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Resume

Currently transitioning into infrastructure engineering — eBPF, CNI, low-level systems, Rust/Go — building on 30+ years of experience designing distributed systems and scalable backend services (microservices, Kubernetes, cloud-native architectures). Active open-source contributor to low-level systems tooling, including an eBPF-based CNI dataplane in Rust (Sarena) and a linearizability checker for verifying distributed consensus (porcupine-rs). Actively looking for remote-only roles with international teams building infrastructure software, networking, or distributed systems.

Open Source & Personal Projects

eBPF Dataplane / CNI Implementation (Rust) — 2026–Present

eBPF/XDP dataplane in Rust using Aya, with CNI integration. Includes a verifier-checked testing framework where tests themselves run as eBPF programs via bpf_prog_test_run, tail-calling into the real production code path.

github.com/erwin-kok/sarena

Linearizability Checker (Rust) — 2026

Rust port of Porcupine (originally Go), used to verify a Raft implementation under concurrent load. Optimized the backtracking search over possible linearization orderings for measurable performance gains over the original.

github.com/erwin-kok/porcupine-rs

C Compiler Targeting JVM — 2025–Present

Implements C parsing (including typedef handling), AST optimization, and lowering to three-address code (TAC). Work in progress.

github.com/erwin-kok/conjvm

libp2p Protocol Implementation — 2022–2023

Implemented core libp2p specification modules and participated in community calls. Built crypto library from scratch (ECDSA, Ed25519, Secp256k1, RSA — all mathematical operations implemented directly, no third-party libraries), multiformat library, and several transport/security protocols (Noise, Mplex, Ping, Identify), Datastore (RocksDB).

Senior Software Engineer / Technical Lead

Merapar Technologies, Veldhoven · 2024–present

  • Built on-prem Kubernetes cluster from scratch, migrating workloads from standalone servers/VMs for improved high availability and modernization
  • Integrated Kubernetes platform with existing infrastructure (NetApp, ACI, F5), bridging legacy and cloud-native environments
  • Redesigned Offer Generator service and migrated from VM-based deployment onto Apache Airflow for workflow orchestration
  • Reimplemented Metadata Search and Store service in Kotlin — reduced costs, modernized stack, and eliminated dependency vulnerabilities across distributed microservices
  • Evaluated Apache Spark Connector for efficient BigData processing operations
  • Technical Lead for a distributed microservices redesign: owned architecture and implementation decisions and mentored other engineers

Philips Research, Software Concepts, Eindhoven · 2022–2024

  • Set up a Kubernetes cluster for structured, predictable deployment of new releases, improving release velocity and safety
  • Established a CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions) with automated build and quality gates, and raised code coverage via SonarQube integration
  • Led code ownership initiatives across distributed development teams
  • Applied deep learning models for IVUS vessel wall and lumen detection in cardiovascular imaging
  • Designed graph-based visualization tools enabling scientists to analyze patient datasets for outlier and similarity detection
  • Prepared and collaborated on submissions for the ASTRO conference

Key Achievements

  • Team won Hackathon in two categories (Customer Value, Collaboration)
  • Team won Software Excellence Award — Reach of Practice (spreading good SW practices through collaboration & hands-on working with other teams)

Philips, Collaborative Care Ecosystem (CCE), Eindhoven · 2018–2022

  • Pioneered migration from CloudFoundry to Kubernetes, driving organizational adoption by showcasing platform advantages
  • Designed and built 10+ microservices in CloudFoundry integrating third-party applications across the platform ecosystem
  • Designed Authentication and Authorization frameworks controlling granular system access
  • Built RESTful APIs (CRUD) for inter-service communication
  • Established a CI/CD pipeline (TFS + GitHub Actions) for consistent, automated deployment

Key Achievements

  • Deployed DataDog for metrics and alerting
  • Recognized as resident expert in Reactive Streams — first point of contact for architectural guidance

Backend Software Engineer / DevOps Engineer

Philips, CDP2 / OneBackEnd, Eindhoven · 2016–2018

  • Transitioned from monolithic application development to microservices architecture for Sonicare, Avent baby monitors, and consumer health products
  • Designed and built 10+ microservices in CloudFoundry as backend infrastructure
  • Established a Prometheus/Grafana observability stack for metrics, troubleshooting, and proactive downtime prevention
  • Managed a 24/7 on-call rotation in shifts — maintained high uptime and adherence to international regulatory requirements
  • Built RESTful APIs enabling third-party Android/iOS applications to integrate with backend services
  • Implemented a CI/CD pipeline (Jenkins) for fast, consistent deployments
  • Championed TDD and pair-programming (XP) practices for quality assurance and knowledge sharing

Key Achievements

  • Migrated service deployment from CloudFoundry buildpacks to Docker images — improved consistency across local/cloud environments and enhanced testability
  • Created tooling for streamlining Maven POM settings across projects
  • Introduced a “super pom” concept unifying dependencies across 10+ microservices, enabling vulnerability tracking and security efficiency

Software Engineer / Embedded Software Engineer

(Compacted – Different roles and departments) · 1996–2016

  • Component Owner (Expert) for Volume Visualization — led development of rendering drivers for improved image quality and performance
  • Developed DICOM interoperability layer converting proprietary formats between vendors for cross-platform medical imaging compatibility
  • Collaborated with research teams on visualization, path-tracking, and volume construction algorithms
  • Served as Scrum Master facilitating agile development processes

Key Achievements

  • Won 2016 Hackathon deploying Volume Visualization to CloudFoundry — frontend controls with backend rendering optimized for CPU, memory, and network efficiency (later became foundation for WebADE project)
  • Authored multiple volume rendering drivers delivering measurable improvements in image quality and render speed

Technische Universiteit Eindhoven — postgraduate coursework, Information Technology · 1995–1996

Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven — Computer Engineering (Electrical Engineering / Computer Science) · 1991–1995 · Cum Laude

  • Dutch (Fluent/Native)
  • English (Fluent)
  • German (Moderate)
  • Indonesian (Moderate)
  • Theatre acting
  • Cycling & hiking
  • Mindfulness