Dear Hiring Manager,

I’m a game developer and software generalist with a deep academic and practical background in programming, natural language processing, formal semantics, and logic. Whether building games, internal tools, or AI prototypes, I bring a unique blend of technical acumen and conceptual rigor—developed over years of interdisciplinary work spanning software engineering, formal ontology, and language research.

I hold a PhD in Philosophy of Language, with a research focus on modeling natural language and human reasoning using formal systems. This includes classical frameworks like predicate logic and modal logic, as well as more nuanced systems such as fuzzy logic, indexical logic, and plural logic. I also worked as a research assistant under Barry Smith at the University at Buffalo, where I contributed to projects involving ontological engineering and semantic representation. I compiled and edited the index for Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology, a core text in the field.

My practical NLP experience includes academic research using Python and the Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), complemented by my ability to rapidly prototype and debug software across a range of domains. I thrive in interdisciplinary teams and have held roles ranging from Product Manager to Technical Designer to Analyst—often within a single project. I’ve shipped multiple commercial and internal software products, including games for doctors (Level Ex), large-scale Live Ops systems (Mythical Games), and portals for customer service and developer support (Skillz).

While my foundation is in game development, I am actively seeking opportunities that bridge language, meaning, and computation—especially in NLP, semantic technologies, or AI tools that aim to better understand or generate natural language. I bring with me not only a passion for semantics and communication, but the technical fluency to help build systems that actually work.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I’d welcome the opportunity to talk more about how my background can support your team’s goals.

Sincerely,

Shane Sicienski