About Me
Physics, fabrication,
and field work.
Hi, I'm Jay or Jayson. When I'm not working profesionally, I spend most of my time time building software, whether that's tools, games or simulations, and exploring related hands-on interests such as 3D-printing and maintaining my home lab setup. I enjoy working with these complex systems and the challenge that comes with making them performant, reliable, and useable.
Professionally, I've done what I can to accrue knowledge and experience in various fields. I know what its like to work in a cleanroom fabricating solar cells, designing PCB's and ultimately debugging them when the first iteration will inevitably fail, and I know the feeling of crawling under a piece of farm equipment in the middle of a muddy field trying to weld that piece that just broke off back on. Each of these experiences have been invaluable.
I'm drawn to these challenges - to experience and learn something new in environments that are less than ideal but the equipment can't fail in. These are the problems that I spend my time on.
Education
MASc Engineering Physics (incomplete) — McMaster University
Thesis
focus: Single-pass SPDC in nonlinear PPLN material
Currently
Farmhand at Metro Farms, Hamilton ON — operating and maintaining heavy equipment through full crop cycles.
Where I've worked.
- Operate tractors, skid steers, and sprayers across all phases of corn, wheat, and soybean production.
- Troubleshoot and repair mechanical failures on farm equipment, minimizing operational downtime.
- Perform preventative maintenance on a range of machinery and implements.
- Adhere to safety protocols in environments with heavy machinery, chemicals, and seasonal time pressure.
- Developed, set up, and facilitated undergraduate practical labs for engineering physics students.
- Managed a Class 10,000 cleanroom — oversight, facilitation, and equipment functionality.
- Led weekly classroom and tutorial sessions with groups of 30 students.
- Diagnosed and resolved technical issues with lab equipment, 3D printers, laser cutters, and servers.
- Designed and fabricated modular Bluetooth tag tracking devices from scratch.
- Programmed device firmware in Arduino (C++) and networked units using Raspberry Pi and Linux.
- Sourced components, managed procurement, and presented progress reports at lab meetings.
- Mentored high school students in robot design, fabrication, and software development.
- Supported custom part fabrication and control system development for annual competition.
- Traveled with the team to competitions, providing technical support on-site.
Things I've Worked On.
Bluetooth Tracking System
Modular devices to monitor the movement of Bluetooth tags through a building, networked via Raspberry Pi.
NHL Scoreboard
A networked scoreboard running on Raspberry Pi with a 3D-printed case, pulling live game data from the NHL API.
Robotics Control PCB
A PCB for a robotic system integrating arm control, LiDAR, and motion systems. Full pipeline from schematic to soldering.
Undergraduate Lab Design
A complete practical lab experience built from scratch — equipment procurement, experiment design, and full student manual.
Current & Future Projects
View all projects →What I work with.
Programming
- C++ / Arduino
- Python
- MATLAB
- LaTeX
Electronics
- PCB Design
- Circuit Design & Debug
- Soldering
- Embedded Systems
Systems & OS
- Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Gentoo)
- Raspberry Pi
- macOS / Windows
- Networking
Fabrication
- MIG Welding
- 3D Printing & Design
- Laser Cutting
- Cleanroom Operations
Field & Equipment
- Tractor Operation
- Skid Steer
- Mechanical Troubleshooting
- Preventative Maintenance
Research.
Get in touch.
Open to opportunities in hands-on engineering, instrumentation, and applied R&D — especially in roles where the work has to function in real-world conditions.