Data Engineer
James Salvatore
I build and maintain data systems that turn raw data into useful decisions. I especially enjoy the data janitorial work: cleaning, organizing, and structuring information so people can actually use it.
About
- I've worked on data solutions across tons of different industries—IIoT, lending, insurance, product analytics, marketing, travel and hospitality, and parking operations. I've consulted and helped build apps with Chicago Open Data for civic tech and public policy projects. Fun stuff.
- My graduate work in mathematics focused on algebraic topology. It's a beautiful subject that gave me a deep understanding of how to work with complex, abstract systems. It's also fun to turn donuts into coffee cups and back again.
- Since undergrad, I've done freelance copy editing, which has helped me get better documentation habits and has given me a lot of practice helping to explain technical topics clearly.
- Outside of data work, I founded and run a teaching theater collective called Space Opera Company. We focus on teaching adults acting, dancing, singing, theater tech, etc., creating real productions for them to work in. It's been a lot of fun and I've learned a lot.
Selected Work
- Dotfiles: my development environment and workflows.
- MLOps Toys: experiments and practical tooling for data engineering and ML workflows.