Pierre Thalamy

Pierre Thalamy, PhD

Lead Software Engineer · Backend, cloud infrastructure and team leadership

Profile

Full-stack software engineer with eight years of experience across research and industry, strongest on backend and cloud infrastructure. I lead a small engineering team at Uptale while staying hands-on, and I care about systems that are simple to operate, secure by default and pleasant to work in. PhD in distributed algorithms for modular robotics.

Experience

2020 to presentParis

Lead Software Engineer

Uptale, immersive learning platform (360° and VR training for enterprises)

Joined as Senior Software Engineer; now lead a small engineering team while remaining an individual contributor on the backend and infrastructure.

  • Own the platform backend and cloud infrastructure: ASP.NET Core services on Azure, infrastructure as code with Terraform, CI/CD pipelines.
  • Set technical direction, run code reviews and design discussions, mentor engineers and plan delivery with product.
  • Deliver full-stack features end to end, from data model and API to the React and TypeScript front end.
  • Lead reliability, observability and security work for a platform used by large enterprise customers and integrated with their learning management systems.
2017 to 2020Montbéliard

PhD Researcher in Computer Science

FEMTO-ST Institute, CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté
  • Research on distributed intelligence for programmable matter built from large ensembles of modular micro-robots.
  • Technical lead on VisibleSim, the C++ modular robotics simulator used by several research teams worldwide.
  • Five publications in international journals and conferences; guest reviewer for Algorithmica and IROS.
  • Taught and coordinated undergraduate courses; took part in the design of a distributed programming course.
2017, 6 monthsAntibes

Software Engineer, graduation project

Supralog, Intr@ssoc ERP software
  • Designed and implemented a secure REST server infrastructure in C#.
  • Built a reactive Vue.js module for the ERP web application on top of that API.
  • Designed a cross-platform Xamarin mobile application providing the product's core features.
2016, 4 monthsHong Kong

Research Assistant, software engineering intern

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • Brought VisibleSim from a pre-release state to its first stable version.
  • Architectural overhaul, refactoring, documentation and new modules to support research.
2015 to 2016, 4 monthsGrenoble

iOS Developer

NSigma junior enterprise, Grenoble INP - Ensimag
  • Patches and updates on an iPad application for professional fluid-meter reading, in close collaboration with the client, Engie Cofely.
2014, 5 monthsPittsburgh

Research Assistant, Claytronics project

Carnegie Mellon University
  • Contributed to modular robotics research for programmable matter.
  • Implemented in C an embedded virtual machine for the Meld language, later used in education and research.

Education

2017 to 2020

PhD in Computer Science

Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, FEMTO-ST Institute, CNRS

Thesis: Distributed Algorithms and Advanced Modeling Approaches for Fast and Efficient Object Construction Using a Modular Self-reconfigurable Robotic System. Supervised by Prof. Julien Bourgeois and Dr. Benoît Piranda. Defended 9 October 2020.

2014 to 2017

MSc in Computer Science and Engineering

Grenoble INP - Ensimag, Grenoble Institute of Technology

French grande école in computer science and applied mathematics. Specialisation in information systems engineering, graduated with high honours. Exchange semester at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (fall 2016).

Skills

Backend and cloud

C#, .NET, ASP.NET Core, REST APIs, SQL, Azure, Terraform, Docker, CI/CD, observability, security hardening

Front end

TypeScript, React, modern JavaScript, HTML and CSS, Vue.js (past)

Systems and research

C++, C, Python, distributed algorithms, multi-agent systems, simulation, performance analysis

Leadership

Team lead, technical direction, architecture and code review, mentoring, delivery planning, technical writing and teaching

Publications

  1. P. Thalamy, B. Piranda, J. Bourgeois. 3D Coating Self-Assembly for Modular Robotic Scaffolds. IEEE/RSJ IROS, 2020.
  2. P. Thalamy, B. Piranda, F. Lassabe, J. Bourgeois. Deterministic Scaffold Assembly by Self-Reconfiguring Micro-Robotic Swarms. Swarm and Evolutionary Computation, 2020.
  3. P. Thalamy, B. Piranda, F. Lassabe, J. Bourgeois. Scaffold-Based Asynchronous Distributed Self-Reconfiguration by Continuous Module Flow. IEEE/RSJ IROS, 2019.
  4. P. Thalamy, B. Piranda, J. Bourgeois. A Survey of Autonomous Self-Reconfiguration Methods for Robot-Based Programmable Matter. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 2019.
  5. P. Thalamy, B. Piranda, J. Bourgeois. Distributed Self-Reconfiguration Using a Deterministic Autonomous Scaffolding Structure. AAMAS, 2019.

Teaching

2017 to 2020

University of Franche-Comté

  • Network Infrastructure Security, course coordinator (lectures, tutorials and labs, 2018 to 2020).
  • Operating Systems and System Programming, course coordinator (2017).
  • Teaching assistant: Security and Performance, Internet Technology, Introduction to Web Development, Swarm Robotics and Modular Robot Programming (MSc IoT).

Honours and service

Honours

  • IFAAMAS mobility scholarship, AAMAS 2019.
  • Participant, Dagstuhl Seminar 18331 on the algorithmic foundations of programmable matter, 2018.

Service

  • Guest reviewer, Springer Algorithmica, 2020.
  • Delegate reviewer, IEEE/RSJ IROS 2020.

Languages

French (native) · English (proficient, TOEIC 985) · Spanish (intermediate)

This page is the up-to-date version of my CV. Use the print button above to save it as a PDF; the layout is optimised for A4. A French version is available here.