Summary
Steve Melnikoff is a Chief Technology Officer and information physicist with three decades of experience designing large-scale, web-based systems for data analysis and visualization. He combines deep academic training (MIT SB in Physics & Math; PhD in Physics) and early national-lab research at Lawrence Livermore with entrepreneurial leadership across startups and privacy-focused blockchain solutions. Steve built KNALIJ, an interactive PubMed visualization platform recognized in the U.S. OpenGov challenges, and has applied his expertise to diverse domains from space reactor design to quantitative CT for osteoporosis. As CTO and chief scientist roles at Penta and Vastmind show, he bridges rigorous scientific modeling, privacy-first architectures, and product delivery for finance and government customers. A longtime educator and mentor, he has taught physics, CS, and software engineering while continuously translating research-grade methods into production systems. Based in Bellevue, WA, he brings an interdisciplinary, research-driven approach to building secure, scalable data platforms.
11 years of coding experience
16 years of employment as a software developer
SB Physics Mathematics, SB Physics Mathematics at MIT
PhD Physics, PhD Physics at University of California, Riverside