Kahtaf Alam

Professional Profile

• Full-stack engineering leader with 12+ years of experience shipping applications at scale, from early-stage startups to enterprise
• Shipped high quality consumer applications that scaled to 1M+ users; inventor on a patented non-custodial encryption technique
• Deep expertise in cloud-native systems across AWS, GCP, Azure, and Cloudflare with a focus on reliable architecture, data privacy, and security
• 10+ years building APIs and services with TypeScript + Node.js, Python, Java + Spring, and Ruby
• 10+ years of front-end experience with Next.js, React, and Angular; comfortable owning the full stack end-to-end
• Experienced engineering leader: managed cross-functional teams of backend, frontend, data, and ML engineers; ran hiring, mentorship, and delivery across multiple companies

Technical Skills

• Languages: TypeScript, JavaScript (ES6+), Python, Java, Ruby, SQL
• Frontend: Next.js, React, Angular, HTML5, CSS3, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Node.js, Spring Boot, REST API design, GraphQL
• Cloud & DevOps: AWS, GCP, Azure, Cloudflare, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps
• Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, DynamoDB, MongoDB, SQLite, Cloudflare KV and D1; Vector DBs: Weaviate, Pinecone
• AI & Developer Tools: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, OpenAI API, Vercel AI SDK
• Observability: PostHog, Sentry, DataDog

Work Experience

• Led the overhaul of Vana’s Data Portability protocol: wrote the spec, drove alignment, and shipped the implementation with a team of engineers
• Owned delivery across TypeScript/Python services, Postgres, and the infra surface (GCP + Cloudflare) to get the protocol into production reliably
• Increased PR throughput and time-to-prototype without letting quality slip by pushing clearer specs, tighter tests, and faster review loops
• Conducted end-to-end testing and wrote docs that engineers actually use

• Led a full-stack team shipping consumer apps on top of Vana’s protocol in close partnership with product and design
• Owned the Vana App and staking products, translating Web3 primitives into Web2-friendly UX while keeping privacy/permissions central
• Scaled the applications layer to 100k+ users, raising the bar on reliability, architecture, and day-to-day execution
• Put monitoring and feedback loops in place (PostHog/Sentry) so we caught issues early and shipped fixes fast

• Managed a cross-functional team (backend, frontend, data, ML) building an API for third-party developers to deliver personalized AI experiences
• Kept privacy and security as hard requirements, including building an OAuth-based permissioning system for sensitive user data
• Wrote and maintained API docs for internal and external developers so integration didn’t require tribal knowledge
• Partnered with leadership on product direction and roadmap so the platform work lined up with real user value

• Took an AI image generation app from idea to launch in 2 weeks, then scaled it as usage grew to 1M+ users over the following months
• Rebuilt model-wrapping APIs as models improved, cutting waste (time/storage/cost) and reducing operational pain
• Drove design docs that made parallel work possible across frontend + backend, instead of serial “handoff” development
• Ran technical interviews and helped grow the engineering team with a higher signal, more consistent process

• Designed a patented method for encrypting large datasets using a Web3 wallet (non-custodial encryption/decryption)
• Architected a non-custodial data wallet and the secure APIs needed to interact with private user data
• Built a framework for offline, in-browser private user data processing to reduce dependency on centralized services
• Audited cloud spend and cut the AWS bill by ~90% through concrete changes

• Built an MLOps pipeline from scratch (Terraform, GitHub Actions, SageMaker, Python) so models could ship like real software
• Delivered production-grade Python APIs around ML models, with clean contracts for data science teams and downstream consumers
• Shipped workflow-acceleration features (document search/verification, passport OCR, plagiarism checks) that reduced manual effort for users
• Tackled performance issues directly (including N+1/query problems) and improved API responsiveness under load
• Worked across Python/Ruby/TypeScript/React plus Docker/Kubernetes depending on what the problem needed
• Conducted system design interviews with prospective engineers, and contributed to the hiring process

• Led multiple client deliveries while still contributing hands-on across Spring Boot, Angular/Node, Salesforce/MuleSoft when needed
• Built and maintained CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps) and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform) to make environments repeatable
• Worked with AWS architects to review systems and improve reliability/security
• Drove partner competency/designation efforts to strengthen AppCentrica’s AWS credibility
• Managed hiring, onboarding, mentorship through 1:1s, and performance reviews; helped engineers set goals they could actually execute

• Shipped Android and iOS apps for enterprise clients and startups; owned delivery from requirements to release
• Built mobile apps with Xamarin, integrating with microservices via REST/JWT with attention to auth/session security
• Ran a tight client feedback loop (bi-weekly demos, rapid iteration) that improved outcomes and trust
• Improved app security: session timeouts, secure storage, and safer handling of cached data
• Helped clients through App Store submissions and launch planning to avoid last-minute release chaos

• Built internal and consumer-facing systems for a major automaker across Spring (Boot/MVC/Data/Security), MS SQL, and AWS
• Delivered Spring microservices in Docker with CI/CD in Azure DevOps
• Raised unit test coverage and code review quality to reduce regressions and speed up releases
• Mentored newer engineers and helped set technical direction through reusable patterns and shared tooling

• Worked on install, upgrade, and maintenance flows for IBM WebSphere Application Server (Network Deployment and Liberty)
• Built and debugged packages using IBM Installation Manager, focusing on upgrades, rollbacks, config drift, and platform differences
• Cut install time by reducing unnecessary work in the install path and tightening up packaging/validation steps
• Triaged and fixed installer crashes and hard-failure edge cases, driving issues from reproduction to root cause to a shipped fix
• Wrote and maintained build/release automation (Java + Ant/Maven, JavaScript tooling) to make releases more repeatable

• Built and maintained an automated test framework for installing and validating WebSphere Application Server across multiple platforms
• Expanded test coverage with new installation and functionality scenarios, focusing on edge cases
• Wrote Windows and Unix scripts to remove repetitive team tasks and make test runs more reliable
• Partnered with teammates to plan and roll out larger framework changes, not just small one-off fixes
• Triaged failures and defects coming out of automation, then drove fixes to the framework or surfaced product issues with clear repro steps

Patents

• Noncustodial Techniques for Granular Encryption and Decryption Published Jul 23, 2024, US Patent No. 12047496
• Non-custodial Techniques for Data Encryption and Decryption Published Nov 28, 2023, US Patent No. 11831407

Education

• B.S. Computer Engineering