Brendan Wakefield
About Brendan Wakefield
Brendan Wakefield is an IT Specialist at the U.S. Geological Survey, focusing on cloud infrastructure design and management. He has a diverse background in science and technology, with experience in remote sensing, cloud computing, and satellite imagery processing.
Work at U.S. Geological Survey
Brendan Wakefield has been employed at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 2022, currently serving as an IT Specialist (APPSW/SYSADMIN). In this role, he focuses on cloud infrastructure design and management, contributing to the Cloud Hosting Solutions team. He is also a member of the DevOps Group, where he manages AWS resources and develops advanced computing projects in the cloud. Prior to his current position, he worked as a Physical Scientist at USGS from 2020 to 2022.
Education and Expertise
Brendan Wakefield holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, which he completed from 2006 to 2011. He further advanced his education by earning a Master of Science in Avalanche Risk Analysis from Simon Fraser University between 2016 and 2019. His academic background supports his expertise in scientific research and IT, particularly in cloud computing and infrastructure management.
Background in Research and Science
Brendan Wakefield has a diverse background in research and science. He worked as an Associate Scientist at Southall Environmental Associates Incorporated from 2013 to 2015 and as a Research Technician at NOAA from 2013 to 2015 in Alaska. Additionally, he served as a Graduate Student Researcher at Simon Fraser University from 2016 to 2019. His early career included an internship at NASA Ames Research Center from 2004 to 2006.
Achievements in Cloud Computing
Brendan Wakefield has made significant contributions to cloud computing projects at USGS. He led a remote-sensing project as Cloud Computing Lead, where he architected and maintained a high-throughput computing pipeline in AWS. His efforts resulted in a 13,000% acceleration in backlog processing time for satellite imagery, showcasing his ability to deliver new satellite images in near-real time.