Hello — I'm Geoff: a scientist, engineer, and maker.
Hello — I'm Geoff: a scientist, engineer, and maker.
At A Glance
Education: PhD in Computer Science (Simon Fraser University).
Currently: Research Scientist at Apple since November 2021.
Previously: Prototype Engineer (Archiact), Instructor (UManitoba), Developer (Canadian Air Force).
Software skills: C, C++, C# .NET, Swift, Python, Java, Vulkan, OpenGL, GLSL.
Hardware skills: CAD (Fusion 360), PCB design (DipTrace), 3D printing, embedded programming, robotics.
Awards and publications: Various, including federal funding (NSERC CGS) and an award-winning paper (CAIAC 2017).
Scroll down to see more, or download my CV.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Comp. Sci., Simon Fraser University (August 2021). Supervisor: Dr. Richard Vaughan.
Thesis title: Flock Heterogeneity and Its Applications.
Thesis title: Flock Heterogeneity and Its Applications.
Master of Science, Comp. Sci., University of Manitoba (September 2016). Supervisor: Dr. John Anderson.
Thesis title: Active Recruitment in Dynamic Teams of Heterogeneous Robots.
Thesis title: Active Recruitment in Dynamic Teams of Heterogeneous Robots.
Bachelor of Science, Comp. Sci., University of Manitoba (2013).
Work Experience
Research Scientist at Apple, since November 2021.
Staying hungry and foolish.
Staying hungry and foolish.
Prototype Engineer at Archiact, from 2015 to 2016.
Led software and hardware projects that merged robotics and virtual reality.
Led software and hardware projects that merged robotics and virtual reality.
Sessional Instructor at the University of Manitoba, from 2013 to 2015.
Taught 7 undergraduate computer science courses ranging in size from 30 to 100 students.
Taught 7 undergraduate computer science courses ranging in size from 30 to 100 students.
Developer for the Canadian Department of National Defence (17 Wing Winnipeg), from 2009 to 2012.
Developed interactive training content to prepare Air Force officers for the next stages of their careers.
Developed interactive training content to prepare Air Force officers for the next stages of their careers.
Software Development
I've developed stock market backtesters, automated options trading software (which actually perform live trading), particle effect editors, a media library for C, mission scripters for my custom game engines, tools for my PhD research, and many more.
My languages of choice are C and C++. I'm also highly experienced in C# .NET, Swift, Java, and Python.
Fornax is a general-purpose particle editor I use in many of my projects. The interface was made in C# .NET, and the preview functionality was built in C++ with OpenGL.
Source code is available here.
The scripting and mission layout tool I built to script missions in Hypergate. It was made in C# .NET.
Some output from a suite of back-testing tools I wrote to develop and test options trading strategies on the S&P 500. These tools were built using C++ and Python.
My automated trading software, written in C# .NET, running on a wall-mounted tablet.
Screenshot of the drone simulation and control software I wrote that powered my drone experiments for my PhD research.
A fun visualization project showing ping results for IPV4 addresses a.b.c.d, for all a, b, c, and a random d.
Game Development and Graphics
My games and game engines are cross-platform (Windows and Linux) and written from scratch, because I enjoy the learning that comes from doing things yourself. I've also built scripting tools, physically-based rendering (PBR) and raytracing engines, and more.
I write my games in Vulkan or OpenGL, with shaders written in GLSL. Most of my custom development tools were written in C# .NET. I construct art assets in Blender and GIMP (most recently using a PBR metallicity workflow), and I do my own foley/sound design with Goldwave and Audacity. Two of my games are on Steam.
Hypergate is a 3D space combat game available on Steam for Windows and Linux. It took five years to develop.
Check out the Steam Store page here.
Asteroids Millennium is a modern take on an old classic, available on Steam for Windows and Linux.
Check out the Steam Store page here.
Secrets of Mars is a game about an autonomous rover that begins to question reality, and its own programming, when things on Mars begin to become strange.
A game that I developed in 48 hours for my submission to the 45th Ludum Dare "Compo" competition using my open-source C media library, SIGIL. It ranked 360th out of 2613 submissions!
Source code is available here.
No-Fly-Zone is a short survival-based first-person shooter (FPS) where you must defend yourself against rogue drones. It was made as a simple open-source example of how to create an FPS using OpenGL.
Source code is available here.
This is a render from a raytracing engine I wrote. It features bounding volumes and other techniques for faster rendering, although not in real-time. The object in the center is a mirror.
I digitally modelled the Voyager holodeck and put it into my experimental game engine to learn about the differences in lighting between movie sets and video games, motion blur, and other techniques.
This is a 3D platformer I wrote to learn how to make a game engine in Vulkan. It supports animated models, diffuse irradiance, specular irradiance, shadow maps, multisampling, and more.
Another GIF of the platformer, showing the main menu and most of the world.
Hardware Projects
Projects of mine include an electric scooter, remote controlled vehicles, robots, drones, and more. I modelled them using Fusion 360, and used DipTrace to design the PCBs. The renders below were made in Blender. Most of my devices are powered by Microchip (formerly Atmel) MCUs such as the ATmega328.
