Don Setiawan is a Principal Research Software Engineer with the UW Scientific Software Engineering Center (SSEC) at the eScience Institute, where he builds AI-enabled solutions that improve research workflows and scientific software development. He has more than a decade of experience building scientific data analysis systems for research institutes and government agencies. Don bridges software engineering and science, turning complex research needs into robust, scalable systems so scientists can focus on their core questions. His expertise spans AI engineering, cloud-based data engineering and infrastructure, geospatial data analytics, Python programming, and web development.
Don’s work pairs a deep foundation in scientific computing with modern AI engineering practices to speed up discovery and make research teams more productive. He has designed cloud-based data pipelines, built APIs for large-scale oceanographic datasets, and developed web applications and interactive data portals that bring scientific data to life. His projects range from processing ocean sonar data in the cloud to managing and analyzing geospatial data at scale.
Before joining SSEC, Don was a technical lead on the Regional Cabled Array team for the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) at the UW School of Oceanography, providing software and research support. He also worked with the UW Applied Physics Laboratory, designing, developing, and maintaining scientific data analysis systems used across multiple institutions and agencies. He works well with diverse, multi-institutional teams of scientists and software engineers. His approach is to understand the underlying needs and co-develop solutions that lead to working software.
Don is passionate about open source and sharing knowledge. He has been an eScience Affiliate since 2017, starting as a Technical Specialist with the Hackweek program. He continues to deliver tutorials and mentor contributors at hackweeks, workshops, and summer programs. As a core developer and team lead, he helps others learn new technologies, reviews code, and works with them to find the best solutions to software problems. He especially enjoys mentoring and learning from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
Don is a UW School of Oceanography alumnus. In his spare time, Don enjoys photography, music, and exploring nature with his family. He believes time in nature improves mental health and sparks creativity, which leads to innovative solutions.