Grant Keller

Senior Software Engineer

Builds thoughtful digital experiences used by millions.

UX Focused · Accessibility First · Proven at Scale

15+ years fullstack with strong frontend/UX focus
React, TypeScript, Node.js, Python
WCAG accessibility & Core Web Vitals optimization
Led frontend for products serving 390M+ monthly pageviews

Trusted by

Resume

Awards

Recognized multidisiciplinary excellence

Computer Graphics World

SIGGRAPH Best of Show

Emmy Awards

Science, Narrative Short

Addy Awards

Best of Show, Editors' Choice

Hackaday Supercon

Badge Hacking Prize

Featured Work

391 million

monthly pageviews

65 million

unique visitors

Senior User Experience Developer @ Alley Interactive

Primary development team for all NYP digital properties, working directly with editorial stakeholders.

Delivered UX improvements at massive scale on a custom enterprise stack hosted on WordPress VIP. Built custom Gutenberg blocks, crafted responsive SCSS component styles, and maintained the unified theme system serving NYP, Page Six, and Decider.

Component styling & responsive layouts
Editorial workflow improvements
Performance optimization
WCAG accessibility compliance

Technologies:

WordPress
React
Typescript
SCSS
PHP

Tools of the Trade

at home on Mac, Linux & Windows

Javascript

Typescript
React / React Native
GSAP / Framer Motion
Astro / Gatsby
Node.js
Next.js
Express / Fastify
ThreeJS
TUI

CSS

Sass/SCSS
Advanced CSS Animations
Tailwind / Semantic Systems
BEM / Component Systems
Vite / Turbo / Webpack
Responsive at all sizes
Cross-browser compatibility

HTML

Information Architecture (IA)
Technical SEO
Accessibility WCAG 2.2 Compliance
Core Web Vitals / Performance Optimization
Analytics (GA4, Custom)
Google Ads / Adslot
CRO / Heatmaps / A/B Testing

WordPress/PHP

Custom themes & plugins
WordPress VIP hosting
Advanced Custom Fields
WooCommerce
Custom membership systems
WP-specific performance
Custom post types

Python

Stable Diffusion / Comfy UI
Computer Vision / OpenCV
Tensorflow / PyTorch
Flask
Tkinter / Qt
Executables via PyInstaller
Portable Distribution
Anaconda / Conda / Virtual Env

C++

ESP32 / Espressif toolchain
Arduino Ecosystem
PlatformIO
OTA Updates
Captive WiFi portal
API fetching
Data parsing
LED and peripherals

Experience

Lead Software Engineer ᠅ Davant Systems

Feb 2023 - Present
Skills:
- Python
- Stable Diffusion AI
- React
- Typescript
- Node.js
- Fastify
- CSS
- Tailwind
- DaisyUI
- Shell scripting
- AWS
- Cloudflare
Building next-generation software for professional visual creatives powered by Stable Diffusion AI.
- Python GUI application using tkinter, QT
- Wrote extensive integration with Stable Diffusion engine via APIs, with QoL UX
- One-click download and install Stable Diffusion engine on PC & Mac
- Built custom, 100% portable Stable Diffusion python bundles for all platforms. The user’s machine needs nothing - they just need the Davant Studio software
- Created custom build pipeline for one codebase to create distributables for all target platforms
Senior User Experience Developer ᠅ Alley Interactive

Aug 2020 - Dec 2023
Skills:
- WordPress
- React
- Typescript
- CSS/SCSS
- PHP
- Gutenberg
Led frontend development for high-profile editorial and museum clients in a scrum environment.

Collaborated with editorial stakeholders to identify priorities and deliver solutions. Focused on UX best practices, WCAG 2.1 accessibility, and performance optimization.
- Shipped code daily to 390M+ monthly pageviews across NY Post properties on WordPress VIP
- Built custom Gutenberg blocks to improve editorial workflows and content creation UX
- Contributed to unified theme system serving NYP, Page Six, and Decider
- Developed team planning processes that improved velocity and delivery
- Led company’s Accessibility Community of Practice
- Mentored junior developers and participated in hiring
Frontend Web Developer ᠅ Studio 3 Marketing

May 2018 - July 2020
Skills:
- Custom CMS
- PHP
- CSS/SCSS
- GSAP
- Shell scripting
Built polished websites for luxury medical and legal clients in a fast-paced agency environment.
- Achieved perfect 100s on Google Lighthouse across multiple client sites
- Built CLI tools to batch-process image galleries with 1,000+ photos
- Led implementation of custom GSAP animations for premium user experiences
- Built reusable component library for in-house CMS
- Trusted to develop the website for sister company Studio 3 Enterprise
WordPress Developer & Strategist ᠅ Keller Digital

