Hi, I'm Izaak.

Software engineer in Los Angeles.

I build tools and compilers that let scientists run experiments on real hardware. Most recently that has meant writing a compiler backend that generates assembly for an FPGA, so researchers could describe spin-qubit experiments generically and run them on physical instruments over VISA/SCPI — and an emulator alongside it so they could catch mistakes before ever touching the bench.

I like working close to the metal but across the whole stack: from quick analysis scripts up to the durable tools and test infrastructure other engineers actually rely on. I'm a maintainer of the open-source Coalton language, where a lot of the work is the unglamorous kind — code review, triage, documentation — that keeps a project usable as it grows.

Before software, I was a violinist; I hold a Master of Music and spent years chasing precision of a different sort. That background still shapes how I work — patient, detail-obsessed, and happiest when I'm making something difficult feel effortless for the person using it.

You can read my full CV, find me on GitHub and LinkedIn, or reach me at izaakw@protonmail.com.