Alex Rowe

Hey there - I'm Alex, a backend engineer with skills across the full stack.

About Me

Two people at the summit of Acadia Mountain

Striving for ever-growing heights

A very cool guy sitting on a horse statue

Me (valiantly) always looking for opportunity

I'm in my 4th year studying computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My skills are most developed in the backend, but I have experience working with the entire stack, from frontend to infrastructure.

I love to learn by doing, so I'm always bringing cool ideas to life and learning interesting tech through projects

I picked up some valuable knowledge in low-level and distributed systems, networks, and machine learning during my time at Illinois.

When I'm not coding, I like to play basketball, read, and hang out with family and friends.

Who's a good boy?

My Toolbox

Languages

TypeScript

Java

Python

Frameworks

Next.js

Spring

PyTorch

.NET

Databases

Postgres

Redis

Cassandra

MongoDB

Frontend

React

Tailwind

Astro

Deployment

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Experience

Wizards of the Coast

Software Engineer Intern (Backend)

June 2024 - August 2024

Wizards of the Coast is a game company that publishes games like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. I worked in the Online Game Services team, which is responsible for the backend services that power their digital games.

AWS

Postgres

Redis

Kubernetes

.NET

As an intern, I worked with both a team responsible for microservices using Go and Kubernetes and a team of interns on an intern project using C# and .NET.

I worked with a microservices team using Go and Kubernetes, developing gRPC-based endpoints, finding and fixing bugs, and using databases like Postgres and Redis in a distributed environment.

My intern project involved using C# and .NET to create a testing platform for transaction integration with Steam, overcoming scope creep and tight deadlines.

Despite dealing with scope creep and a tight deadline, we delivered a successful MVP that now serves as a reference tool for game developers and a testing resource for backend developers within the company.

MIDL

Software Engineer (Full Stack)

August 2022 - December 2023

MIDL Intelligence is a startup that provides software solutions for security systems, using computer vision and machine learning to detect, identify, and track objects and events.

TypeScript

Next.js

AWS

React

MongoDB

Postgres

Tailwind

I started at MIDL as an intern before converting to a part-time/full-time employee, and in a short time my technical skills skyrocketed.

I worked part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer. Working consistently with MIDL allowed me to gain a lot of experience in a short time, and I quickly grew into a more senior role.

I worked primarily as a full stack developer using Next.js, but as I gained confidence and ability I began to wear more hats. I gained experience with system design, machine learning, and high-load backend services with real-time data.

I led important projects, working to build vital features on tight deadlines that spanned complex frontend and backend systems.

Projects

AnkiAlgo

github.com/Andes0113/anki-algo

A website for practicing algorithms questions using spaced repetition

I'm building AnkiAlgo to provide a streamlined and adaptive experience for professionals to prepare for technical interviews.

AnkiAlgo uses a combination of an ELO system and user performance tracking to recommend questions to address a user's weaknesses at times designed to cement understanding of question concepts and patterns.

I use the similiarity between vector embeddings of each question's optimal solution to provide fine-grained comparisons of question strategies.

Rembrandt

devpost.com/software/rembrandt

Website for generating images in the style of a brand, given example images

Rembrandt uses GPT Vision to analyze a set of images uploaded by a user for key branding aspects such as color scheme, general themes, and items.

Users can then input prompts for images, which Ceptron then uses alongside their themes via prompt engineering to generate images in the brand's style.

Rembrandt is built in React and uses AWS Lambda for its backend.

Ceptron

devpost.com/software/ceptron

An AI assistant tool suite, in the style of MacOS's spotlight

I was making GPT wrappers before it was cool. 😎

Ceptron provides an easy-to-use interface that brings all the power of AI to your fingertips.

At the time of building, Ceptron used GPT-3 for text completion and self-hosted Stable Diffusion for image generation.

This project was built for HackGT 9 in 2022. Special shoutout to my teammates and especially Jim Su, who helped me break through to a whole new understanding of the process of building software.

Clubfinity

gitlab.com/ufsec/clubfinity

An app for clubs to coordinate, collaborate, and keep their members in the loop.

As the Lead Developer, I led 5 teams totaling 23 people developing a full stack mobile app for clubs built using React Native and Node.js

I developed features, fixed bugs, conducted code reviews, and implemented industry practices to mentor students

Finally, I managed deployment and led a closed beta with clubs around campus.