David Alastair Koh
I build reliable, human-centered software. I work end-to-end across product, frontend, and backend to ship clear experiences and dependable systems—currently focused on security-grade products at Firefense.
Current focus
Building dependable experiences
From backend constraints to UI polish, with a bias for clarity and reliability.
Promotion
Associate → Software Engineer
Promoted Jan 2024 at Firefense.
Tooling
TypeScript · Next.js · Tailwind
Comfortable across frontend, backend, and developer experience. Also ship with .NET/C# (WPF) and Swift for iOS when the problem calls for it.
About
How I work
Translate complex needs into crisp interfaces and reliable services, moving from ideation to release with clear tradeoffs.
Lean on observability, thoughtful defaults, and tight feedback loops to keep releases predictable and performant.
Write and speak with intent, align stakeholders quickly, and document decisions so teams move in the same direction.
Experience
Where I have been focusing
Firefense Pte Ltd
Software Engineer
Jan 2024 — Present
Building dependable software for Firefense. Promoted from Associate Software Engineer in Jan 2024.
- Build and harden backend services and data flows in TypeScript/Node.js with reliability in mind.
- Partner closely with product/design to simplify security-grade workflows.
- Raise reliability with instrumentation, iterative delivery, and clear documentation.
Firefense Pte Ltd
Associate Software Engineer
Jan 2023 - Dec 2023
Contributed across the product surface area before promotion, strengthening foundations and velocity.
- Shipped features that balanced usability with correctness for customers.
- Collaborated with senior engineers to internalize quality bars and release practices.
Singapore Institute of Technology
Undergraduate Research Assistant
May 2022 — Dec 2022
Built and supported software for academic/industry collaborations, keeping solutions practical and well-documented.
- Worked closely with domain experts to translate requirements into working prototypes.
- Improved reliability and clarity of internal tools through documentation and test coverage.
Hiverlab
Data Engineer
May 2021 — Sep 2021
Partnered with business developers to surface data insights that supported pitches and decision-making.
- Delivered pipelines and dashboards that gave business developers fast, trustworthy views of client opportunities.
- Built reusable visualization components and filters to answer ad-hoc questions quickly.
- Documented data sources and assumptions so stakeholders could interpret metrics confidently.
Projects
Selected work
Highlights from recent projects.
RTLS (Real-time Location System)
View RTLSBuilt the aggregation layer for RTLS, collecting signals from edge devices and feeding the backend so maps, alerts, and workflows stay accurate.
- Implemented an aggregator that ingests from multiple edge devices, normalizes data, and streams it reliably to backend processing.
- Instrumented and load-tested real-time data flows to keep accuracy and responsiveness predictable.
- Partnered with hardware/data teams to validate signal quality and ship rollout documentation.
SIT Unity research demo
Research DOIDeveloped a Unity (C#) demo to showcase situational awareness research outcomes for Singapore Institute of Technology.
- Prototyped interactions that clearly communicated research findings to reviewers and stakeholders.
- Optimized scene performance and UX to keep the demo smooth on modest hardware.
- Packaged the build with clear documentation for reproducible evaluation.
Hiverlab BD analytics tool
Shipped a data visualization tool for business development to surface pipeline and engagement insights.
- Integrated data sources to present trustworthy dashboards for sales and leadership.
- Built reusable visualization components and filters to answer ad-hoc questions quickly.
- Added access controls and documentation to make onboarding smooth for internal teams.
Contact
Let’s build something resilient
I’m happy to chat about product engineering, reliability, and security-grade UX.