I am a software developer, new data scientist, technical author and frequent public speaker currently living in Chicago. I work for Think Big Analytics, an international, Big Data consultancy where I run the training organization, Think Big Academy, and I consult with clients on Hadoop-related data projects.

I am the author of Functional Programming for Java Developers, the co-author (with Alex Payne) of Programming Scala, and the co-author (with Edward Capriolo and Jason Rutherglen) of the forth-coming Programming Hive (planned for Summer, 2012), all published by O'Reilly Media.

I am a frequent public speaker at conferences and user groups. Most of my presentations can be found on the talks and papers page of my Polyglot Programming site. I also help organize some conferences and I run the Chicago-Area Scala Enthusiasts user group.

My expertise includes the following:

  • Big Data and Data Science: I bring the unique combination of software development expertise, the Mathematics from a Ph.D. in Physics, and state of the art techniques in data management, mining, analytics, and machine learning, using the Hadoop ecosystem and other tools.
  • Functional, Object-Oriented, and Aspect-Oriented Programming: I combine years of deep experience with both the theory and effective practice of these disciplines, using languages like Scala, JavaScript, Ruby, Java, and "shell" languages to deliver high-quality, efficient applications in a timely manner.
  • Software Craftsmanship: I understand the practical, real-world issues faced by teams trying to deliver applications that meet business requirements and other objectives. In the past, I've done consulting in Agile development and management methods, especially Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, and Lean for small teams up to large organizations.

You'll find me on twitter and I occasionally blog.

My resumé Adobe PDF has more details about my experience.

Play

Photography is one of my hobbies. See here and here.

"Great Thoughts"

On Software:

  • To design is human; to refactor divine.
  • All problems in Computer Science can be solved by another level of indirection. (Butler Lampson)
  • Premature optimization is the root of all evil. (C.A.R. Hoare)

On the End:

I want my tombstone to say:

Unknown Application Error in Dean Wampler.exe.
Application Terminated.

The Scala Programming Language