Conan Mercer

Conan Mercer Site Reliability Engineer

A photo of Conan Mercer

My Expertise

I am a Chemistry Ph.D now traveling the path of a Site Reliability Engineer. I thrive in challenging, constantly changing environments. Lately I have been immersed in Site Reliability Engineering, helping to build a great SaaS company at Sage. I design and implement data pipelines on top of AWS infrastructure. I have over 5 year’s experience in the management of international technology projects of a complex nature. I have strong technical abilities in Python, AWS and software development tooling. During my Ph.D I acquired solid skills in data science, public speaking and project management. I have a proven ability to apply the latest research and techniques to solve a variety of scientific problems.

Programming

My main development languages are Python, C# and C++. I use Visual Studio Code as my main integrated development environment, although I am fast becoming a JetBrains convert.

Data Science

I use Python and PostgreSQL as my main data science languages. I use Scikit-learn, Pandas, Matplotlib, NumPy and Seaborn libraries to see and understand predictions, outliers, and patterns in data. I use PostgreSQL for handling databases

Writing

Published first author of numerous scientific research. Adept with technical writing and data presentation, going from initial ideas to beautifully typeset documents and presentations

  • Senior Site Reliability Engineer October 2023 – Present
    Sage
      Barcelona, Spain

    • Design and deployment of an API Gateway in front of our API service to secure and throttle customer traffic

    • Migration of large production database to more efficient partitioned database

    Python | AWS | IaC | Github Actions | Git | SQL

  • Senior Data Engineer January 2023 – October 2023
    Sage
      Barcelona, Spain

    • Total ownership of AWS cloud infrastructure for a data science team

    • Brought data science software from development to production

    • A lot of work around CI/CD using GitHub Actions to automate as much as possible

    • Expertise in Docker containerization and orchestration for efficient management of data science codebases

    Python | AWS | IaC | Github Actions | Git | SQL

  • Data Engineer February 2022 – January 2023
    Sage
      Barcelona, Spain

    • Successfully rebuilt AWS cloud infrastructure to increase security and speed of development work

    • Implemented cost-saving measures through the use of spot instances in CI/CD building environment, resulting in a 70% reduction in associated cloud server costs

    • Streamlined deployment process by migrating from TeamCity to GitHub Actions

    • Expertise in Docker containerization and orchestration for efficient management of data science codebases

    Python | AWS | IaC | Github Actions | Git | SQL

  • Test Engineer February 2021 – Present
    Sage
      Barcelona, Spain

    • Working with a talented team of engineers to build a wonderful SaaS company

    • Innovating End to End Restful API development

    • Creating very strong technical documentation

    • Strong CI/CD experience with build servers and automated data reporting

    C# | Grafana | TeamCity | Selenium | Git | SQL | agile | OpenAPI

  • Professional Scrum Master II January 2021
      Professional Scrum Master II
    Scrum.org

    • Industry-recognized "PSM II" certification

    • Validated advanced knowledge of the Scrum framework and how to apply it

    • Scrum mastery

    • Certificate verifiable here

  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals September 2020
      Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
    Microsoft

    • Industry-recognized "Azure Fundamentals" certification

    • Validated depth of knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure

    • Certificate verifiable here

  • Professional Scrum Master I August 2020
      Professional Scrum Master I
    Scrum.org

    • Industry-recognized "PSM I" certification

    • Validated depth of knowledge of the Scrum framework and its application

    • Scrum mastery

    • Certificate verifiable here

  • Senior Quality Engineer August 2020 – February 2021
    The Project Group
      Banyoles, Spain

    • Leading QA software test automation

    • Lead in the development and maintenance of automated tests in C# within 2 week Sprints

    • Very strong Scrum Master working within a 9 person Scrum Team

    • Strong CI/CD experience with build servers and automated data reporting

    C# | C++ | Selenium | python | SQL | agile | TeamCity | javascript | HTML

  • Quality Engineer April 2019 – August 2020
    The Project Group
      Banyoles, Spain

    •Directly responsible for a 600% increase in QA automated tests during first 7 month period

    •Developing C# automated tests to manage and maintain software with a high standard of quality

    •Strong at guiding new employees and interns

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) December 2018
      Electrochemistry
    National University of Ireland Galway
      Galway, Ireland

    • Ranks among the top 1% of Universities in the world

    • Strong development in computer programming applied to Chemical and Electronic Engineering projects

    • Solid first author publishing record in internationally renowned ACS and Elsevier Journals

    • Very high level of project management experience

  • Bachelor of Science (Hons) June 2014
      Forensic Investigation and Analysis
    Institute of Technology Sligo
      Sligo, Ireland

    • The only course in Ireland accredited by The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences

    • Strong analytical skills in Chemistry and Biology applied to Crime Scene Management

    • Strong scientific methods and processes in crime solving

    • Very high level of project management experience

  • Reviewer April 2018 – Present
    The American Chemical Society
      Washington, DC, USA

    • Ensure the rigorous standards of the scientific process by taking part in the peer-review system

    • Strong attention to detail and ability to critically explain procedures and requirements to a high standard

    • Uphold the integrity of the journal by identifying invalid research, and helping to maintain the quality of the journal

    technical writing | data analysis | integrity | ethics | peer-review

  • Ph.D Researcher Nov 2014 – Dec 2018
    National University of Ireland Galway
      Galway, Ireland

    • Expert in developing Internet of Things based chemical sensors

    • Very strong experience with method validation, implementation and maintenance of chemical processes in challenging environments

    • Published scientific research in high impact internationally peer-reviewed journals

    C++ | microcontroller fundamentals | electronic engineering | IoT | automation

  • Visiting Researcher July 2015 – Sep 2015
    University of Connecticut
      Storrs, CT, USA

    • Application of quality control associated to the diagnostic process of the project to improve the scalability of the system

    • Design and implementation of new engineering approaches to achieve the technical aims in each phase of the project

    • Demonstrated ability to comfortably work with an international community of people

    tech transfer | team work | diverse backgrounds | scientific collaboration

  • Private in the Corps of Engineers Sep 2009 – Sep 2012
    Irish Defence Forces (Reserve)
      Renmore, Ireland

    • Proven leadership skills by example and positive role modelling

    • Strong ability to motivate others and work with a team

    • Demonstrated ability to be clear, concise and effective with communication

    leadership | team work | diverse backgrounds | planning