Paul Ganssle

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Work Experience

Senior Software Engineer, Corporate Engineering Machine Learning, Google
May 2019 - Present
  • Built machine learning models to support the Corporate Engineering department, which handles many aspects of the Google infrastructure.
Senior Software Developer, BVAL Quant, Bloomberg Finance L.P.
Jul 2015 - Apr 2019
  • Developed and implemented new algorithms for pricing of fixed income securities.
  • Co-lead of the Python Guild, an organization to support the use of Python within Bloomberg and to improve our engagement with the broader Python community.
  • Supported the quant team in the modernization of our workflow during a transition to git and formal code review.
Senior Scientist, Physics, NMR Group, Sensor Physics, Halliburton
Apr 2013 - Jun 2015
  • Designed experiments as part of the design and verification stages of wireline and while-drilling NMR logging tools. This involved both hardware and software development on a number of platforms, both commercial and “home-built” microcontroller-based devices.
  • Provided experimental and theoretical physics support in the development of spin dynamics simulation software.
  • Supervised and worked closely with an intern on the development of an alkali-vapor-cell magnetometry-related hardware and software development project.
Graduate Student Researcher, Pines Lab, University of California, Berkeley
Aug 2008 - Apr 2013
Advisor: Prof. Alexander Pines
  • Developed MATLAB-based software for data processing, including streamlined dimensionality reduction and multi-dimensional Laplace inversion.
  • Designed and built an atomic vapor cell magnetometer, including electronic, optical and mechanical systems utilizing both traditional machining and 3D printing.
  • Created and programmed a C-based GUI console program for controlling experiments and data acquisition for use with my atomic magnetometer and several analogous systems.
  • Designed and performed experiments to develop new methodologies for hyperpolarization, J-coupling spectroscopy, and relaxometry and diffusometry at low and zero field.
Freelance Programmer, BeyondPod
Jan 2012 - May 2012
  • Developed new features and their accompanying graphical user interfaces for one of the most popular Android podcast players (BeyondPod) on a contract basis using Java, XML and Android's SDK.
Research Assistant, Pasternak Lab, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
May 2008 - Aug 2008
Advisor: Dr. Gavril Pasternak
  • Successfully developed and demonstrated a stepwise polypeptide synthesis for a pentapeptide to be used as an anesthetic for eye surgery; this involved synthesizing, purifying and characterizing the target molecule from commercially-available single-peptide sources.
Undergraduate Researcher, Metz Lab, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
May 2006 - May 2008
Advisor: Prof. Ricardo Metz
  • Repaired, modified, and optimized an ESI-TOF mass spectrometer and tunable dye laser for use in photodissociation studies of doubly-charged gas phase ions.
  • Performed studies of photodissociation dynamics of gas-phase, solvated transition metals with the aim of mapping geometry, solvation dynamics and energy profiles, which has significant value for understanding and improving transition-metal based catalysis.

Open Source Experience

Maintainer, dateutil
Jan 2015 - Present
dateutil provides utilities for working with datetimes in Python, including time zones, recurrence rules and parsers. It is one of the top 10 most popular packages on PyPI.
Co-maintainer, setuptools
Apr 2018 - Present
setuptools is a package extending Python's built-in distutils library. It is the de facto build backend for Python packages.
Core developer, CPython
Jun 2019 - Present
Python interpreter that is both the reference implementation for the language and the most popular version.
Creator, variants
Dec 2017 - Present
variants is a library providing syntactic sugar for creating variant forms of a canonical function.
Creator, HaptiCap
Dec 2014 - Present
A microcontroller-powered hat which provides dimensional haptic feedback using vibration motors sewn into the band. Initially configured as a haptic compass which uses a digital compass to continuously activate the motor facing north.
Contributor, matplotlib
Popular plotting library for Python
Contributor, pandas
Data frame library for Python
Contributor, PyO3
Rust bindings for Python
Contributor, cjktools
Tools for processing Japanese and Chinese text

