Kris Shaffer is a Principal Data Scientist and OSINT specialist with over 20 years of experience in data analysis and 14 years in applied data science, blending academic rigor (PhD, Yale) with hands-on product development and consulting. He designs cloud-forward data architectures, prototypes NLP and authenticity-detection models, and has led teams delivering client-facing dashboards and litigation-grade analyses. His work on disinformation—co-authoring a Senate report and writing Data versus Democracy—has been cited widely in major media, reflecting a rare mix of public-facing impact and technical depth. As founder of Latchkey AI and an adjunct instructor at CU–Boulder, he translates research into teachable practice and reproducible tools. An unusual thread through his career is sustained engagement with music and digital pedagogy, evidenced by open-source contributions to projects like an online music-theory textbook, which underscores his cross-disciplinary fluency in data, narrative, and design.
13 years of coding experience
16 years of employment as a software developer
Bachelor of Music Horn Performance, Bachelor of Music Horn Performance at Lawrence University
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Music Theory, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Music Theory at Yale University
Master of Music Orchestral Studies, Master of Music Orchestral Studies at Chicago College of Performing Arts
A growing, online "textbook" for music theory and aural skills
Role in this project:
Front-end Developer
Contributions:196 commits, 5 PRs, 116 pushes in 8 years
Contributions summary:Kris primarily worked on updating the user interface of the website. They added a caption style, implemented a centering frame, and incorporated video and track elements into the meter updates. Additionally, the user included Piwik tracking for website analytics. These changes suggest a focus on UI/UX enhancements and website performance tracking.
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