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【Employee Introduction】From Big Tech to DataLabs: Why I Joined DataLabs as a R&D Engineer


Contents

 

 

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Alexis Le Chapelain

Senior Research Engineer

 

Self-introduction

I am currently an AI / ML engineer. Over the last decade, I have been working in a variety of companies, where I used AI and ML methods to solve business problems. Over the years, my role leaned more and more into software engineering and the actual implementation of new software, instead of just designing algorithms. Right now, I am in charge of implementing new features in the code base of DataLabs.

I have a somewhat unusual background, since I am an economist by training, and graduated with a PhD in economics. However, having done a lot of programming and data work during my PhD, the transition was pretty smooth.

 

Why did you join DataLabs?

I was working in a very large engineering department (7000 engineers) in a big tech company (LinkedIn), where it was very difficult to get anything done, and where there was a massive technical debt. I wanted to work in a smaller and more agile company which was solving useful and interesting problems with a real and positive impact on society.

DataLabs is small enough that you can talk to the CEO regularly, and it’s possible to regularly have features which get delivered in production and used by clients, so that’s pretty satisfying. 

Moving to another country and working in a culture I didn’t know made me a little worried, but everyone is very nice and supportive, so I feel it has been pretty easy.

 

Main role in DataLabs

I am currently a software engineer working in the R&D department of DataLabs. My role mainly consists in developing new features required by the product, by following their specifications and implementing the necessary changes in the code base.

Projects are varied, but some recent one include detecting cracks on a surface, or projecting 3D objects on a flat surface, for instance. In that case, I have to implement the feature and write all the necessary tests. 

In terms of framework, we are mostly using Python, with libraries such as Numpy or Open3D.

 

The fun and challenging aspects of work in DataLabs

DataLabs gives the opportunity to be working on 3D data and algorithms. As a result, I could learn more about those, and that’s quite different from traditional ML or AI techniques. That can require some research, which can be a little challenging for someone with a more limited background in 3D and mathematics, but that’s definitely interesting. 

 

Work Style and Culture in DataLabs

The team atmosphere is very good. We mostly work remotely, and have a large flexibility in term of schedule and self-organization. 

Code review is very thorough, and we have a monthly meeting to discuss possible improvements.

 

Daily Schedule / Introduction of Our Work Style

Usually, I mostly work remotely, even though I like to come to the office from time to time to connect with others. I usually start my day by addressing the comments on my open PR, and then I try to do more PR throughout the day, going through the current backlog. 

I also often have to review the current issues associated to a project, to be sure I properly understand and to be sure there is no flaw, before going through implementation. Usually, it means understanding an algorithm before thinking about a good way to implement it and to test it.

 

Outlook for the Future

I would be glad to work in area with more machine learning and deep learning applied to 3D, since the recent advance in AI are quite exciting. I hope we find a way to apply those advance to the product. 

 

Message to Applicants　

I think it’s important to be interested in 3D and have some interest for mathematics (even though it’s not very advanced) to work at DataLabs. You should also be detail-oriented and ready to take the time to write rigorously tested code. 

 

 

DataLabs is hiring both full-time employees and interns.

Please check here for our current openings.

We are always happy to have casual interviews, so if you are interested, feel free to reach out. We look forward to meeting you!