Experience
Although in the past I have also used other software, for several years now I have mainly used R together with package ‘ggplot2’ and its extensions. I have published and maintain several of these extension packages as well as contributed code and enhancement ideas to both ‘ggrepel’ and ‘ggplot2’.
I have taught R and data analysis and statistics both at the University of Jyväskylä and at the University of Helsinki, and as thesis supervisor or advisor and as collaborator adviced doctoral students, postdocs and principal investigators from multiple countries. As a collaborator in other researchers as well as within my own research group I have designed or advised on the design of many different experiments in the plant and ecological sciences, including forestry, agriculture, horticulture and basic plant research.
In 2002 I designed and taught one of the first R courses in Finland included in an M.Sc. level curriculum. I am the author of the book Learn R: As a Language published in The R Series now in its second edition, aimed at users of R in applied fields. I am also the lead editor and a co-author of the handbook on research methods Beyond the Visible: A handbook of best practice in plant UV photobiology.
Years of experience during which I strived to remain up-to-date with new data analysis and visualization methods have given me a broad experience and viewpoint from which to assess the advantages and disadvantages of different designs applicable to various research problems. Being familiar with practical issues, statistical design and data analysis methods, and with the design of effective visualizations for communicating the outcomes, provides me with an integrated perspective across all stages spanning from conceptualization of a study to the communication of results.
I am proficient in R programming and I can write highly performant code within the R language. I have also experience in calling Python, Java and C++ routines from R code and in R packages. I have also written large programs and libraries in Modula 2. I have experience with other languages, including C++, Pascal, AWK and Perl. I can read Forth, C, FORTRAN and Java code.
I am familiar with and apply software engineering principles conducive to maintainable and reliable software design and coding, including the use of unit tests in R packages, revision control with Git, and thorough documentation. I regularly use code debugging, benchmarking and profiling tools. I strive and regularly succeed in designing software that is user friendly.