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
Awards
Recognized for excellence in software, TV & Film, and digital advertising
Computer Graphics World
SIGGRAPH Best of Show
x2 Emmy Awards
Science, Narrative Short
x2 Addy Awards
Best of Show, Editors' Choice
Featured Work
New York Post
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
Skills
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
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.
