Jacob Sanford

About Me

Hello! I am a technical operations manager focused on emerging technologies - particularly at the intersection of LLMs and academics. I am employed by the the University of New Brunswick, where I lead the research and implementation of AI tools at UNB Libraries, maintain infrastructure, and build practical solutions for our patrons across campuses.

I began my career as an post secondary researcher and instructor in STEM. My area of research was Computational Physical Chemistry. I loved the teaching component of academia, in particular: presenting complex ideas in a clear and logical series of steps from first principles.

As a lifelong tech enthusiast, my experiences in automating and deploying computational hardware eventually sparked my interest in the tech field itself, where I have worked full-time for approximately 15 years. I leverage the skills I learned in academia to lead teams, mentor developers, and create presentations about emerging tools and trends in AI and infrastructure.

My current focus is the practial/rubber-meets-the-road integration of LLM-driven applications and interfaces in our library environment. The hype of AI is certainly overblown, but it CAN augment our workflows and improve our services. I am particularly interested in the use of LLMs for information discovery, document digitization, summarization, and deploying more human-centered interfaces for our patrons.

Finally, I own and operate Elemental CodeWorks. ECI has delivered performant, human-centered, and accessible applications for over twenty years. Our strengths: data-driven web experiences, LLM-based interfaces, and projects that drive community engagement and revitalize cultures and Indigenous languages. If you are interested in retaining my services, please contact me to discuss availability.

Strengths

• Strategy

  • Design and evaluate infrastructure towards sustainability, performance
  • Design and standardize development processes, prioritizing consistency and pain points minimzation. Shrink the TTFC (Time to First Change) for team members.
  • Implement CI pipelines towards above goals

• Mentoring

  • Mentor colleagues in onboarding, development processes, and guidance
  • Assign tasks and coordinate priorities toward project, stakeholder goals
  • Set and maintain quality standards through documentation and review

• Knowledge Sharing

  • Translate complex ideas and models into accessible language for a diverse audience
  • Write clear documentation, walkthroughs, and HOWTOs
  • Present the above-mentioned items to audiences

• Current Technologies

  • Implement Gen-AI applications: RAG-based discovery, document digitization and summarization
  • Oversee creation and maintenance of container-based deployments: Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm
  • Design and manage CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions, Kubernetes

Areas of Interest

AI / LLM

• RAG and LLM-based assistant tools for search & discovery of institutional knowledge
• AI-based document digitization and summarization
• Concerns around ethical AI, responsible and transparent AI deployments
• Conversational AI interfaces for improved UX

Infrastructure

• Container-based deployments: Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm
• Optimizing cloud infrastructure for scalability and cost-efficiency
• CI/CD pipelines to improve experiences at all levels
• Static site infrastructure instead of 'everything dynamic'

Education & Community

• Mentoring teams, collaborative learning
• Accessible technical documentation, HOWTOs, tutorials
• An Open-Whenever-Possible institutional policy
• STEM education, outreach initiatives

Professional Projects

Personal Projects