Chris Mitchell
Principal Software Engineer at Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Summary
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Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolChris Mitchell is a Principal Software Engineer with 14 years of experience applying computational rigor to large -omics datasets at Ginkgo Bioworks, drawing on a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins. He blends deep domain knowledge in genomics and mass-spec data integration with practical engineering—building analytical tools and methods to process and interact with high-throughput biological data. An active open-source contributor, he has improved core bioinformatics tooling (e.g., cutadapt enhancements for N-base trimming) and worked on performance-sensitive backends like the Lua interpreter in the Mudlet MUD client. Based in Boston, he brings a rare combination of wet-lab experience, algorithmic insight, and backend systems expertise that helps bridge experimental biology and production software.
14 years of coding experience
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Biology, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Biology at University of PennsylvaniaDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Spanish
Stackoverflow
1,508reputation
121kreached
24answers
18questions
Github Skills (26)
c-language10
python10
lua10
bioinformatics10
cprogramming-language10
testing9
pytest9
trigger9
moderncv9
cross-platform8
regular-expression8
qt8
algorithm7
algorithms7
data-structure7
Programming languages (11)
Github contributions (5)
Mudlet/Mudlet
Mar 2013 - Jan 2022
⚔️ A cross-platform, open source, and super fast MUD client with scripting in Lua
Role in this project:
Backend Developer
Backend DeveloperContributions:9 reviews, 197 commits, 28 PRs in 8 years 10 months
Contributions summary:Chris primarily contributed to the Lua interpreter backend of the Mudlet project. Their work involved fixing bugs related to the `setExitWeight` and `getExitStubs` functions within the Lua interpreter's code, indicating a focus on core MUD client logic. Further development included initial testing for zippable modules, which suggests involvement in improving module management and distribution.
gamec-plus-plus-17multi-user-dungeondefoldrpg
marcelm/cutadapt
Mar 2015 - Jan 2016
Cutadapt removes adapter sequences from sequencing reads
Role in this project:Back-end Developer
Back-end DeveloperContributions:5 commits, 2 PRs, 7 comments in 10 months
Contributions summary:Chris primarily contributed to the core functionality of the `cutadapt` tool. Their work focused on implementing new features related to trimming and filtering reads, specifically introducing trimming of 'N' bases from read ends and setting a maximum proportion of 'N's allowed in a read. Additionally, the user added tests for these new functionalities, improving the tool's reliability. They also fixed logic errors and added doc strings, demonstrating a commitment to code quality and usability.
sequencepythonbiocondafastasequencing
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