I'm a senior software engineer with solid design and UX chops, and a (former) language teacher, interpreter & linguaphile. I spend my work days building robust, test-driven web applications, services and APIs. I am at home on the entire web stack. I have specialized enough to produce quality products at a respectable speed. I've diversified enough to have learned the enduring principals of software design, and to acquire new toolsets with confidence and grace. I've explored enough to have a working knowledge of most major languages and frameworks in use today. For 15 years as a freelancer I worked to become a sharpshooter, developing a toolset to quickly produce custom web apps for private clients. In the last 7 years I focused on Javascript, Ruby, Rails, and UX design. Recently I've been working to master Ember and large agile team collaboration. In the past I have developed for extended periods in PHP, Java, Python, and even Perl back when the web was young and we didn't know any better. I started in the field as a graphic designer who fell in love with programming, and consider myself as much a designer as an engineer. I make a point to stay up to date on leading tools, technology, and methodologies through professional enrichment programs and the extensive tech culture of conventions, clubs, and meetups in San Francisco. Other than software engineering I'm particularly interested in the fields of microcontrollers & physical computing, computation linguistics & natural language processing, and data science & visualization. I'm currently working full time at PLOS.org, which is a wonderful place with a wonderful mission, people and culture. At some point in the future I dream of developing tools for education, especially language education. I am potentially available to work on side projects, and can be retained for ongoing website maintenance. Visit pixelearth.net to describe your project online and get a free cost estimate, or contact me directly on LI.

Senior Software Engineer @ My current (20-person) team is developing the next generation platform for scientific research publishing. I split my time equally frontend/backend and our stack is Ember JS, Ruby on Rails, Rspec, Heroku, with the occasional foray into Java, and python. My previous team at PLOS focused on a suite of tools and web/api services in Java that centralize data and functionality that other applications at PLOS. The stack was similar: Ember JS front end that talks to a Ruby on Rails middleware API, that talks to a low level Java-based API that stores and exposes data. We also maintained a CAS authentication server written in Java that functions like single sign on for PLOS-related applications. From March 2015 to Present (10 months) San Francisco Bay AreaCEO PixelEarth Web Technologies, Senior Web Developer / Application Engineer @ http://pixelearth.net From January 2001 to Present (15 years) Senior Contract Web Application Developer @ From January 2011 to Present (5 years) Asheville, North Carolina AreaSenior Contract Web Application Developer @ From January 2006 to 2012 (6 years) Asheville, North Carolina AreaFreelance Medical Spanish Interpreter @ Private interpreting agency generally contracted by insurance agencies. Assignments included surgery, dental work, employment office, assessments, massage therapy, rehabilitation therapy, among others. From January 2004 to September 2009 (5 years 9 months) Medical Spanish Interpreter @ Consecutive interpretation for Spanish-speaking patients in all hospital departments, Including ER, ER Triage, ICUs, Surgery, Pediatrics, Labor and Delivery, Psychiatrics, Social Services, among others. Extensive knowledge of culture as well as medical terminology of symptoms, equipment, procedures, treatments and medicines required. From September 2004 to October 2008 (4 years 2 months) Web Developer @ From February 2007 to June 2007 (5 months) Asheville, North Carolina AreaInstructor of English @ Group and individual English classes, summer intensive programs, advanced conversation, business English for students from ages 5 to 60 years old. Volunteered tutoring in churches and with homeless children. From August 2003 to July 2004 (1 year) Peace Corps Instructor of English @ Trained university students to become English teachers. Teaching methods were Communicative, Audio-lingual. Context was sometimes makeshift, as technology (computers, Xerox machines, overheads, typewriters, sometimes electricity) was wholly absent. I taught courses in Language, and British and American History. From April 2000 to August 2000 (5 months) French Instructor @ Instructor of 1st and 2nd year university French, 2 classes per semester for 4 semesters (average size 15 students), 3 meetings weekly. Presented lessons in syntax, conversation, and culture. Created, corrected and evaluated exams, compositions, quizzes. Drafted syllabi, maintained office hours. Promoted and hosted miscellaneous extracurricular activities: seminars, movie nights, discussion groups. From September 1998 to August 1999 (1 year) Instructor of English and French @ Researched, prepared, and presented lessons to 5 classes of roughly 12 students in syntax, conversation, grammar, phonology, idioms, and cultural and historical contexts, Evaluated and journaled progress, notes, complications. From January 1998 to August 1998 (8 months)

Master of Arts (M.A.), Second Language Acquisition / Language Education, 3.9 @ Virginia Tech From 2001 to 2003 Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Double Major: Linguistics / French, 3.9 @ Virginia Tech From 1993 to 1997 Study Abroad, Language Interpretation and Translation, NA @ Université d'Angers From 1995 to 1996 Benjamin Lieb is skilled in: Software Engineering, Web Development, Ruby, JavaScript, Ember.js, Ruby on Rails, Node.js, Agile Methodologies, Test Driven Development, jQuery, Python, API Development, Sinatra, SASS, CSS