Research Scientist

Call me Ishmael. No, wait, that’s not right…

In a hole in the ground there lived a programmer. No, that version would be too long; I’d never get there and back again.

There are some who call me… Tim?

Tim joined IHMC in July 2026 as a software and integration engineer.

Tim won the Drake Physics Prize and thereafter earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics (so evidently does actually know how to integrate) from Drake University after realizing that being an astrophysicist only looked glamorous on TV. Obviously mathematics is better⸮ Then he went on an unexpected journey to earn Master of Science in computer science from Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he specialized in database theory and design. Now with software and integration skills in hand…

He has worked for tiny startups and Fortune 500 companies in fields ranging from healthcare to online retail to telephony to insurance to transport logistics. Mostly as a software developer, but some time as a systems administrator as well. He still secretly wishes to grow up to be either Mr. Spock or Professor Hinkley, but can’t make up his mind. He’s excited to be a part of IHMC, and is pretty sure that if a robot can be built from coconut shells, that we would be able to get the castaways off the island.

Tim has lived most of his life in the Midwest, until marrying the lovely Shari, who convinced him a move to the beach would be good idea. When not working, Tim has contributed to pkgsrc, a package management system for Unix-like operating systems that originated on NetBSD; Aleph One, the engine behind Bungie’s Marathon game trilogy; and several other open-source projects. He has released several open-source fonts.

Nowadays, Tim supplies labor for Shari’s home projects, while annoying her with his “canuck” accent, i.e., “ja shoor yew betcha.” He has eclectic interests in reading (from scifi/fantasy to American history) and music (zydeco to symphonic metal). Among his myriad talents are bad puns and good food, as long as you consider grilled cheese sandwiches good food.