with opto-mechanical engineering software, such as SolidWorks and Zemax. In addition, I have been involved in other non-instrumentation related projects such as our Lick/Keck Planet Search observing campaign, PlanetHunters.org (a citizen science project that makes it possible for anyone to sieve through data taken by the NASA Kepler space mission), abundance analysis using Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME) and multi-planet modelling of astrometric and RV data. Over the years, I have developed strong programming skills. I particularly enjoy data analysis and numerical simulations (Matlab, IDL, Python, LabView). I wrote pipelines to monitor the stability of CHIRON (temperature, pressure, stability of the spectral lines) and to automatically generate plots and webpages to display the results. ### Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Astronomy @ Department of Astronomy, Yale University Jan 2009 – Jan 2011 | New Haven, CT ### Postdoctoral Associate @ San Francisco State University Jan 2008 – Jan 2009 | San Francisco, CA ### Ph.D.-student, Optics Research Group @ Delft University of Technology Jan 2004 – Jan 2008 | Delft, The Netherlands ## Education ### Master in Physics Engineering University of Liège ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jspronck - Website: http://frenetic.be/ - Website: http://home.strw.leidenuniv.nl/~spronck/Welcome.html - Website: http://frenetic.be/photography/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/julienspronck JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/julienspronck/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-01