John Rizkalla

software engineer

Software Engineer at Apple

Graduated from the University of Waterloo

Full stack developer and systems engineer

Blackberry
2015
2013
2018
2021
University of Waterloo
Apple: Core Brightness
Apple: Human Engineering
scroll down to see my work experience
Also, checkout my Instagram (@johnrizkalla24) for some climbing and other outdoorsy content.

Experience

Joint Honours Computer Science and Psychology

University of Waterloo

  • Double majored in Computer Science and Psychology
  • Graduated with distinction, maintaining an 88% major average
  • Consistently recognized on the Dean's Honors List for academic excellence
Application Developer

Blackberry

  • Optimized a Python back-end, reducing LDAP login and permission lookup time from over 10 seconds to under 0.5 seconds
  • Developed a web application to efficiently export large datasets from a legacy Oracle database system
  • Integrated the web application within the Oracle database using Java and PL/SQL, enhancing data accessibility
  • Created multiple Python and HTML/CSS/JavaScript applications to streamline exported data search processes
Systems Engineer

Apple — Core Brightness

Core Brightness

  • Developed and implemented sensor and backlight controller drivers for ambient light sensors, LCD display brightness, and keyboard backlight across Apple Devices
  • Engineered system-level daemons to manage display-related features, including True Tone and Night Shift
  • Led early efforts to bring up display brightness (including auto-brightness), True Tone, and keyboard backlight functionality for Apple Silicon
Full Stack Engineer

Apple — Human Engineering Software

Human Engineering Software

  • Engineered a sophisticated full-stack web application using Django and Angular, implementing complex approval logic based on user responses
  • Designed and developed reusable frameworks and libraries in Python, Django, and TypeScript, serving as foundational components for multiple applications
  • Created and maintained a robust webservice that seamlessly integrated with GitLab and Radar systems via webhooks
  • Contributed to the development of an iOS application, implementing full-stack features utilizing a Django back-end and SwiftUI front-end