François Michonneau, PhD

I’m looking for my next role, if you are (or know someone who is) recruiting, you will find below my resume, a short “About me”, and a longer version of my skills and accomplishments. At the end, you can read some testimonials from previous colleagues.

About me

With 7+ years of professional experience in non-profit and startup environments, I bring a unique blend of technical expertise and leadership skills to Solution Engineering, Team Lead, Technical Product Manager, Researcher, or Educator roles in the data space:

  • Technical Expertise: 20+ years of experience in data analysis, visualization, and pipeline development using R (and some Python experience), with proficiency in AWS, Docker, databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, DuckDB), and Apache Arrow ecosystem tools. Experienced in creating interactive data applications using R Shiny, briding the gap between complex data and user-friendly interfaces.
  • Problem Solver: Leveraging my PhD in the Life Sciences, I apply the scientific method to identify root causes, test hypotheses, and iterate towards optimal solutions.
  • Humble and Empathetic Leader: I prioritize enabling the success of customers and team members, fostering a collaborative work environment.
  • Growth Mindset: Driven by curiosity and continuous learning, I actively seek opportunities to expand my skills and knowledge.
  • Educator: I love to share knowledge and empowering others, with a particular focus on developing data skills.

I’m looking for remote opportunities from France (I have 10 years of remote work experience, including 5+ years of working from France for US-based entities).

Leadership and Technical Expertise

Data Science and Engineering

  • R Programming Expert: 20+ years of experience, proficient in tidyverse packages for data analysis and visualization. Maintains 6 CRAN packages, including {foghorn} (~ 50K downloads/month) and {rotl} (used in 370+ peer-reviewed publications).
  • Data Visualization: Extensive experience with ggplot2 and other visualization tools.
  • Data Pipeline Development: Designed and implemented complex data processing pipelines, integrating multiple data sources and using tools like R (including the {targets} package), bash, Python, PostgreSQL, and DuckDB.
  • Big Data Technologies: Experienced with Apache Arrow (Python and R bindings) for efficient data processing and transfer.
  • Database Management: Proficient in PostgreSQL (with PostGIS), DuckDB, and various database connectivity protocols (ODBC, JDBC, ADBC).

Cloud and DevOps

  • AWS Infrastructure Management: Set up and managed EC2, S3, Route53, and RDS for The Carpentries’ technical infrastructure.
  • Docker and Containerization: Developed and deployed containerized Shiny applications with Docker Compose, including SSL certificate management (Let’s Encrypt) and Redis caching.
  • Linux System Administration: Extensive experience with Ubuntu for daily use and cloud instances, with strong troubleshooting skills.
  • Version Control: Proficient in Git, GitHub, and GitHub Actions for CI/CD and automation.

Product Development and Management

  • Curriculum Development: Led the creation and maintenance of widely-used data science educational content, including the Data Carpentry R Ecology lesson (30k+ unique monthly visitors).
  • Product Education: Drove a 50% increase in website traffic through the creation of an online book on modular data systems.
  • Project Management: Successfully managed the development of open-source data management systems and lesson infrastructure, including grant writing and budget management.

Data Governance and Compliance

  • GDPR Compliance: Led GDPR compliance efforts, including liaising with legal teams, developing roadmaps, and implementing changes in data management practices and infrastructure.

Leadership and Customer Success

  • Team Leadership: Hired, managed, and evaluated performance for diverse technical teams of 6+ people.
  • Diversity and Inclusion: Developed and implemented inclusive work policies and hiring practices.
  • Remote Work leader: Implemented effective communication and working strategies for managing global, remote teams across different time zones.
  • Customer Success: Participated in pre- and post-sales calls, created and delivered webinars and workshops on data products and open-source solutions.

Additional Skills

What others have said about working with me

“François’ greatest strength is his adaptivity. He often has to adapt to changing ideas, circumstances, contexts- and he takes it all in stride. He seems unshakeable sometimes!”

“His work is always comprehensive and he takes time to ensure people can understand the subject matter.”

“François is a fantastic collaborator; he can explain complex technical concepts to novices and oversee projects and programs while providing team members with the flexibility to fulfill their roles.”

“When François is leading, his guidance is so very clear and he has an attention to detail that does not leave room for misunderstanding. This can be very helpful in brainstorming sessions to create a safe and engaging space for contributing. For example, several team members expressed excitement and gratefulness for the incident retrospective workflow François developed this year. Through this workflow François has shown initiative with developing new ways of thinking that will undoubtedly strengthen our team. He is also a great facilitator and has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to gather all the necessary facts and information before finding a solution to a problem.”

Contact Info