Employee Spotlight: Talal Tahir

Tell us about yourself and how long you’ve been with Optimal Dynamics.

My name is Talal Tahir, and I’m currently a Staff Software Engineer at Optimal Dynamics based out of Pennsylvania. I’ve been with the company for almost 3 years. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics from New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Can you summarize your job in 1-2 sentences?

As a staff software engineer, in addition to being a resource for infrastructure, architecture, and technology evaluation, I collaborate across teams to identify critical areas for system improvement and drive the implementation of those enhancements.

What inspired you the most to join Optimal Dynamics?

Optimal Dynamics is tackling a complex problem with decades of research behind it, and many brilliant minds are working on it. The opportunity to be immersed in this environment was incredibly exciting for me.

What do you like best about our company culture?

What I appreciate most about the culture at Optimal Dynamics is the strong sense of ownership. There's a refreshing openness to new ideas, with nothing off-limits, which allows everyone to make a real impact.

What is unique about what we do at Optimal Dynamics?

The methodology used here, developed at Princeton, is more advanced than other models that aim to achieve the same results.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I appreciate that I'm not restricted to working on just one segment of our system or a single application. Instead, I have the freedom to focus on initiatives that I believe will have a significant impact, regardless of the service domain or the teams responsible for it. It keeps the job fresh, continuously introduces new challenges, and ensures that my work remains exciting.

How does your work impact our product, and, therefore, the industry? 

At Optimal Dynamics, I'm fortunate to work across a variety of services, including internal tools, infrastructure, and user-facing applications. Much of my work focuses on enhancing the stability, reliability, and scalability of our applications, ultimately improving the experience for our end users.

What have been your biggest accomplishments on our team, and what was the impact on the product/company?

One of my key accomplishments has been implementing autoscaling for our services, including our core engine. This initiative not only reduced operating costs but also allowed our system to dynamically manage increased load. Additionally, I introduced a resilience mechanism for our asynchronous processes, enabling our services to handle potential failures promptly and effectively. I also played a role in developing an internal application that streamlines customer calibration for our teams, requiring minimal technical knowledge due to its automation of many manual steps.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

I joined Optimal Dynamics as a senior engineer and was fortunate to be promoted to a staff engineer. This new role has introduced me to skills beyond technical expertise, including leading without formal authority. I've been actively learning and adapting to these new responsibilities, with a heightened focus on strategic thinking. In the fast-paced environment at Optimal Dynamics, there are always numerous tasks to tackle. My goal has been to improve my ability to select tasks that align with the organization’s goals.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Much of my free time is spent with my family going to parks and museums and exploring our surrounding area.

Can you share a hidden talent that no one knows about you?

I can move my ears without touching them.

What’s the best advice you can give to someone who wants to work at Optimal Dynamics?

There is a lot to learn, but everyone is so willing to help so don't be afraid to ask questions.