My name is Talal Tahir, and I’m currently a Staff Software Engineer at Optimal Dynamics based out of Pennsylvania. I’ve been with the company for almost 3 years. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics from New Jersey Institute of Technology.
As a staff software engineer, in addition to being a resource for infrastructure, architecture, and technology evaluation, I collaborate across teams to identify critical areas for system improvement and drive the implementation of those enhancements.
Optimal Dynamics is tackling a complex problem with decades of research behind it, and many brilliant minds are working on it. The opportunity to be immersed in this environment was incredibly exciting for me.
What I appreciate most about the culture at Optimal Dynamics is the strong sense of ownership. There's a refreshing openness to new ideas, with nothing off-limits, which allows everyone to make a real impact.
The methodology used here, developed at Princeton, is more advanced than other models that aim to achieve the same results.
I appreciate that I'm not restricted to working on just one segment of our system or a single application. Instead, I have the freedom to focus on initiatives that I believe will have a significant impact, regardless of the service domain or the teams responsible for it. It keeps the job fresh, continuously introduces new challenges, and ensures that my work remains exciting.
At Optimal Dynamics, I'm fortunate to work across a variety of services, including internal tools, infrastructure, and user-facing applications. Much of my work focuses on enhancing the stability, reliability, and scalability of our applications, ultimately improving the experience for our end users.
One of my key accomplishments has been implementing autoscaling for our services, including our core engine. This initiative not only reduced operating costs but also allowed our system to dynamically manage increased load. Additionally, I introduced a resilience mechanism for our asynchronous processes, enabling our services to handle potential failures promptly and effectively. I also played a role in developing an internal application that streamlines customer calibration for our teams, requiring minimal technical knowledge due to its automation of many manual steps.
I joined Optimal Dynamics as a senior engineer and was fortunate to be promoted to a staff engineer. This new role has introduced me to skills beyond technical expertise, including leading without formal authority. I've been actively learning and adapting to these new responsibilities, with a heightened focus on strategic thinking. In the fast-paced environment at Optimal Dynamics, there are always numerous tasks to tackle. My goal has been to improve my ability to select tasks that align with the organization’s goals.
Much of my free time is spent with my family going to parks and museums and exploring our surrounding area.
I can move my ears without touching them.
There is a lot to learn, but everyone is so willing to help so don't be afraid to ask questions.