About Me

My name is Robert - most people call me Rob or Bob. I am a licensed Professional Engineering (PE) in California, specializing in earthquake engineering and computational design. I have a Master's Degree in Structural Engineering from Stanford University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Ottawa.

I grew up in Toronto and I am Canadian. In 2018, I moved to the Bay Area to get my Master's degree and I've been here ever since. It's amazing to work alongside some of the best engineers and researchers in the world, all living in an area that straddles both the San Andreas and the Hayward Fault. In my spare time, I like to play tennis, rock climb, run, hike, and write/code on the internet. Feel free to explore my projects on Github, and check out my writing here on my blog. Welcome to my little corner of the internet. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like to connect or collaborate.

Favorite Books

  • 2024: Hackers and Painters - Paul Graham
  • 2023: Deep Work - Cal Newport
  • 2022: Peak - Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
  • 2021: The Attention Merchant - Tim Wu
  • 2020: Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson
  • 2019: Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari
  • 2018: The Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz
  • 2017: Quiet - Susan Cain
  • 2016: How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

Favorite Movies

  • Whiplash
  • 12 Angry Men
  • Wall-E
  • Little Miss Sunshine
  • Money Ball
  • A Man Called Ove
  • Pan's Labyrinth
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • City of God
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • Link to Full List

Favorite Quotes

  • "Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in this world for ugly mathematics" - G. H. Hardy
  • "All models are wrong, but some are useful" - George Box
  • "To add is expected, to subtract is design."
  • "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein
  • "If It's worth doing, it's worth doing well."