Nathan Baune

Backend & Platform Engineer

I build distributed systems, real-time engines, and database architectures—the infrastructure that makes platforms work. Currently doing research software engineering at Emory University while building an interactive storytelling platform (MUSE) in off-hours.

Seeking remote backend or platform engineering roles where I can contribute to production systems architecture, distributed systems, and backend infrastructure.

Atlanta, GA · Remote-first · Open to relocation

Currently

Software Engineer at the Precision Neural Engineering Lab (Emory University) building research platforms, ML pipelines, and real-time systems for NIH-funded clinical research.

Python C++ Docker PyQt6 scikit-learn

Also working on MUSE Living Worlds (Gothic Grandma LLC) in spare time—a long-term creative and technical project exploring interactive narrative through biological character simulation.

Seeking: Remote backend or platform engineering roles. Available for 2-3+ year commitment; transparent about long-term goals.

Startup Experience

Co-Founder & Technical Lead

PlatformSTL LLC · 2017–2021

Built Proprio: real-time wearable data platform from watch app to cloud infrastructure. Secured $100K SBIR grant, published peer-reviewed research, achieved 20% better accuracy than state-of-the-art.

Full-stack ownership: Swift iOS apps, AWS Lambda ingestion, MongoDB storage, ML pipeline, multi-tenant dashboards.

Swift AWS Lambda MongoDB Python scikit-learn C#

View Details →

$100K SBIR Grant

20% Above SotA

4 Years Duration

Core Strengths

Backend

Distributed Systems Database Architecture API Design

Platform

System Architecture Runtime Design Observability

Interface

Control Planes Developer Tools Visual Systems

Technologies

Languages C++20, Go, Python, C#, TypeScript, Dart, SQL

Databases & Infrastructure PostgreSQL (Supabase), SQLite, MongoDB, Docker, Linux

Backend & Compute Node.js, Flask, AWS Lambda, WebSockets, GPU (CUDA/Metal/Vulkan), SIMD

Frontend & UI React, Flutter, Electron, Unity, Vite, Skia

Design Philosophy

The principles that guide every system I build:

Systems should explain themselves — opacity is a design failure, not an acceptable trade-off
State must be observable by default — if you can't see what's happening, you can't understand or fix it
Interfaces define power, not just permissions — the control plane shapes what users can think, not just what they can do
Visual reasoning scales cognitively — if a system can't be understood visually, it won't scale in human minds
Design for failure as the default — build for inspection, correction, and evolution from day one

How I Build

The concrete practices behind my work:

I design platforms by working backwards from human cognition and forwards from execution constraints. This means treating the human-facing interface and the execution runtime as equally important design problems that must solve each other's constraints.

In practice:

Visual interfaces compile to executable systems — In MUSE, designers model systems through visual graphs that generate optimized execution kernels. No hand-coding required.
Schemas are contracts — between people, code, and runtime. The database defines the truth; everything else generates from it.
Control planes over displays — interfaces aren't passive views; they're active control surfaces that shape what's possible
Naming, boundaries, and affordances as first-class engineering — these determine cognitive scalability long before technical scalability matters
Complete toolchains — I build from isolated components through to production systems, ensuring every layer coheres
AI as augmentation instrument — humans retain decision authority; AI extends capability without replacing judgment

Projects

Professional Work (Current)

MR.Flow

2024–Present

Lead Developer

Domain-specific orchestration for multi-stage async workloads. Execution state, failure modes, and artifacts inspectable at every step. Research-grade MRI pipelines without the pain.

Python PyQt6 Docker BIDS

Precision Neural Engineering Lab

ePOCHE

2023–Present

Lead Developer

Visual EEG-to-model pipeline for cognitive and BCI research. Feature engineering, model management, automated evaluation.

Python scikit-learn SQLite MNE-Python

Precision Neural Engineering Lab

Independent R&D

MUSE Living Worlds

Side Project · 2025–Present

Founder & Lead Engineer

Long-term creative and technical project exploring interactive narrative through biological character simulation. Investigating novel ECS architectures and GPU batch computing patterns to enable emergent storytelling at massive scale (targeting 100k+ characters). C++20 simulation engine, Go backend with real-time collaboration, multi-surface architecture.

C++20 GPU/CUDA Go PostgreSQL Electron Flutter

Gothic Grandma LLC

Startup Experience

Proprio

2017–2021

Co-Founder & Technical Lead

Real-time IMU streaming pipeline for stroke rehab. Lambda-based ingestion to MongoDB, patient-specific ML classifiers, clinician dashboards. $100K SBIR funded.

Swift AWS Lambda MongoDB Python scikit-learn C#

PlatformSTL LLC

Research Engineering Portfolio

Select projects from over a decade of research engineering: VR assessments, robotics controllers, neuroimaging tools, and experimental systems built across clinical research.