Hi, I am Niki, and I am looking for my next role.

I am a π-shaped specialist:

• A software developer,
• A product designer specializing in UI and UX.

My mission is simplicity, performance and software that helps people.

Software Developer

I have worked with and built databases:

• Created DataScript, which inspired a whole series of databases (Datalevin, Datahike, re-db) and powered projects such as Roam Research, Athens Research, Logseq;
• Optimized Firebase-backed storage in Roam Research;
• Built a Postgres-backed DBaaS at Instant DB.

Sync engines:

• Postgres to browser at Instant DB;
• DataScript to Datomic at Cognician;
• Helped with SwarmJS/RON CRDTs.

Frontend:

• I’ve been building browser-based apps since 2005;
• Built my first web framework in 2010;
• Created a popular React wrapper for ClojureScript in 2014;
• Built my own virtual DOM implementation in 2023.

Performance:

• Fast EDN is 6x faster than Clojure’s standard EDN parser, on par with JSON on JVM;
• Reduced Roam Research DB load times from minutes to seconds.

UI/UX

I write Grumpy.Website, a blog on UI/UX with 2,000+ subscribers.

My articles have been referenced by Notion, ATP.fm, Daring Fireball and Marcin Wichary.

Earlier this year, I wrote a widely shared critique of excessive menu icons in macOS Tahoe. Apple later removed many of the icons discussed in the article.

Product Design

In 2024, I launched AlleKinos.de, which quickly reached 1,500 daily visitors without marketing or SEO.

I created Fira Code, which became one of the world’s most popular programming fonts.

My Clojure Sublimed extension became the go-to Clojure development environment in Sublime Text.

I also created many other smaller products, libraries, fonts, color schemes, all available on my GitHub.

The Rest

If you want to dive deeper, here’s the usual stuff:

• Projects
• Talks and podcasts
• LinkedIn
• GitHub

I also made a two-page PDF CV:

What am I looking for?

• Full-time or contract,
• Remote or Berlin,
• Individual contributor,
• Small, closely collaborating team,
• Ambitious product.

If you are working on a compiler, a database, an IDE, a programming language or another technically ambitious product, touching graphics, typography, algorithms, low-level programming, and you think my experience can help, let’s talk: [email protected].