About Me

Introduction

My name is Robert, and I’m a entrepreneurial software developer living in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. I grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; I moved to the Kitchener-Waterloo area for university. Since graduation I’ve lived in both Kitchener and Waterloo.

I studied Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where I completed my Bachelor of Applied Science with Distinction in 2009. Immediately after I completed my undergraduate degree I continued my studies in the Network & Distributed Systems Group at the University of Waterloo, where I earned my Master of Applied Science in 2011. Since I completed my studies in 2011 I have worked at multiple startup and scaleups in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. My Career page has more information about my professional experience.

Outside of work, I have a number of hobbies which keep me busy - more information on these below.

Activities

I enjoy learning new things; and I’m currently on a journey to become fluent in Spanish. I’ve been doing Duolingo for over 9 years now - my Duo profile is linked in the sidebar. I also participate in the Waterloo Public Library’s ‘Conversemos en Español’ program Thursday evenings to practice speaking with others.

I find reading a useful way to unwind and relax after working on computers all day. I typically have a book on the go - right now I’m working my way through the Wheel of Time series. I typically enjoy science fiction; though fantasy and other genres are ones I do dabble with.

I enjoy photography, using a Nikon D3500 as my primary camera. I also use my Pixel 6 Pro for photography. As a scuba diver I take my Pixel 6 Pro underwater for some great shots.

A photograph of a grizzly bear that I took while driving the Dempster Highway in the Northwest Territories, Canada — A grizzly bear I captured with a 300mm zoom lens while driving the Dempster Highway in the Northwest Territories, Canada

I have several indoor and outdoor trees I’m working on as bonsai.

Sports

I have been a skier since childhood. These days I have to make trips out West to get good skiing in - I enjoy skiing all terrain but steep, technical double black diamonds are runs I particularly enjoy. In 2023 I achieved a lifelong goal of skiing in Delirium Dive at Sunshine Village - one of the most challenging ski runs in North America.

A photograph of me partway down a run in Delirium Dive at Sunshine Village in Banff, Alberta — Partway down Delirium Dive; I took the Dive Proper route over the first pitch

In 2019 I completed my PADI Open Water Diver certification, and since then I’ve been lucky to dive in Australia, the Caribbean, and Spain. On my last few trips I’ve been able to capture some fantastic photos underwater using my phone in the Kraken Underwater phone case, which adjusts well to the colour-filtering properties of water. There are more details on some of my dive trips on my travel blog. On vacation I’m fond of scuba diving.

A photograph of an octopus that I took while diving in Mallorca, Spain — An octopus I saw while diving in Mallorca, Spain

I curl during the winter at the KW Granite club; I am currently playing just one night a week on a team which competes in the Wednesday Night Men’s league. I had the privilege of curling on a team which managed to score an 8-ender in 2017.

A photograph of an 8-end curling — We scored 8 points on our first end of the game!