Sterling Smith
Computer Systems Manager at General Atomics
San Diego, California, United States
Summary
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Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolSterling Smith is a Computer Systems Manager based in San Diego with 12 years of experience bridging plasma physics research and production software for fusion experiments. At General Atomics he leads the Software Development Group supporting the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, focusing on web tools, cluster software, between-shot analysis, and predictive capabilities. He combines deep domain expertise from a Princeton Ph.D. in plasma physics with hands-on skills in Fortran 90, Python, finite elements, eigenvalue analysis, and MHD to translate theory into validated, optimized codes like Zipfit, EFIT, and Autostability. Sterling co-developed the OMFIT framework and contributes to open-source projects such as matplotlib by improving test coverage and widget behavior, demonstrating attention to scientific reproducibility and software quality. He aspires to a tenured professorship, reflecting a long-term commitment to research and teaching while continuing to manage complex, mission-critical scientific software. An early-career anecdote: he once taught Astronomy merit badges and rose to senior camp staff, hinting at both teaching instincts and practical leadership.
12 years of coding experience
16 years of employment as a software developer
B.S., Physics, B.S., Physics at Utah State UniversityGrantsville High SchoolPh.D., Plasma Physics, Ph.D., Plasma Physics at Princeton University
English, Spanish
Stackoverflow
1,778reputation
1.1mreached
21answers
4questions
matplotlib
top-5%
python
top-5%
Github Skills (13)
data-visualizations10
unit-testing10
data-visualization10
data-visualisation10
python10
matplotlib10
testing10
legend6
grouping6
syntax6
package-manager6
macos6
plot6
Programming languages (16)
Github contributions (5)
matplotlib/matplotlib
Nov 2014 - Aug 2016
matplotlib: plotting with Python
Role in this project:
QA Engineer / Test Automation Engineer
QA Engineer / Test Automation EngineerContributions:6 commits, 5 comments, 2 issues in 1 year 9 months
Contributions summary:Sterling focused on improving the testing coverage and functionality within the matplotlib library. Their contributions included adding a new test case specifically for the `color=None` parameter in the `plot` function and modifying the `TextBox` widget. They also ensured the code complied with PEP8 standards. These changes enhance the robustness and reliability of the library.
pythondata-sciencegtkdata-visualizationplotting
smithsp/mdsplus
Jun 2015 - Sep 2023
The MDSplus data management system
Contributions:6 pushes, 6 branches, 5 tags in 8 years 4 months
management-systemdata-managementmdsplus
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