Sebastien Ballesteros
About Sebastien Ballesteros
Sebastien Ballesteros is a Senior Software Engineer at DuckDuckGo, where he has worked since 2020. He holds a PhD in Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology and has extensive experience in software engineering across various organizations.
Work at DuckDuckGo
Sebastien Ballesteros has been employed at DuckDuckGo as a Senior Software Engineer since 2020. In this role, he has led the adoption of a design system, enhancing the software foundations and associated tooling. He has implemented web performance optimization projects that have significantly improved core engagement and revenue metrics. Ballesteros has also contributed to the development of DuckDuckGo's online controlled experiments framework and has driven the adoption of Next.js and other new technologies, playing a key role in driving cultural change within the organization.
Education and Expertise
Sebastien Ballesteros studied at Ecole normale supérieure, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology from 2006 to 2009. Prior to this, he completed a Master's degree in the same field at the same institution from 2005 to 2006. He also holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from AgroParisTech, which he completed from 2003 to 2005. His educational background provides a strong foundation for his work in software engineering, particularly in projects that intersect technology and ecological research.
Previous Work Experience
Before joining DuckDuckGo, Sebastien Ballesteros worked at Code for Science and Society as a Senior Software Engineer (full-stack) from 2019 to 2020. He briefly served as a Senior Software Engineer at Coral Gardeners in 2021. His earlier experience includes a role as Technical Founder at Standard Analytics from 2014 to 2019. Additionally, he held postdoctoral fellow positions at the University of Lisbon from 2010 to 2011 and at Princeton University from 2011 to 2014, focusing on ecology and evolutionary biology.
Contributions to Software Engineering
Throughout his career, Sebastien Ballesteros has made significant contributions to software engineering practices. At DuckDuckGo, he played a key role in enhancing engineer productivity through strategic software choices. His efforts in driving the adoption of new technologies, such as Next.js, have positioned the company to leverage modern frameworks effectively. Ballesteros's experience in implementing web performance optimization projects has also contributed to measurable improvements in user engagement and revenue.