Mason Bendixen

A software engineer, yogi & aerialist

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS –

  • Fourteen years experience in the software industry
  • Nearly 10 years’ experience at Microsoft as a Software Design Engineer in both systems and application-level roles
  • Broad experience with networking, graphics, databases, international standards (European Union, protocol standards, HD-DVD Standard), and virtual-machine implementation (Microsoft .NET Framework VM)
  • Strong design, coding, and debugging skills in C/C++, C#, TSQL, and XML; proficient with Visual Studio, .NET Framework, Silverlight, and the Microsoft Windows development platform
  • Expert-level experience with COM/OLE, Win32, multi-threading, high reliability software design, and systems-level debugging

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE –

Microsoft Corporation, Redmond WA 1999-2009
Software Design Engineer, .Net Framework Virtual Machine (.Net FX) / Silverlight 2006 – 2009
  • Innovated on COM Interop, Platform Invoke (PInvoke), and .Net Framework interface to managed C++
  • Led virtual team leader for Interop feature (directing development, test, and program management); set schedule for next release, feature set, and coordinated work with developers and testers in China
  • Key contributor in enabling multiple .Net Framework versions in same process in next version of .Net Framework
  • Owned standardization of networking protocols for EU compliance
  • Created presentation of Interop guidance for using .Net Framework, which has been presented at Microsoft TechReady, TechEd, and the Professional Developer’s Conference
  • Heavy collaboration with product support and test to identify customer pain points and how to resolve issues
  • Worked closely with many internal teams to assist them in using complicated feature set to enable their scenarios and to make targeted product changes as needed; made changes to the DCOM security model for Interop, shutdown, threading, marshalling, and tool's changes to help enable partner’s scenarios
  • Assumed responsibility for a challenging feature that was the source of more than 50% of the product’s servicing issues. Reduced it to a manageable scope by: working with the user-education team to improve documentation; blogging about hard problems (http://blogs.msdn.com/mbend/); fixing key issues; making targeted changes; educating product support engineers; and providing solution-based guidance to customers about how to engineer their solution for success
Software Design Engineer, HD-DVD Standard 2005-2006
  • Worked on standard with Toshiba; participated in HD-DVD design meetings
  • Designed platform API and coded network and storage management portions of the reference implementation
  • Gained great knowledge of digital video and consumer electronics
Software Design Engineer, SQL Server 2001-2005
  • • Added debugging support and managed extensions to nearly all aspects of SQL Server; developed deep knowledge of SQL Server internals and implementation
  • Designed and implemented hosting of the .NET Framework for user defined extensions in SQL Server 2005
  • Worked with the .NET Framework team to bring the Common Language Runtime’s stability and reliability up to SQL standards
  • Helped create a new hosting model for the .Net Framework that met SQL Servers needs (received two patents for this work.* See, below.)
  • Managed relationship and integration with Developer Division team
  • Served as primary point of contact for integrating newer builds of the in-development next version of Visual Studio into SQL Server source tree
  • Designed and implemented TSQL and SQLCLR debugging for SQL Server 2005
  • Worked with both Common Language Runtime and Visual Studio debugger teams to integrate this key feature
  • Attended database developer conferences and gained great understanding of TSQL and TSQL users to better meet customer needs
Software Design Engineer, Universal Plug and Play, Windows Networking 2000-2001
  • Took ownership of and extended Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP): high-concurrency, caching, socket-level programming, multicast UDP, and numerous timing issues
  • Designed and implemented a device hosting framework for Windows using a COM-based extensibility architecture (See, patent below.)
  • Worked extensively with COM, Winsock, multi-threading, XML, and SOAP to implement the UPnP protocol stack
  • Worked with Internet Connection Sharing feature team to help an internal customer use new device-hosting framework to enable firewall to be UPn- aware
  • Attended Plugfest device interoperability conference to help customers debug UPnP devices
Software Design Engineer, Network Configuration, Windows Networking 1999-2000
  • Responsible for networking portion of plug and play (class installer)
  • Chief developer of networking portion of Windows setup, INF files, network connections folder, NDIS, network-management service, and binding engine
Evans & Sutherland, Salt Lake City, UT 1996-1999
  • Used OpenGL, scene graphs, spline position interpolation, quaternion orientation interpolation, and 3D graphics concepts to implement a virtual set product to sell military simulator hardware to entertainment industry
  • In development, gained experience with high performance, multi-threaded applications in a true, real-time environment
FrameRate Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT 1995-1996
  • Gained software industry experience as an intern configuring proprietary MS Windows software to work with custom hardware

PATENTS – Microsoft Corporation

  • Patent #7,406,699 – Enhanced Runtime Hosting: added the ability to integrate a host with its own memory, threading, debugging, and reliability model
  • Patent #7,171,475 – Peer Networking Host Framework and Hosting API: created a framework making it easier to develop software Universal Plug & Play devices on Windows XP.
  • Patent #7,418,718 – Runtime Hosting Interfaces: the corresponding API to support the Enhanced Runtime Hosting interfaces

EDUCATION –

Bachelor’s of Science – Computer Science

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 1997
  • Clyde Christensen 1996-1997 scholarship • Hewlett Packard 1995-1996 scholarship • Evans / Whitaker 1995-1996 scholarship • Dean’s List • Honor’s at entrance full-tuition scholarship • UCTA Scholarship 1993

COMMUNITY SERVICE –

  • Membership Director for Microsoft Diversity Advisory Council group (Board Member position)
  • Organized diversity celebration events at Microsoft and with other tech companies
  • Organized Microsoft-sponsored talk in 2008 with local celebrity and newspaper editor Dan Savage as keynote speaker
  • Helped new employees find mentors and make social and professional connections at Microsoft
  • Captained a Microsoft SeattleWorks Day team 2006-2008
  • Captained a SeattleWorks TeamWorks volunteer (2002-Present)
  • Lead a team of 20 volunteers, serving environmental, sustainability, wildlife, and food-distribution causes
  • Completed Ana Forrest Yoga Instructor training program 2006
  • Teach aerial circus performing 2005-Present
  • Organizer and performer for Aerlift 2005-2008 (http://www.aerlift.org/)
  • Organizer and performer for Circus of Dreams 2008 (http://circusofdreams.org/)