Devin Cairns

M.Sc., P.Geo.

Description

Devin is a hydrogeologist that develops custom data pipelines and software for use in hydrological and environmental applications. His focus is on rapid manipulation and integration of data into established or custom models in a way that scales, primarily through the use of cloud compute services. He is also invested in finding creative ways to share and present the results and findings of models, including interactive web-based solutions.  His experience stems from a rich geoscience background that has included contributions to the fields of hydrology, geomorphology, environmental risk, cumulative effects, population dynamics, and climate.

Habitat

Devin occupies the low semi-arid regions of the Okanagan Valley, but has been known to migrate large distances south to avoid cold winters. Devin often goes unseen by other humans for large portions of time, entering a stationary state while obscured in small spaces. If allowed to be observed, he may be seen exhibiting erratic behaviour, blurting obscenities to seemingly nothing except red text. When mobile, Devin chooses activities in the mountains that usually include primitive tools such as boards, floating objects, and two-wheeled money pits. He has a genetic predisposition that includes the exchange of large portions of his time for care of his offspring. 

Life History

Devin originates from north of Edmonton Alberta, where he was raised with cows, completed a B.Sc. in Earth Science at the University of Alberta, and worked for a large-scale engineering firm for several years. He then moved to Panama to continue hydrogeological work for a year, followed by a stark change in climate while pursuing an M.Sc. at the University of Lethbridge. Devin moved to Calgary to hone his skills bridging geoscience and computer science at a small engineering company, followed by a full-on transition to software development. Since then, Devin has solved many complex niche geospatial problems using custom software, including development of several open-source libraries. 

Predation/Conservation

Devin is vulnerable to staring at backlit rectangles for long periods of time. He is often reluctantly removed from these situations by activists, and often takes an inordinate amount of time to be reintroduced to other humans.