Ross E. Kirsling

Last updated: 2015.07.09

C ONTACTI NFORMATION(available upon request)

Email:
rkirsling@gmail.com
Website: rkirsling.github.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rkirslingR ESEARCHI NTERESTS

Computational semantics and pragmatics
Natural language understanding

P ROFESSIONAL
E XPERIENCE

Sony Network Entertainment, San Francisco, California, USA
Senior Software Engineer

May 2015 – present• Currently part of an architecture team, striving to unify and simplify PlayStation
Network client application development across PS4, web, and TV platforms.
Sony Network Entertainment, Middleton, Wisconsin, USA
Software Engineer (initially Technical Analyst)

May 2009 – April 2015

• Participated in development of the PlayStation Store web storefront application
for desktop/mobile.
• Co-initiated transition of the PlayStation Store web storefront project from San
Francisco to Madison.
• Created (in a team of two) the Podcast Directory webapp featured on Sony
Xperia mobile devices as well as within Media Go media management software.
• Handled internal Japanese translation/correspondence on the Media Go team.
• Assisted in various facets of the Media Go project, from localization testing towebsite maintenance.
E DUCATION

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USAM.A., Linguistics

September 2010 – December 2012

• Prelim Paper: Phrasal Restrictions on Noncontrastive Topic: The Case of Japanese• Advisor: Mürvet Enç• Cumulative GPA: 3.9 / 4.0
B.A. with Distinction, Japanese

September 2005 – May 2009

• Certificate: Computer Sciences• Study Abroad: Keio University, Tokyo, Japan (’07–’08)• Cumulative GPA: 3.9 / 4.0
H ONORS ,AWARDS ,C ERTIFICATIONS• Phi Beta Kappa, University of Wisconsin-Madison

May 2009• Japanese Language Proficiency Test, Level 1 (highest)

December 2008

• Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) scholarship forstudy abroad at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan

September 2007
– July 2008

• Chicago-Osaka Sister Cities Special Award (for one-weekhomestay in Osaka, Japan), 20th Annual Japanese Language
Speech Contest, Chicago, IL
N ATURALL ANGUAGES

English (native), Japanese (fluent), Mandarin Chinese (intermediate),
Korean (reading), French (reading)

P ROGRAMMING
L ANGUAGES

Traditional:
Web Development:
Typesetting:

Python, Scala, Haskell, Java, C/C++JavaScript, HTML, CSS
LATEX
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March 2006

P ORTFOLIOP ROJECTS

Modal Logic Playgrounda graphical semantic calculator for modal propositional logicLive URL:
Language:
Libraries used:

R ELEVANTO PEN O NLINE
E DUCATIONPARTICIPATION

rkirsling.github.com/modallogic
JavaScript
D3, MathJax, Bootstrap

Programming Languages(99%)

Dan Grossman
Coursera, 2014

Discrete Optimization(audited)

Pascal van Hentenryck
Coursera, 2014

Introduction to Databases(99%)

Jennifer Widom
Stanford OpenEdX, 2014

Principles of Reactive Programming(100%)

Martin Odersky, Erik Meijer, Roland Kuhn
Coursera, 2013

Functional Programming Principles in Scala(100%)

Martin Odersky
Coursera, 2013

Introduction to Parallel Programming(highest distinction)

John Owens & David Luebke
Udacity, 2013

Computational Neuroscience(99%)

Rajesh P. N. Rao & Adrienne Fairhall
Coursera, 2013

Compilers(audited)

Alex AikenCoursera, 2013

Probabilistic Graphical Models(audited)

Daphne Koller
Coursera, 2012

Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science(highest distinction)

Sebastian Wernicke
Udacity, 2012

Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computation(91%)

Umesh Vazirani
Coursera, 2012

Introduction to Logic(100%)

Michael Genesereth
Coursera, 2012

Natural Language Processing(91%)

Dan Jurafsky & Christopher Manning
Coursera, 2012

Machine Learning(audited)

Andrew Ng
Coursera, 2011

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence(91%)

Sebastian Thrun & Peter Norvig
pre-Udacity, 2011

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