Hi, I'm David Miserak
Senior Backend Engineer & Systems Architect
10+ years architecting scalable microservices, modernizing legacy systems, and delivering measurable results across defense, finance, and research.
About Me
Senior engineer dedicated to architecting scalable systems
Senior Backend Engineer and founder with 10+ years of experience architecting scalable microservices and modernizing legacy systems. I specialize in delivering measurable performance gains, including 20x throughput improvements and $5M+ in cost savings through cloud-native development and full-stack system migration.
I build high-availability platforms serving millions of users with 99.99% uptime SLAs. My expertise spans Python, Go, Java, and distributed systems architecture, with proven success scaling systems from concept to production across diverse industries including defense, finance, and research.
I'm always looking for new opportunities to collaborate with teams and build impactful solutions.
Featured Projects
A selection of my best work and recent projects
PoopyFeed - Open Source Baby Care Tracker
FeaturedFull-stack web application for tracking baby care with multi-child support and family sharing
Legacy System Modernization (GDMS)
FeaturedMicroservices migration from legacy monolith to modern architecture
Payment Encryption Solution (American Express)
FeaturedHigh-performance encryption architecture for payment processing
Genomic Data Pipeline (UVM)
Big Data analytics platform for genomic research
Retail Monitoring System (Vertek)
Real-time monitoring platform for 1,200+ retail locations
Skills & Expertise
Technologies and tools I work with
Languages
- Python expert
- Java expert
- Go expert
- TypeScript expert
- JavaScript expert
- SQL expert
- Ruby proficient
- C++ proficient
Backend & APIs
- Django expert
- Flask expert
- Spring Framework proficient
- Express.js proficient
- Node.js expert
- REST APIs expert
- GraphQL proficient
- Ruby on Rails proficient
Cloud & Infrastructure
- AWS expert
- Docker expert
- Kubernetes expert
- Terraform proficient
- Microservices expert
- CI/CD Pipelines expert
- OpenShift proficient
Data & Databases
- PostgreSQL expert
- MongoDB expert
- MySQL proficient
- BigQuery proficient
- Hadoop proficient
- Database Design expert
- NoSQL expert
Frontend
- React expert
- Angular expert
- React Native proficient
- Responsive Design expert
- Component Architecture expert
- D3.js proficient
- Tailwind CSS expert
Tools & Systems
- Git expert
- GitHub expert
- Linux expert
- Shell Scripting expert
- Test-Driven Development expert
- Agile/Scrum expert
Work Experience
My professional journey and key roles
Senior Software Engineer & Founder
Vermont Data Systems
Currently engaged on CORBA to gRPC migration for naval sensor data processing, architecting scalable data ingestion pipelines. Leveraged specialized naval data expertise to transform complex operational datasets into authentic simulation scenarios. Developed Python-based solutions and enhanced data dashboards for naval training personnel.
Advanced Software Engineer
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Architected microservices migration from legacy monolith to Golang/Docker/MongoDB stack, achieving 20x throughput improvement. Led cloud-native modernization using AWS ECS, Lambda, and MinIO storage, reducing operational costs by 60%. Implemented sidecar pattern deployment enabling zero-downtime migration from 1990s ADA/C++ systems. Built distributed testing framework reducing test execution from 8 hours to 45 minutes. Delivered 99.99% uptime SLA for mission-critical Navy operations.
Senior Software Engineer (Contract)
American Express
Architected payment encryption solution using Java, Hibernate, and JMS, solving 18-month roadblock in 6 weeks and saving $3.6M in contractor costs. Designed messaging-layer encryption maintaining database performance while processing 1M+ daily transactions with p99 latency <50ms. Led 2 engineers coordinating with international teams to deliver zero-downtime migration with blue-green deployment.
Software Engineer
Human Genetics and Genomics Lab at UVM
Identified university cluster bottleneck and built 20-node Cloudera Hadoop cluster solution. Architected full-stack data pipeline from distributed processing through Flask APIs to React/D3.js visualization frontend. Reduced genomic data processing time from weeks to hours, serving 5+ researchers with sub-second data access.
Software Developer
Vertek Corporation
Developed Flask APIs for real-time payment monitoring across 1,200+ retail locations, preventing $400K/day potential revenue loss. Built Python automation scripts improving deployment productivity from 2 to 4-5 sites per technician daily, eliminating $292K+ in annual costs. Implemented Docker-based monitoring replacing 20 hours of daily manual tracking.
Get In Touch
Have a project in mind? Let us talk about it
Other Ways to Connect
Prefer direct communication? Reach out through any of these channels. I typically respond within 24 hours.