View Case Studies Discuss a Technical Bottleneck

What I Do

I help engineering and research teams turn complex models and real-world data into fast, interactive design and digital-twin systems that shorten development cycles, improve decisions, and optimize physical systems throughout their lifecycle.

Make Complex Results Interactive

I build interactive 2D and 3D tools that help engineers explore results, compare designs, adjust parameters, and communicate complex system behavior more clearly.

Modernize Proven Scientific Software

I modernize validated scientific and engineering software so it becomes easier to maintain, extend, deploy, and commercialize — without replacing proven models or starting over.

Simplify Complex Simulation Workflows

I build the software around scientific models and solvers—wrapping existing tools with clean APIs, connecting disconnected components, and automating setup, execution, data handling, and post-processing so engineers can run complex studies through one coherent workflow.

Case Studies

Modernizing a Legacy Atmospheric-Dispersion Platform for National-Laboratory Deployment

CAPARS is a large-scale system for modeling chemical and radiological release scenarios, used to develop Emergency Action Levels and Protective Action Guidelines. Originating in the 1990s, it required modernization, customization, and deployment to Sandia National Laboratories. I took technical ownership — upgrading the application, building deployment infrastructure, and operating across every layer of the stack.

“Wes is a highly professional and talented software developer. He tackled complex and difficult issues in more than ten distinctly different assignments and was successful in all of them. He came up to speed quickly on legacy software that was not well documented — a key need in our project. He listened well and quickly gained understanding of what we needed to accomplish, then developed creative solutions to our needs. He managed his time well and met schedule and was close to budget in an exploratory environment where the effort required was difficult to predict. Overall, Wes significantly exceeded our expectations. I would recommend him for any software development and management project that fits his background.” — Reed Hodgin, CAPARS

Building an Interactive Engineering Interface Around a Hypersonic Adaptive-Mesh Solver

HyperFat is a CFD solver with adaptive mesh refinement for hypersonic flows. The underlying solver was powerful but inaccessible to non-developers. I am building a commercial-grade interactive UI/UX — editing models and boundary conditions, managing batch processes, save/load scenes with reproducibility, and a command-bus architecture separating the UI from computational operations. Active contract with Whoosh HPC Lab LLC.

Unifying Fragmented RNA Analysis Into an End-to-End Research Platform

Autoligo takes researchers from raw sequencing data through downstream analysis, annotation, and interpretation — replacing a patchwork of disconnected tools with a single reproducible platform. Built in collaboration with Kansas University graduate students, the system reduces manual analysis burden and makes non-coding RNA research accessible to domain scientists rather than only programmers.

Sustaining and Modernizing a Mission-Critical Emergency Response Simulator

AlphaACT is an emergency-response training platform used by government and enterprise clients. Since 2018 I have served as the primary developer — maintaining, upgrading, and customizing the system for multiple deployments. The engagement spans legacy code stewardship, feature development, client-specific customization, and ongoing technical support across years.

“Wes is extremely proficient, diligent and highly competent. He quickly understands a task, finds effective solutions to simple or complex problems and implements on time and within budget. What more could you ask!” — Reed Hodgin, AlphaACT

IoT Fleet-Managed Sensor Platform on Raspberry Pi

Solvere is an Electron-based application deployed on Raspberry Pi devices, interfacing directly with PID controllers, sensors, and actuators for real-time liquid chromatography detection. The fleet was managed and deployed remotely using Balena OS for over-the-air updates, health monitoring, and centralized fleet management across distributed hardware installations.

Past Work

Filterable project history across simulation, real-time systems, modernization, and product development.

CAPARS: Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling

Large-scale system for modeling chemical and radiological release scenarios. I took technical ownership of this 1990s-era codebase — upgrading the application, building deployment infrastructure, and delivering it to Sandia National Laboratories.

HyperFat: Hypersonic Adaptive-Mesh CFD

Building a commercial-grade interactive UI/UX for a hypersonic flow solver — model editing, boundary conditions, batch processing, save/load with reproducibility. Active contract with Whoosh HPC Lab LLC.

Autoligo: Non-Coding RNA Analysis

End-to-end platform replacing a patchwork of disconnected tools. Takes researchers from raw sequencing through annotation and interpretation. Built in collaboration with Kansas University graduate students.

Game Engine Style, Multiphysics Simulator

Real-time, game engine style simulator UI/UX built to unify simulation, visualization, and interaction in a single runtime.

AlphaACT: Emergency Response Training

Primary developer since 2018 — maintaining, upgrading, and customizing this mission-critical platform for multiple government and enterprise deployments.

Demos

Live, interactive proofs of concept — the same WebGL, numerical methods, and UI integration I use in production systems.

WebGL Interactive, Real-Time CFD

What this demonstrates:

Low-level WebGL pipeline programming with custom shaders
Real-time computational fluid dynamics built from scratch
Interactive UI/UX controls that function during a live simulation

From-Scratch 3D Graphics Pipeline

What this demonstrates:

Pure linear algebra graphics programming — no OpenGL dependency
Full vertex transform pipeline: local → world → view → screen
Triangle rasterization from index buffers and vertex data

Why Work With Me

I take ownership of complex, unfamiliar systems

Multidisciplinary, poorly documented, and legacy codebases are my default starting point — not an exception. I enter unfamiliar technical systems, understand the real constraint, and deliver results across software, simulation, infrastructure, and product engineering.

I deliver working software, not just analysis

Every engagement produces deployable, tested, documented results — from architecture and performance optimization through interactive interfaces and deployment pipelines.

I combine depth with breadth

Simulation, visualization, optimization, GPU computing, and product engineering in one person. No handoffs between specialists, no integration gaps.

Clients rehire me for years

Multi-year retainers, repeat engagements, and referrals drive my work. I earn trust by delivering on schedule and budget in exploratory environments where effort is difficult to predict.

Engagement Models

Every engagement starts with a free 15-minute fit call to discuss your system and goals. If there is a match, I recommend one of the paths below.

Technical Assessment

A fixed-scope paid audit of your existing system. You receive: findings, risks, options, estimated impact, and recommended next steps — not just a conversation.

Fixed-Scope Modernization Sprint

Time-boxed engagements to upgrade, optimize, fix critical bugs, or build something new. Scoped to a clear deliverable, budgeted as a fixed price based on value.

Embedded Specialist Engagement

Short- to medium-term integration with your team as a hands-on technical contributor — simulation, GPU compute, visualization, or legacy modernization — working alongside your engineers.

Ongoing Technical Stewardship

Lightweight retainers for teams that need continued architectural or maintenance oversight without full-time involvement. These can run for years if the relationship is a good fit.

Strategic Product Partnership

In limited cases, I am open to B2B partnerships or shared-IP arrangements where the problem is well-defined, high-impact, and aligns with my core interests in simulation and scientific computing.

Contact

Describe your technical bottleneck or system. I respond within 24 hours.

wes@extropianengineer.com