An animated render of the µBee, an inexpensive, 3D-printed drone I designed from scratch. Optional mounts for reflective markers allow integration with a motion capture system. I used these drones to conduct my PhD research.
An animated render of an electric scooter. I built it from scratch using plywood, aluminum, and 3D-printed parts reinforced with steel. An ATMega328P powers the logic, motor control, and display.
An animated render of my rugged-terrain, differential drive remote-controlled car. It is nearly entirely 3D-printed, including the controller.
A brief test of a small µBee fleet, detected and controlled by custom software I wrote that also doubles as a simulator to test out behaviours beforehand. A Vicon motion capture system surrounding the lab space captures the 9.5mm markers attached to the drones. For size and weight considerations, only 3 reflective markers are used per drone. The software controlling the µBees detects and tracks these markers over time to associate the detections with drone IDs.
Myself, test-flying the µBee. With the optional motion capture markers, the drone weighs 37g (including the LiPo battery), and has a flight time of up to 3 and a half minutes.
Myself, riding the electric scooter. Its top speed is approximately 16km/h and it has a modest maximum range of about 7km when powered with a 3.3Ah 6s LiPo.
Field tests of the rugged-terrain remote-controlled car on the SFU campus.
An earlier robotics project of mine started prior to my master's degree. A custom global vision system captures the 3pi robots and instructs them to maintain various formations as robots are added or removed in real time.
A digital clock I built using 3D-printed parts, a real-time clock module, 3 LED matrices, and a custom-designed PCB. The power cable runs into and down behind the wall.
Publications
Simultaneous Measurements of Three-Dimensional Trajectories and Wingbeat Frequencies of Birds in the Field.
Hangjian Ling, Guillam Mclvor, Geoff Nagy, Sepehr MohaimenianPour, Richard Vaughan, Alex Thornton, Nicholas T. Ouellette.
Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2018.
BibTeX
Hangjian Ling, Guillam Mclvor, Geoff Nagy, Sepehr MohaimenianPour, Richard Vaughan, Alex Thornton, Nicholas T. Ouellette.
Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2018.
BibTeX
Scholarships and Awards
- Robar Industries Ltd. Graduate Scholarship, Simon Fraser UniversityJanuary 2020
- Helmut & Hugo Eppich Family Graduate Scholarship, Simon Fraser UniversityJanuary 2019
- May 2018
- Third Place, Ogopogo's Lair Competition, NSERC Canadian Robotics NetworkMay 2017
- Best Student Paper Award, Canadian Artificial Intelligence AssociationMay 2017
- Graduate Dean Entrance Scholarship, Simon Fraser UniversitySeptember 2016
- Provost Prize of Distinction, Simon Fraser UniversitySeptember 2016
- Graduate Fellowship, Simon Fraser UniversitySeptember 2016
- Third Place, Technical Challenge, RoboCup 2014July 2014
- Computer Science Guaranteed Funding Package, University of ManitobaJanuary 2014
- Third Place, Technical Challenge, RoboCup 2013July 2013
- Faculty of Science Graduate Studentship, University of ManitobaSeptember 2013
Teaching Experience
While working on my master's degree at the University of Manitoba, I was a sessional instructor from 2013 to 2015. In total, I taught 7 classes, ranging in size from 30 to over 100 students. While course topics were determined by the department, I developed and presented my own lecture content and assignments. Exams were developed and graded jointly between myself and the other instructors teaching the remaining sections. I received excellent ratings from students during evaluations.
- Introductory Computer Science I (COMP 1010)Fall 2013, 2014
- Introductory Computer Science II (COMP 1020)Winter 2013, 2014, 2015
- Object Orientation (COMP 2150)Summer 2013, 2014
Volunteering and Service
I've been active in the Computer Science and robotics communities since my undergraduate career. My volunteer work includes organizing student events for international conferences, and contributing to committees on both local and international levels.
- Senior Chair, Student Activities Committee, IEEE RA SocietyMay 2020 to May 2021
- Member, Member Activities Board, IEEE RA SocietyMay 2018 to May 2022
- Chair, Student Activities Committee, IEEE Robotics and Automation SocietyMay 2018 to May 2020
- Student Administrative Committee Member, IEEE RA SocietyMay 2018 to May 2020
- IROS 2017 Volunteer Organizer, Simon Fraser UniversityJuly 2017 to September 2017
- Member, Department of Computer Science Council, University of ManitobaSeptember 2014 to August 2015
- VP Volunteers, Computer Science Games 2012 Organizing CommitteeMarch 2011 to February 2012
Other Interests
- Space! I'm highly interested in space travel and exploration of the Solar System.
- Check out NASA's Perseverance rover on Twitter, or the latest images Perseverance has captured on Mars!
- Since 2013, I've trained in several styles of martial arts, with a focus on practical self-defense and knowledge.
- Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC have some amazing opportunities for scenic hikes!
Contact
I'm on LinkedIn, and I also maintain websites for Hypergate and SIGIL, and have a GitLab repository with some small public projects.
If you want to get in touch, email is best: geoff [dot] nagy [at] gmail [dot] com.
Page last updated September 23, 2023.
