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 Data Engineer January 2023 – Present
    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