Kai Widdeson

I'm

About

I am a Software Developer looking for London or remote opportunities. I recently graduated Durham University with a first class MEng in Computer Science. I have a particular interest in the following fields: front-end development, data analytics, machine learning, recommender systems, and software development.

Key Information

  • Degree: MEng Computer Science (1st Class Hons.)
  • University:
    Durham University
  • Email: kwiddeson4@gmail.com
  • Current Position: Barclays Graduate Developer

Notable Achievements

Skills

Below are some of the languages and styles which I've had experience with in the past. I am always open to learning new languages should the need arise and am eager to extend my vocabulary.

HTML 100%
CSS 90%
JavaScript 70%
Git 70%
React 80%
Python 95%
C 50%
Haskell 60%
SQL 70%
C# 50%
Soft skills include: Public speaking, organization, analytical, creative problem solving, teamworking abilities from numerous group projects, interpersonal skills, time management, general leadership abilities, strong work ethic

Resume

In addition to the relevant professional experience below, I have also been employed in numerous other positions including: Website developer volunteer, manual labourer, cafe front-of-house, kitchen porter, college receptionist, entrance exam volunteer, and private tutor.

Sumary

Kai Widdeson

Dedicated and motivated individual equipped with a creative mindset and key analytical abilities. Developed technical abilities through numerous personal and academic projects.

Please see my LinkedIn Profie to see my numerous LinkedIn Learning certifications

Education

Durham University, UK

2018 - 2022

Grade: 1st Class MEng Computer Science (Weighted average: 78%)

Master's Project: FFM-SVD: A Novel Approach to Personality Aware Recommender Systems (Grade: 89%)

Example Modules: Software Engineering, Networks and Systems, Software Methodologies, Theory of Computation, Computational Complexity, Bioinformatics, Recommender Systems, Parallel Scientific Computing, Algorithmic Game Theory, Codes and Complexity, Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning, Computational Modelling in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Multimedia and Game Development, Programming Paradigms, Mathematics for Computer Science, Algorithms and Data Structures, Computational Thinking, Computer Systems, Programming.

Hartismere High School & Sixth Form

2011 - 2018

GCE: Maths, Further Maths, and Physics (AAA) with AS Computing (A)
EPQ: "The Theory and Applications of Quantum Crpytography" (A*)
GCSE: 8 A*, 3 A, 2 B

Additional: Head Boy (2015-16), Head of Yearbook and Prom committees, and represented the school in: football, rugby, athletics, tennis, and archery.

Professional Experience

Graduate Developer

August 2022 - Present

Barclays, Northampton, UK

  • Currently working on developing Hedge Accounting systems for the bank using C# and .NET

Summer CTO Developer Intern

June 2021 - Aug 2021 • 8 wks.

Barclays, Northampton, UK

  • Completed automation tasks for the CTO of Cards & Payments, improving data quality and reducing time spent on manual administrative tasks. Presented my work to the CTO Leadership team on multiple occasions and received a formal recognition for “Excellence”
  • Used JIRA to employ Kanban strategies for the CTO Team with accompanying domain model documentation. This improved the efficiency of numerous processes such as weekly reporting generation and task prioritisation
  • Created an automated metrics dashboard to allow for easier and more accurate progress tracking and reporting
  • Developed architecture diagrams for management visualization
  • Received all maximum performance gradings in final review

Summer Front-End Developer Intern

July 2020 - Aug 2020 • 6 wks.

Barclays, Northampton, UK

  • Successfully completed a front-end site development project focusing on Barclays iPortal involving React and SCSS. Used a GitFlow methodology with extensive testing and best practices for components, enabling compatibility with existing systems
  • Received all maximum performance gradings in final review

Software Engineering Group Project

Nov 2019 - May 2020

Dream Heritage (Beaurepaire Priory), Durham, UK

  • Attended and participated in scrum meetings
  • Met with client and discussed software requirements
  • Developed the front-end of the website
  • Wrote a user manual for complete client and customer usage
  • Developed abilities in Git and WebDev
  • Our client presentation was the sole presentation to be added to the department Youtube channel as a demonstration of excellence

Student Work Experience

July 2015 • 2 wks

Geckoboard - KPI Dashboard Services, London, UK

  • Attended and participated in scrum meetings
  • Shadowed meetings with clients
  • Worked on site maintenance and website development
  • Assisted company finance management
  • Developed general programming abilities

Portfolio

See some of my recent projects down below. Clicking on any of the tiles will redirect you to a page containing further information about each project.

  • All
  • Python
  • WebDev
  • Other
Collaborative Content-Based Bar Recommender System
FFM-SVD: A Novel Approach for Personality-aware Recommender Systems
(Master's Project)
React.js Portfolio (In Development)
Machine Learning on OULAD dataset
GTA Movie-Human Style Transfer
WebGL Living Room
DCGAN Pegasus Generator
Duelling DQN Gravitar Player
QR Code Generator
Beaurepaire Priory (Group Project)
Computational Modelling: Gun Violence in USA
COVID-19 Unity Game
Algorithmic Game Theory
Janus Forum API
Additional Durham Courseworks
REACT Weather App (Tutorial)
Article Web Scraper

Testimonials

Here are a few testimonials from those who I've worked with in the past

Excellent work in defining and implementing a number of improvements to the Jira model and generating F2B automated reports - releasing capacity for the teams. Thank you Kai for your outstanding contribution in delivering these improvements for the team

Krishna Vinjamuri

Barclays CTO of Cards & Payments and Connected Platforms

Kai is refreshingly curious about technology and is always keen to learn new approaches. I am sure his positive attitude will be a great advantage in his next engagements. He can be extremely proud of his achievements at Barclays. I'd like to thank Kai for his great effort and wish him all the best for the future

Tung Nhon Du

Barclays Lead UI Developer

Contact

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or request references from my previous employments

Github:

https://github.com/Kwiddy

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-widdeson