Iain Watts
About Iain Watts
Iain Watts is a Sr Staff Software Engineer at Rover.com with a strong background in distributed systems and open source technologies.
Title and Current Role
Iain Watts holds the position of Sr Staff Software Engineer at Rover.com since 2020. Based in Seattle, Washington, he plays a critical role in strategic technical vision and planning, mentoring engineers, and driving engineering initiatives across the tech organization.
Previous Roles at Rover.com
Before becoming Sr Staff Software Engineer, Iain Watts served at Rover.com in two other capacities. From 2018 to 2020, he was a Senior Software Engineer, and from 2017 to 2018, he was a Software Engineer. During this time, he honed his expertise in distributed systems and supported search and machine learning on the web.
Earlier Career Experience
Prior to his tenure at Rover.com, Iain Watts worked as a Software Engineer at Fusionbox in Denver, CO from 2016 to 2017. Additionally, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Science, Technology and Society Program at the University of Puget Sound from 2015 to 2016. He also held a position as a Software Engineer at Codian Ltd in Slough, United Kingdom from 2006 to 2007.
Educational Background
Iain Watts completed his Ph.D. in the History of Science and Technology at Princeton University, studying from 2009 to 2015. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, earned in 2006, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from the same institution, obtained in 2005.
Technical Skills and Expertise
In his current role, Iain Watts utilizes a variety of open source technologies including Python, Django, Elasticsearch, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, and Kafka. He has a strong background in distributed systems, particularly in supporting search and machine learning on the web. His work involves not only technical implementation but also mentoring and guiding engineers in systems design.