Dane Powell
About Dane Powell
Dane Powell is a Principal Software Engineer at Acquia, with a strong background in Mechanical Engineering and extensive experience in software development and automation. He has contributed significantly to the Drupal community and has a history of research and development work, including projects for NASA.
Work at Acquia
Dane Powell has served as a Principal Software Engineer at Acquia since 2014. In this role, he focuses on developing and maintaining software solutions that enhance the Drupal platform. His responsibilities include overseeing the development of automation frameworks and contributing to the overall improvement of Drupal's capabilities. Powell's expertise in configuration management and automation has been instrumental in his work at Acquia.
Education and Expertise
Dane Powell holds multiple degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University. He completed his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from 2003 to 2008, followed by a Master of Science (M.S.) from 2008 to 2010. He further pursued a PhD candidacy at Rice University from 2007 to 2013, where he focused on advanced topics in engineering. Additionally, he studied at The University of British Columbia and Queen Mary University of London, further enhancing his engineering knowledge.
Background
Before joining Acquia, Dane Powell worked as a Lead Developer at Trellon from 2013 to 2014. His earlier experience includes roles at REI, where he worked as a Banker, Sales Specialist, and Customer Service Representative from 2004 to 2006. His diverse background in both software development and customer service has contributed to his well-rounded skill set.
Achievements
Dane Powell has made significant contributions to the Drupal community, with over 1000 patches, commits, or pull requests. He maintains BLT, an automation framework for Drupal, and has presented at various Drupal camps on topics related to configuration management and automation. Powell has also discovered and responsibly disclosed multiple security vulnerabilities in enterprise applications. His research efforts include a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship, valued at $200,000, and a grant titled 'Enriching Rice through Information Technology,' awarded $50,000.
Projects and Contributions
Dane Powell has developed haptic teleoperation interfaces for NASA’s Robonaut program during his fellowship. He has also created and maintains several Alexa Skills and Android apps available on the Google Play store. His work reflects a commitment to innovation and technology, particularly in the fields of software development and engineering.