David Tran

Verified Expert in Database Systems & Distributed Computing

Senior Staff Software Engineer at LinkedIn (San Mateo, California, USA)

15+ years in database systems, distributed systems, cloud computing, and query optimization.

Core Expertise
Database Internals
Cloud Platforms (AWS)
Distributed Systems
Big Data Infrastructure
Query Processing & Optimization
System Performance Engineering
Partitioning Strategies for Scalability
OLTP Workloads & Concurrency Control
Bio

David Tran is a software engineer and database expert with 15+ years in large-scale distributed systems and cloud infrastructure. As Senior Staff Engineer at LinkedIn, he works on core data infrastructure. Holding a PhD from UW–Madison, he has held roles at Airbnb, AWS, Oracle, and Microsoft, focusing on query engines, distributed data, and performance optimization. He is also a published researcher and patent author.

Education

– Ph.D., Computer Science: University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA (2009 – 2012) Thesis: Concurrency control and data partitioning for OLTP workloads
– M.S., Computer Science: University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA (2007 – 2009)
– B.S., Computer Science: Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Vietnam (2001 – 2006) Graduated with Best Graduate Student Honors

Skill

— Technical & Professional Skills: Database Systems (OLTP/OLAP) | Query Engine Design & Optimization | Distributed Systems Architecture | Programming Languages: C++, Java, SQL | Cloud Platforms: AWS Redshift, DynamoDB | Concurrency Control, Data Partitioning | Performance Tuning & Scalability
– Management & Leadership Skills: Leading Infrastructure & Engineering Teams | Architecture Reviews & System Design Leadership | Technical Mentorship | Patent & Research Contributions | Cross-functional Collaboration with PM/Research
– Soft Skills: Communication in English & Vietnamese | Technical Writing & Public Speaking | Problem-solving & Decision-making | Cross-cultural Collaboration | Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing

Work Experience

2022 – Present

Senior Staff Software Engineer
LinkedIn, San Mateo, USA

Leading large-scale distributed data systems within LinkedIn’s enterprise infrastructure.

2022 – Present
2020 – 2022

Staff Software Engineer
Airbnb, San Francisco, USA

Worked in the Data Infrastructure team, focusing on scalable and reliable data pipelines.

2020 – 2022
2016 – 2020

Staff Software Engineer
LinkedIn, Sunnyvale, USA

Led the development of portable user data transformation pipelines and distributed compute frameworks.

2016 – 2020
2014 – 2016

Software Engineer
Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Redshift Team: Dec 2015 – Sep 2016
Worked on distributed OLAP data warehouse technology.
DynamoDB Team: Aug 2014 – Nov 2015
Developed high-throughput key-value store infrastructure for low-latency workloads.

2014 – 2016
2013 – 2014

Senior Member of Technical Staff
Oracle, San Francisco, USA

Architected cross-engine query optimization and serialization for federated database systems.

2013 – 2014
2009 – 2013

Research Assistant
Microsoft Jim Gray Systems Lab, Madison, USA

Researched concurrency control and OLTP partitioning for scalable transaction systems.

2009 – 2013

Internships

Google – Developed MapReduce-based workers for data aggregation
Microsoft Research – Focused on threading and performance tuning
Oracle – Performed bottleneck analysis in commercial DBMS
University of Wisconsin–Madison – Teaching and research assistant in data systems

How to work with us

We match you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

1

2

3

Share your needs

Choose your talent

Start your risk-free talent trial

Discuss your needs and refine the scope with a Toptal expert.

Get a shortlist of matched talent within 24 hours to review and interview.

Work with your chosen talent for up to two weeks. Pay only if you hire.

Your expertise deserves a platform.

Contact us
Scroll to Top