David J. French

David J. French has a diverse work background in various industries. David J. is currently employed as a Senior Software Engineer at triValence since October 2022. Prior to this, they worked as a Senior Backend Engineer at Spruce, a title insurance technology startup, from May 2022 to October 2022. David J. developed a backend system for sending emails based on event messages and was laid off along with 70% of the engineering team due to real estate market conditions.

Before joining Spruce, David gained significant experience at General Motors. David J. worked as a Senior Backend Developer and DevOps from February 2020 to May 2022, leading a 5-year greenfield project to replace an in-house engineering workflow app. David J. also served as a Software Developer from May 2016 to February 2020, enhancing a workflow web app with 17K users and training a team of 18 developers. David J. promoted automation, unit testing, and documentation during their tenure.

Prior to their time at General Motors, David had a series of roles at Brigham Young University. From July 2014 to September 2015, they worked as a Full-time Research Faculty and Lead Developer. David J. also served as a Research Assistant and Software Developer from January 2011 to July 2014. Additionally, they held various instructional positions, including Instructor for CAD/CAx Development & Integration, Instructor for Computer-Aided Engineering Applications, and Teaching Assistant for Robotics, Automation, System Dynamics. Notably, they team-taught an international collaboration course with Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) in Toluca, Mexico.

David also worked as a Technical Consultant at CAD-Alliance, LLC, from January 2015 to August 2015. Here, they assisted in creating a go-to-market strategy for real-time collaborative mechanical design software, and contributed to various tasks such as roadmap development, pitch deck creation, estimation, requirements gathering, schedule management, budgeting, and interviewing employee candidates.

In addition to their professional roles, David co-founded Leanpaper in March 2014. Lastly, they gained experience as a Production Engineering Intern at The Dannon Company in 2010.

David J. French obtained their Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University, where they studied from 2003 to 2011. David J. later pursued their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Mechanical Engineering from the same institution, completing it from 2011 to 2016.