Mixed Reality Software Developer
Molecular Biologist and Bioinformatician
Educator and Communicator
About Me
As a scientist and developer I’ve always been excited about new technologies and have built my career around leveraging them. However, I believe the best technologies are wasted if no one can use them, so I emphasise UX, usability, and accessibility in my work.
VR and AR are transforming the ways we interact with data and education. These interactive, time-dynamic, 3D worlds let us visualise concepts in ways we’ve never had access to before. I want to use XR to communicate with people in interesting and innovative ways.
Hands-on DNA
Teaching DNA Structure through Virtual Reality
For my Masters thesis I designed, developed, and evaluated a VR experience that teaches University students about DNA.
In Hands-on DNA, you can experience shrinking from normal size to sub-microscopic scale in first person. Then you can pick up, pull apart, and put back together a piece of DNA!
Career Objectives
I am looking for opportunities in Auckland, New Zealand, or full-time remote from any location. I am interested in roles that will help me continue to develop in the following areas:
- Mixed Reality Technologies – AR and VR offer us amazing new opportunities for visualisation and education. I want to continue exploring how we can take advantage of these mediums.
- Scientific Software – I have experience in molecular biology and bioinformatics, with special interests in genetics, evolution, and the structures of biomolecules. I would like to keep developing software that enables scientific research.
- User Experience and Accessibility – Much of my career has involved making brilliant but dense academic software more user-friendly. I want to keep building intuitive software with a focus on accessibility.
- Education and Communication – I am passionate about science and a great communicator. As a Masters student I was runner-up in the University of Auckland 3-Minute Thesis competition, and used Hands-on DNA for outreach at schools and MOTAT. I would like to continue bolstering education and interest in science.
Experience
Private Sector
I have six years of experience developing bioinformatic software applications for research scientists.
I’m familiar with in Java, C++, C#, Python, and R. I’ve worked in agile development environments, using tools like JIRA, Trello, Slack, and Git to manage large projects.
Education
I hold an MSc (Bioinformatics) and a BSc (Medicinal Chemistry) from the University of Auckland, and a BCST from the University of Sydney.
For my MSc project I learned graphics development in Unity and C#, and managed my own team to build Hands-on DNA.
Contact
If my profile has caught your interest please feel free to contact me. I am currently searching for new employment and business partnership opportunities.
Sebastian Dunn Portfolio 