Jessica Ray

My career thus far has largely been influenced by the fact that the Laboratory has given me a lot of freedom in which projects and topics I’ve focused on, allowing me to carve my own path.

What does your job entail, and what are you currently working on?

I build domain-specific languages and optimizing compilers that aim to improve the efficiency of processing network data. I'm currently the principal investigator on a program focused on designing compilers that can leverage in-memory computation technology for processing network data.

How has your career evolved during your time at Lincoln Laboratory?

I started at the Laboratory in 2012 as an assistant staff member fresh out of undergrad, and since then, I have gone from assistant to associate to technical staff. When I started, I did not really know what my technical interests were outside of just saying “I like computer science,” and I never would have imagined that I was going to end up with a PhD focused on compilers and programming languages. My career thus far has largely been influenced by the fact that the Laboratory has given me a lot of freedom in which projects and topics I’ve focused on, allowing me to carve my own path. As compared to when I first started, I’ve grown to feel more confident in expressing my technical opinion in relation to building new projects and evolving existing projects.

What has been a standout personal achievement in your career?

By far, I am most proud of receiving the Lincoln Scholars fellowship for my graduate school work at MIT. Maintaining my connection with the Laboratory during graduate school was extremely valuable from both a technical and a mentorship perspective.

Why do you think Lincoln Laboratory is a good fit for you?

I always describe the Laboratory to others as sitting somewhere in between academia and industry. To me, this means that we solve real-world problems that have a tangible impact, but also have the chance to perform the fundamental research necessary to realize those solutions. This focus on applied research is ideal for me because I enjoy not only building the software tools that make it easier for domain experts to operate on their data more efficiently, but also researching new and innovative ways to build those tools.

Tell us about your favorite activities outside of work.

I like to stay active outside of work, and depending on the time of the year, you can usually find me going to the gym, playing softball, golfing, bowling, and snowboarding. I'm also pretty social and love going out with friends, whether it's doing trivia, having bad movie night, playing lawn games, or just going out to dinner.

What are you most grateful for in your life?

I'm most grateful for my family and my friends. I grew up in the area (Stow, MA) and went to college in Massachusetts; for the most part, all of my family and friends have stayed local, so I get to see them quite often. It's been awesome having such a great support system near me, especially through my (long) time in graduate school. My fiancé is from southern New Hampshire, so his family is nearby as well, and I've been fortunate to be able to get close to his family!