Mikhail Astafev

Senior Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft

Delft, South Holland, Netherlands

About

I am a people's manager for a team of quantum software developers. Being a software engineer by experience and physicist by training, I am bridging the worlds of software and applied physics/engineering. I am interested in software technologies in general, and specifically in production-quality software development. My research and development background allows me to easily enter scientific and industrial engineering domains, and speak the same language with the users. As I believe that users are the most important, I always take the time to correctly identify user needs, and keep the users in the loop during product development. Due to my natural passion for quality, I am always striving for robustness, stability, and maintainability of the software tools that I work on. I enjoy working in a team, learning new technologies and teaching other people.

Experience

  • Microsoft (8 yrs 2 mos)
    • Senior Software Engineering Manager
      Mar 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 5 mos

    • Senior Quantum Software Engineer
      Sep 2021 - Present · 4 yrs 11 mos

    • Software Engineer
      Dec 2019 - Sep 2021 · 1 yr 10 mos

      Developing software infrastructure for automating data acquisition at Microsoft Quantum labs. Core developer of QCoDeS open source library for instrument control and data acquisition. Proud contributor to Quantum Impact.

  • ICT Group (Eindhoven Area, Netherlands)
    • Software Designer / Architect
      Jan 2018 - May 2018 · 5 mos

      Topic: Design workflow and necessary automation tools for embedding C/C++ code generated from MATLAB code developed by physicists/engineers into software running on ASML lithography machines Result: Defined roadmap of the project, designed the automation tools and implemented prototypes Experience: - Designing/architecting software tools (with support from a senior) in MATLAB and Python, gathering and analyzing requirements, making design decisions - Project planning, and stakeholder management - Interaction with partners outside of the company - Leading a team of developers in implementing the tools, including teaching and coaching

    • Software Engineer
      Sep 2016 - Dec 2017 · 1 yr 4 mos

      Topic: Software tools for automation of embedding MATLAB code developed by physicists/engineers into other software running on ASML lithography machines Result: Delivered with the team stable and robust software products that increased the productivity of physicists/engineers in developing stable MATLAB code Experience: - Developing software in a team of 3 people using Agile Scrum techniques and services like JIRA and BitBucket - Programming in MATLAB, Python, Perl, and Bash; also quickly picking up new technologies and frameworks - Gathering requirements from users for new features - Supporting users: help in troubleshooting problems, usage guidance - Interacting with users and developers who are physicists/engineers and might not have advanced software skills - Administrating repositories with the code base - Scrum master for the developers team - Occasionally, project management

  • Design Engineer / Researcher at FEMTOprint SA
    Jun 2016 - Aug 2016 · 3 mos

    Topic: 3D printing in transparent materials with femtosecond laser pulses Result: developed a technique that enabled new range of products, and a prototype of production process for it Experience: - Project definition, planning, and management - Working in a highly dynamic environment that requires practical results fast - Automating routine production steps with software - Writing production protocols Supervisor: Daniele Braga, PhD

  • Design Engineer / Researcher at Color CNTRL Research
    May 2015 - May 2016 · 1 yr 1 mo

    Topic: research and development of smart glass and reflective display technology Result: proposed and tested technological/design solutions to improve optical efficiency Experience: - Problem and project definition, translating customer needs into specifications - Development of software utilities for data analysis (MATLAB, Python, LabView, Ruby) - Learning various optical and chemical measurement techniques - Planning and management of innovation project (incl. risks and stakeholders) Supervisor: Tatiana Fernandez Landaluce, PhD

  • Design Engineer / Researcher, Corporate R&D at NXP Semiconductors
    Oct 2014 - Jan 2015 · 4 mos

    Topic: research feasibility study of a new concept for sound amplification control in speakers for portable devices (e.g. mobile phones) Result: shown advantages of the new concept; the results are used by NXP for adjusting their product line strategy Experience: - Building a test setup and automating it with a software (MATLAB, Basic) - Making a model of a physical system and proving it with measurement data (MATLAB) - Presenting results to the stakeholders Supervisor: Joost van Beek, PhD