Teaching Experience

Graduate Student Instructor, University of California, Berkeley
  • Chem 105: Instrumental Methods in Analytical Chemistry, Fall 2010
    Instructor: Prof. Ron Cohen
  • Chem 105: Instrumental Methods in Analytical Chemistry, Spring 2010
    Instructor: Prof. Evan Williams
  • Graded lab reports and homeworks, attended class, proctored exams.
  • Advised students on independent instrumental research projects.
  • Was responsible for running and maintaining two instruments per semester: gas chromatography, flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and voltammetry.
Graduate Student Instructor, University of California, Berkeley
  • Chemistry 1A: General Chemistry, Fall 2008
    Instructor: Dr. Michelle Douskey (Lab)
  • Graded lab reports and homeworks, attended class, proctored exams.
  • Ran a weekly lab section for ~20 students, preparing pre-lab talks and guiding students through experiments.
Teaching Assistant, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  • Chemistry 110/111: General Chemistry (Lab), Fall 2007
    Instructor: Dr. Thomas Whelan
  • Chemistry 110/111: General Chemistry (Lab), Spring 2008
    Instructor: Dr. Thomas Whelan
  • Ran a weekly lab section for ~25 students, preparing reagents giving pre-lab talks and grading student lab reports.
Supplementary Instruction Leader, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  • Chemistry 475: Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy, Fall 2007
    Instructor: Prof. Michael Barnes
  • Chemistry 476: Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Spring 2008
    Instructor: Prof. Michael Barnes
  • Ran a weekly lab section for ~25 students, preparing reagents giving pre-lab talks and grading student lab reports.

Publications

  • P. Ganssle, H.D. Shin, V. S. Bajaj, S. J. Seltzer, M. P. Ledbetter, D. Budker, S. Knappe, J. Kitching, A. Pines, "Ultra-Low-Field NMR Relaxation and Diffusion Measurements using an Optical Magnetometer", Angewandte Chemie, Front Cover , 53 (37), 2014, 9766-9770 10.1002/anie.201403416 ·
  • M. C. Butler, G. Kervern, M. P. Ledbetter, P. Ganssle, J. W. Blanchard, D. Budker, A. Pines, "Parahydrogen-induced polarization at zero magnetic field", Journal of Chemical Physics, 138 (23), 2013, 234201 10.1063/1.4805062 ·
  • T. Theis, M. Ledbetter, G. Kervern, J. Blanchard, P. Ganssle, M. Butler, H. Shin, D. Budker, A. Pines, "Zero Field NMR Enhanced by Parahydrogen in Reversible Exchange", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 134(9), 2012, 3987-3990 10.1021/ja2112405 ·
  • T. Theis, P. Ganssle, G. Kervern, S. Knappe, J. Kitching, M. P. Ledbetter, A. Pines, "Parahydrogen-enhanced zero-field nuclear magnetic resonance", Nature Physics, 7(7), 2011, 571-575 10.1038/nphys1986 ·
  • M. P. Ledbetter, T. Theis, J. W. Blanchard, H. Ring, P. Ganssle, S. Appelt, B. Blumich, D. Budker, "Near-zero-field nuclear magnetic resonance", Phys. Rev. Lett., 107(10), 2011, 107601 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.107601 ·
  • M. Perera, P. Ganssle, R. B. Metz, "Microsolvation of Co2+ and Ni2+ by acetonitrile and water: photodissociation dynamics of M2+(CH3CN)n(H2O)m", Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 13(41), 2011, 18347-18354 10.1039/C1CP21586H ·

Presentations

Talks

See also Talks
  • "Build Your Python Extensions in Rust!"
  • "Working with Time Zones: Everything You Wish You Didn't Need to Know"
  • "Gathering Related Functionality: Patterns for Cleaner API Design"
  • "Contributing to Open Source: A Guide", PyData NYC 2018 , New York, NY, 2018-10-17
  • "Time Zone Troubles: Dealing with Imaginary and Ambiguous Datetimes", PyBay 2017 , San Francisco, CA, 2017-08-12
  • "python-dateutil: A delightful romp in the never-confusing world of dates and times"
  • "Optically Detected NMR Relaxometry in Low Magnetic Field", 53rd Experimental NMR Conference , Miami, FL, 2012-04-20
  • "Para-H2 at Zero Field", Griffin Lab , Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, MIT, 2010-10-10
  • "Gas-Phase Photodissociation Spectroscopy of Solvated Transition Metal Dications", Pines Lab , UC Berkeley, 2009-01-30

Advanced Elective Coursework

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

  • Physics 531: Electronics for Scientists (Prof. Rory Miskimen, Fall 2007 )
  • Physics 556: Nuclear and Elementary Particles (Prof. Krishna Kumar, Fall 2007 )
  • Physics 558: Solid State Physics (Prof. Christian Santangelo, Fall 2007 )
  • Physics 553: Optics (Prof. Narayanan Menon, Spring 2008 )

University of California, Berkeley

  • Computer Science 294: Quantum Computation (Prof. Umesh Vazirani, Spring 2009 )
  • Physics 250: Experimental Quantum Computation (Prof. Hartmut Haffner, Spring 2009 )
  • Economics 209A: Theory and Application of Non-Cooperative Games (Prof. Schachar Kariv, Fall 2009 )
  • Law 275.3: Introduction to Intellectual Property (Prof. Peter Menell, Spring 2011 , Audited)
  • Law 276.9: Patent Prosecution (Lee Van Pelt, Spring 2011 , Audited)