Meet the team | William Lopes

Welcome to another edition of our 'Meet the Team' interview series! Today, we're pulling back the curtain to showcase another incredible individual who forms the backbone of Voltaware. You may already be familiar with our groundbreaking technology, but it's time to get up close and personal with the brilliant minds who bring it to life.

Please meet Lopes - our Lead Machine Learning Engineer, who joined Voltaware 7 years ago and played a crucial role in creating the products that Voltaware offers now.

Can you tell us about your journey here at Voltaware?

I joined the Voltaware team in 2017, at the same time as I was finishing my master's degree. It was an exciting time as the main disaggregation product was still in its early stages, so I had the opportunity to actively participate in designing and implementing the project's machine learning backend infrastructure. This experience helped me to grow as a professional both with the product and within the company. I believe over time, my familiarity with the stack, requirements and solutions allowed me to get my current position as tech lead of the Machine Learning engineering team.

Why did you decide to specialise in Machine Learning? What makes it so interesting for you?

I was fortunate to start my career as a developer at a computer vision software company. Thus, I had to learn some Machine Learning as part of my job.

I found machine learning interesting from the beginning, but it was not until around 2012, with the rise of convolutional neural networks, that I realized its true potential and how revolutionary it could be. These new networks enabled us to implement systems that were previously incredibly difficult. That is when I decided to specialize in machine learning, and my fascination with it has only grown since then.

In my opinion, AI is the most exciting area to study and work in right now. It is amazing to see how it is transforming industries every day, and I am grateful to be a part of it.

Run us through a typical day at Voltaware

A typical day for me involves engaging in numerous technical discussions, planning sessions, and design tasks. Additionally, I spend a considerable amount of time coding in Python, and sometimes collaborating through pair programming. Another significant aspect of my day involves conducting thorough code reviews and providing constructive feedback to ensure the quality and efficiency of our codebase.

What do you enjoy the most about working at Voltaware?

Voltaware is a highly dynamic company, constantly exploring new ideas and projects, which keeps us challenged to learn and meet our clients' evolving needs. Additionally, I value the diverse global team, with members from various technical backgrounds. This diversity fosters unique perspectives, enriching our problem-solving approach and leading to innovative solutions.

Can you tell us about your professional goals this year?

My goal is to continually enhance our machine learning backend stack, refine our internal processes, and optimize communication channels. By doing so, we aim to consistently deliver high-quality products that meet and exceed our customers' expectations.

Outside of work, what are some of your hobbies or interests that you're passionate about?

My main hobby is reading history books. I am especially passionate about ancient Roman and Greek history.