Liam Tanner
Liam Tanner headshot

Liam Tanner

Software Engineer

I like to solve problems and learn new things every day.

Projects

Experience

Software Engineer
AUVIC - Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Club
Jan 2025 — PresentVictoria, BC
  • Engineered a ROS 2 dynamic configuration pipeline to extract PID values and Kalman filter matrices from YAML files, eliminating C++ recompilation downtime and enabling real-time parameter tuning during pool testing.
  • Represented the University of Victoria at RoboSub 2026 in Irvine, California, resolving critical thruster saturation limits in the C++ control loop and engineering a state machine for autonomous navigation, advancing the team to the semi-finals of an international engineering competition.
Software Developer
Natural Resources Canada
June — Dec 2025Victoria, BC
  • Implemented an ETL workflow to transform large PostgreSQL datasets into SQLite and flatfile releases, reducing processing time from hours to seconds.
  • Engineered a release-versioning system using SQL and encryption to encode and track all future release metadata.
  • Rebuilt a legacy public website from scratch in JavaScript, then wrote Bash scripts to automate the process for all future developers on my team.
Research Assistant - Induced Seismicity Project
Natural Resources Canada
Sept 2023 — April 2024Sidney, BC
  • Engineered 3 increasingly complex CO₂ injection simulations using Python meshes and the OpenGeoSys finite element solver, becoming the first NRCan employee to implement this workflow successfully.
  • Advanced the project from stylized models to a real-world case study by engineering a 3-layer finite element simulation of the SECURE INGA wastewater disposal well, utilizing precise depth profiles and material properties.

About Me

Who I am

Outside of tech, I am an athlete and an outdoorsman. I grew up playing competitive hockey, and love spending time in the mountains, racing enduro mountain bikes and skiing. This connection to the outdoors has directly shaped my professional life. During an 8-month co-op with Natural Resources Canada on the Induced Seismicity Project, I modeled real-world sites to ensure fracking and wastewater disposal wouldn't trigger harmful seismic activity in remote communities. Later, as a software developer at the Pacific Forestry Centre, I collaborated with like-minded engineers and scientists who care deeply about protecting BC’s forests. For me, software hasn't just about building applications; it's about engineering systems that interact with and protect the physical world.

My story

I walked into the University of Victoria without any previous coding experience. My first computer science class was a brutal wake-up call, I was used to visualizing math and physics, and abstract code didn’t click the same. That initial struggle fuelled my early passion for software engineering as I have always enjoyed a challenge. My focus on machine learning, robotics and GPU programming began when I joined the Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Club (AUVIC) on the computer vision team at the beginning of 2025. Seeing firsthand how critical efficient GPU computing is for real-time robotics completely rewired my focus. That hands-on experience drove the tail end of my degree, pushing me to specialize in mathematical optimization and computer vision, ultimately finishing my final year of study with a 93% academic average. The learning curve never ends, and I'm still climbing.

Let's Connect

I am currently looking for new opportunities and collaborations. Whether you have a question about my work or just want to say hi, I will try my best to get back to you!