David Ackerman
Senior Software Engineer at Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Ashburn, Virginia, United States
Summary
👤
Senior🎓
Top SchoolDavid Ackerman is a Senior Software Engineer with a decade of experience applying computational methods to interdisciplinary science, currently contributing to the Computational Methods group at Janelia Research Campus within HHMI. Trained as a PhD biophysicist with prior research in theoretical astrophysics, he builds simulation tools, GUIs, and analysis pipelines that turn complex experimental and MD datasets into reproducible, publication-quality results. His work spans developing analytical solutions for membrane phase behavior, automating experimental instruments, and securing large-scale supercomputer allocations—skills that blend deep domain modeling with practical software engineering. Based in Ashburn, VA, he brings a track record of translating research needs into robust software and instrumentation, often creating user-facing tools that empower lab colleagues to explore parameter spaces and fit experimental data.
10 years of coding experience
7 years of employment as a software developer
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Biophysics, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Biophysics at Cornell UniversityBachelor of Arts (B.A.), Physics, Math, Integrated Sciences, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Physics, Math, Integrated Sciences at Northwestern University
Github Skills (67)
mesh9
viewer9
segmentation9
forge8
downsampling8
dimensions8
vtk8
geometry8
matlab7
deep-learning7
electrophysiology7
python7
image-filters7
machine-learning7
segment6
Programming languages (11)
Github contributions (5)
davidackerman/mesh_playground
Aug 2022 - Feb 2025
Contributions:2 PRs, 25 pushes, 2 branches in 2 years 6 months
davidackerman/EM_aligner
Jan 2017 - Jun 2022
A set of tools to assist in aligning (registering) large numbers of EM images into a coherent image volume in two and three dimensions.
Contributions:1 PR, 51 pushes in 5 years 5 months
coherentvolumelarge-numbersassistimage-processing
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