Curriculum Vitae

Jacob Howard

[email protected]

Work and Research Interests

I am a founder, principal engineer, and physicist focused on developer infrastructure, containers, AI-assisted developer tooling, distributed systems, and performance-critical software.

I founded Mutagen, a YC-backed developer infrastructure company acquired by Docker in 2023. At Docker, I served as a Principal Software Engineer and hands-on technical lead across Docker Model Runner, the Docker MCP platform, Docker Desktop, and related cloud services.

My doctoral work focused on studies of the Higgs boson decaying into τ-leptons as part of the ATLAS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. A large portion of my research was also devoted to development of high-performance computing optimizations for the ATLAS data acquisition and processing pipeline.

Prior to my doctorate, I worked on software and hardware integration for a Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiment at UC Berkeley.

I am currently available for selective consulting and advisory engagements.

Education


University of Oxford – D.Phil. (Ph.D.)
Particle Physics
Measurements of the Higgs Boson in the H→ττ Decay Channel
2010 – 2015

University of California, Berkeley – B.A.
Double Major in Physics and Pure Mathematics
2005 – 2008

Research and Professional Experience


Principal Software Engineer / Technical Lead
Docker, Inc.
2023 – 2026
  • Served as hands-on technical lead for the Docker MCP platform, providing technical direction across MCP policy and governance, Docker MCP Gateway, and Docker's curated MCP server catalog
  • Served as hands-on technical lead and architect for Docker Model Runner from inception to general availability
  • Led and implemented Mutagen file synchronization integration into Docker Desktop and related cloud services across multiple production environments

2019 – 2023

Founder and lead developer of Mutagen, a YC-backed company offering a high-performance file synchronization and network forwarding tool for remote development, used by companies including Netflix and Docker, and embedded in multiple cloud development platforms. Acquired by Docker in 2023.

Built product end-to-end, worked directly with partners on large-scale integrations, and led the company through acquisition by Docker. Recognized as a Docker Captain for sustained technical leadership and community impact.


Independent Consultant and Developer
2016 – 2018

Served as consultant and developer for various startups.


Graduate Student
ATLAS Experiment, CERN
2010 – 2015
  • Developed high-performance GPU-based detector data decoding and hit clustering algorithms for the ATLAS trigger
  • Validated Higgs boson H→ττ event reconstruction and Boosted Decision Tree model
  • Compared performance of Matrix Element Method and Boosted Decision Tree analyses in the H→WW decay channel
  • Commenced development of GPU-accelerated matrix element integration
  • Developed a parallel, high-performance Python/C++ analysis framework for the ATLAS (V)H→ττ analyses
  • Optimized τ-lepton trigger identification and selection criteria
  • Optimized (V)H→ττ event selection criteria
  • Calculated QCD scale uncertainties for jet-binned (V)H→ττ analyses
  • Evaluated signal and exclusion significances for the (V)H→ττ analyses

Co-founder and Lead Developer
SpeedPunch
2010 – 2012
  • Developed iOS application for punchlist management and reporting
  • Developed Python backend and web application to support punchlist management and reporting
  • Designed, developed, and maintained company website
  • Managed Linux server and database infrastructure

Freelance Software Developer
2009 – 2011
  • Developed C#/ASP.NET authentication plugin for integration with central authentication server
  • Developed custom C++ Windows credential provider for YubiKey tokens

Research Assistant
Experimental Cosmology Group, UC Berkeley
2008 – 2009
  • Integrated telescope pointing control with data acquisition systems
  • Developed cryostat temperature and cycle control software
  • Designed and implemented control software for frequency-multiplexed SQUID/bolometer readout system
  • Designed and implemented real-time data acquisition, analysis, and visualization system for monitoring telescope sensor array
  • Constructed precision IRIG-B timestamp propagation electronics for telescope, detectors, and control computer
  • Constructed synchronization pulse electronics for hardware systems
  • Designed network architecture for high-bandwidth data acquisition

Software Developer
Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
2006 – 2009
  • Developed C#/ASP.NET web applications and services for Windows domain account and computer management
  • Maintained and developed for Microsoft SQL Server instances
  • Managed Linux research cluster and benchmarked its performance
  • Supervised junior developers

Software Developer
Institute of Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley
2006 – 2007
  • Developed C#/ASP.NET web applications and services for dataset and publication distribution
  • Maintained and developed for Microsoft SQL Server instances
  • Maintained legacy PHP and ColdFusion applications
  • Maintained organization website
  • Provided general IT support

Grants, Awards, and Funding


Y Combinator (Summer 2019)
2019

National Physical Science Consortium Graduate Fellowship
2010 – 2015

Springboard Accelerator Program (London)
2012

1st Place – Startup@Berkeley Hackathon
2009

Publications


The ATLAS collaboration
Search for the Standard Model Higgs boson produced in association with a vector boson and decaying into a tau pair in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector
Phys. Rev. D, 93, 092005
2016

The ATLAS collaboration
Evidence for the Higgs-boson Yukawa coupling to tau leptons with the ATLAS detector
Journal of High Energy Physics, 4, 117
2015

The ATLAS collaboration
Evidence for Higgs boson decays to the τ+τ final state with the ATLAS detector
ATLAS-CONF-2013-108
2013

Emeliyanov, D. and Howard, J.
GPU-based tracking algorithms for the ATLAS high-level trigger
Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 396, 1
2012

Lee, A. T. et al.
Polarbear: Ultra-high energy physics with measurements of CMB polarization
AIP Conference Proceedings, 1040, 66
2008