Aug 2011 - May 2019
Skills:
- WordPress
- Javascript
- CSS
- PHP
- Cloudflare
- cPanel
Co-founded 3-person agency handling development, design, and client strategy for government, nonprofits, and private companies.
- LA Dept. of Public Health: Led team to build custom WordPress system delivering curricula to 29,000+ students across 60+ LA schools
- NorCal POCIS (Nonprofit): Built custom jobs board with Paid Memberships Pro, connecting 66+ Bay Area schools
- Dun & Bradstreet: Collaborated with stakeholders to identify pain points and deliver strategic site improvements
- Hawke Media: Subcontracted with marketing agency to optimize web performance and user experience

Projects

Embedded Software Engineer ᠅ Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

Anglerfish Specimen Exhibit

Jun 2021 - Aug 2021
Skills:
- C++
- Arduino
- Platform I/O
- Sensors integration
- Google Sheets API
Designed, built and installed an Arduino-driven light sensor system for the display of a rare Pacific footballfish specimen at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. The fish's tissue is highly sensitive to light, so the ichthyology collection staff needed a way to limit and track light exposure.

As seen on: Popular Science, Smithsonian, The Guardian, Newsweek, CNN, LA Times, Atlas Obscura
Motion sensor wired to cabinet lights for visitor-activated illumination

Continuous light exposure monitoring via photoresistor

Real-time data upload to Google Sheets for analysis

Arduino-based microcontroller with WiFi connectivity

LiDAR scanning of specimen for 3D model creation

Full-scale 3D printed tactile model embedded in signage
"It's one of only about 30 adult female specimens of this species, and having one washed up in this condition is extraordinary." Dr. William Ludt, NHM Assistant Curator of Ichthyology
Embedded Software Engineer ᠅ NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

MiniPulse - Realtime Satellite Data Visualizer

Jan 2022 - Oct 2022
Skills:
- C++
- ESP32
- PlatformIO
- APIs
- XML
- Hardware Integration
- NeoPixel WS2812B LEDs
- FastLED
- Wifi
Collaborated with Stratin Engineering and The Studio at JPL's Dan Goods building an LED-based visual installation that displays spacecraft transmissions from the Deep Space Network in real time.

On display at: The Studio at JPL, Emporia State University's Peterson Planetarium, Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex
Written in C++ on ESP32 SoC

Data fetching via NASA's Deep Space Network API

XML data parsing for spacecraft names, info and data rates

NASA mission data scraping to map callsigns

Driving over 10000 WS2812B LEDs via FastLED

Hand-crafted character maps for LEDs

5 custom animation patterns

6 levels of animation intensity (based on data rate)

Custom WiFi portal for user configuration and OTA updates
“With our new PULSE display radiating just outside these doors, we send a message to every student, every visitor, and every dreamer — science lives here, and its heartbeat is at Emporia State University,” Mark Brown, Director of Peterson Planetarium

Appearances

Conference talks, podcasts, and hardware hacking

Stable Diffusion Real-Time Tool Set

Production Summit LA, 2023

Dynamic Expressions for 2D Characters

Production Summit LA, 2024

Inside Experiential AI (clip)

The AI Chicks Podcast, 2024

Inside Experiential AI (full episode)

The AI Chicks Podcast, 2024

Badge Hacking Ceremony

Hackaday Supercon, 2018

Beyond the Screen

When not building web applications, I explore the intersection of hardware, software, and physical experiences.

Anglerfish Exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

In 2021, an intact and undamaged anglerfish floated it's way onto a Southern California beach.

It was destined for the National History Museum of Los Angeles.

For a limited time, it would be a scientific and sightseeing superstar.

Most specimens are distorted and disfigured due to pressure changes, but this one was in near-perfect condition.

One of only 30 retrieved in a condition suitable for study and exhibition.

The Problem

The anglerfish lives so deep in the ocean that it's tissue begins to break down when exposed to light.

The museum needed a display that limited light exposure and kept track of the amount of light the fish was exposed to.

This is where software came to the rescue.

I was tasked with writing software to run on an Arduino inside the museum exhibit.

The board drove motion and light sensors, and logged the amount of light that struck the fish to an online Google Sheet.

The lights turned on when guests approached, and off after inactivity to minimize light damage to the specimen.

With the science team able to monitor the light exposure via real readings, and safeguards in place to protect the specimen, the public wa able to get up close and personal with this mythical fish.

The exhibit was open to the public from August 25th to November 29th, 2021.

More information can be found on the museum's website.