I am most effective where software has to connect cleanly with hardware, live data, and real-world workflows. That includes designing intuitive graphical interfaces, improving backend performance, integrating sensors into a unified system, and validating behavior with simulation, test plans, and repeatable automation.
Software Developer - C2 Systems - Sensor Integration
Michael Dowling Software and systems engineer building operator-facing platforms for defense, robotics, and real-time sensing.
I design software that helps people understand and act on complex live systems. My recent work has focused on command-and-control platforms, multi-sensor integration, backend workflows, automated testing, and GUI experiences for radar, EO/IR, RF, and underwater robotics applications.
Professional Summary
Building software that turns complex sensing systems into usable tools.
My background combines software development, systems integration, robotics, and structured testing. I have worked on defense-oriented monitoring platforms, simulation and automation frameworks, underwater robotics, and user interfaces that surface the right information quickly for technical operators.
Multi-sensor software
Radar, EO/IR, RF, sonar, and data fusion workflows for situational awareness and monitoring.
Testing and validation
Simulation tooling, CI/CD test coverage, virtualized environments, and structured system verification.
Operator-first interfaces
Modern GUIs that reduce friction, surface live data clearly, and support faster decision-making.
Cross-functional execution
Comfortable collaborating with hardware, systems, software, and test teams to ship complete solutions.
Experience
Recent roles across defense software, testing, and underwater robotics.
The common thread in my work is owning the gap between technical complexity and reliable execution: software architecture, backend data handling, interfaces, validation, and integration with physical systems.
June 2025 - Present
Software Developer
- Contribute to a real-time command-and-control platform for drone detection, tracking, and engagement support.
- Design and implement modern GUI workflows that improve operator situational awareness and response time.
- Optimize backend workflows and microservices to reduce memory usage and support high-throughput data processing.
- Integrate radar, camera, and RF systems into a unified real-time monitoring environment.
July 2024 - June 2025
Director of Test Engineering
- Led software and system-level testing for defense programs for monitoring infrastructures.
- Built hardware simulation tools with modern GUIs to emulate sensors and subsystems without requiring physical hardware.
- Developed validation procedures, regression workflows, and virtualized test environments for repeatable integration testing.
- Implemented unit and integration tests within CI/CD pipelines to improve coverage and reduce manual testing overhead.
May 2024 - December 2024
Software Engineer - AI Trainer
- Contributed to AI training focused on code generation and software reasoning quality.
- Evaluated generated code, wrote working solutions, and summarized tradeoffs clearly for technical review.
November 2023 - June 2024
Software Engineer Intern
- Supported development and testing of underwater robotic systems that combined embedded software, sensors, and instrumentation.
- Integrated sonar, camera, and navigation hardware for data acquisition, analysis, and visualization workflows.
- Troubleshot communication and control issues across onboard electronics, sensors, and operator interfaces.
- Contributed to rapid prototyping and field-ready system integration for interdisciplinary robotics projects.
Skills
Technical capabilities shaped by real deployments and validation work.
These are the areas I bring together most often when building software for sensing, monitoring, robotics, and integration-heavy environments.
Programming Breakdown
Languages I have used across application development, backend services, robotics, visualization, and system integration work.
Object-Oriented
Non-OOP / Markup
Frameworks and Development
Software and UI work across backend services, modern GUIs, workflow tooling, and integration-heavy applications.
Domain Expertise
The environments and system types I have worked with most closely across defense, robotics, sensing, and validation.
Systems and Tools
Development and infrastructure tools I use for testing, deployment, debugging, and day-to-day engineering work.
Languages
Frameworks and Development
Systems and Tools
Domain Expertise
How I work
Soft skills and working habits that show up consistently across projects and teams.
Selected Work
Examples of the systems and software I like to build.
My strongest work tends to sit at the intersection of sensing, software architecture, operator usability, and system validation.
Featured Project
TEC-V - Topographic Exploration Cave Vehicle
Senior design project and award-winning ROV platform built around sonar ingestion, mapping workflows, and an interactive 3D visualization tool for underwater cave exploration.
ROV - Sonar - 3D Visualization - System IntegrationMulti-Sensor C2 Platform
Professional work on real-time command-and-control software for drone detection and tracking, combining radar, EO/IR, RF, backend services, and operator-facing interfaces into one situational awareness workflow.
Defense Software - Real-Time Data - GUI DesignOperator-Facing Tools
Interface work centered on clarity under pressure: surfacing live state, reducing operator friction, and making complex system behavior easier to interpret.
UX for Technical Systems - Monitoring - WorkflowsQuadruped Robotics Exploration
Software experimentation around motion, system behavior, camera workflows, and robotics control using the PuppyPi platform as part of broader hands-on robotics work.
Quadruped - Robotics - Controls
Simulation and Test Frameworks
Hardware simulation tools, virtualized environments, and automated validation workflows that helped teams test subsystem behavior earlier and more reliably.
Validation - Automation - CI/CD
Contact
Open to software, systems, robotics, and integration-focused roles.
I am especially interested in work involving command-and-control platforms, multi-sensor systems, robotics, embedded integration, test automation, and modern technical interfaces.
If you would like a copy of my resume, send me a message here or email me directly and I can review the request before sending it over.