Stephen D. Robinson, Ph.D.
Principal
Stephen has spent over 15 years developing software. He is a prolific inventor and innovator and has “hands-on” knowledge of every aspect of building software. His broad background as a programmer ranges from embedded control systems for mobile robots to a client-server research management application to authoring a patented technology for managing a wireless network community that was subsequently sold at auction..
For the past seven years, he has focused on web application development and has led project teams developing major applications in J2EE, CakePHP, and Ruby on Rails. He spent four years architecting and building a mission-critical contract management system for NetJets, Inc. and has led teams of up to 10 people on multi-year projects for clients in a range of industries.
Stephen has deep knowledge of requirements analysis, technology selection, security, and scalability. He speaks frequently on a variety of technology topics, including recently at IBM comparing Ruby on Rails, CakePHP and Java Struts.
A native of England, he holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Durham University (U.K.) and spent two years as a post-doctoral research fellow at Yale University. He lives in New Haven with his wife Melissa and enjoys running, hiking, and playing guitar.
David Fischer
Principal
David has over a decade of experience with building complex web applications. He founded his first technology services company as a junior in college and since then has worked with clients across the United States, in addition to building and selling two internet startups.
He is particularly interested in web application usability and search engine marketing. He speaks frequently on search engine optimization and is an active participant in the national community of internet marketers. David is also active in the Connecticut web design community, as the founder of the Greater New Haven Design and Marketing Meetup, a group of over 250 local design professionals.
David is a member of the Yale Club of New Haven and a trustee of Friends of Yale Rugby, an alumni organization he founded. An All-New England rugby player in college, David is an active player with New York Athletic Club Rugby and a coach of Yale Rugby. He holds a B.A. with distinction in Computer Science and Economics from Yale University. He currently lives in New Haven with his wife, Elizabeth. They are the proud parents of newborn twins, Luke and Rose, born in April of this year.
Alex Bayly
Vice President, Project Manager
Alex is a seasoned technology executive with extensive experience in planning and executing complex software projects. As Vice President of Cognitation, Alex works closely with clients through every stage of a project. Alex’s technical interests include agile development, application security testing, quality assurance methodologies, and search engine optimization.
Prior to joining Cognitation, Alex founded Prome Consulting, a successful software development company based in Lima, Peru. Notable projects that Alex led with Prome include: the development of a custom geo-positioning system using cell phone SMS messages, written in C#; an ERP system for a trucking company, written in Java; and the complete restructuring of the IT department for the leading language institute in Lima.
Alex holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Software Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology, where he studied a range of topics relating to software development and worked on projects for Microsoft Corporation. A former rugby player, Alex is also a keen cricketer and golfer. He has trodden the boards in theater many times and is the committee Vice President of an amateur theater group in Lima. Alex is fluent in both English and Spanish and currently lives in Lima.
Jeffrey Levetin
Vice President, Technology
Jeffrey has a passion for technology, business, and software development. He wrote his first program at just 10 years old, and has been hooked on computers ever since. Jeffrey’s interests in technology include open source software, collaborative tools, frameworks, agile development, and cloud computing.
Jeffrey specializes in helping clients choose appropriate technology by clearly defining requirements and business processes. He has overseen the development of several custom content management systems, a sales incentive program for Fujifilm, a contest website for IBM, and a custom ERP application.
Previously, Jeffrey spent 12 years as the Senior Programmer/Analyst for Elderhostel, a non-profit that provides travel and education resources to senior citizens. Jeffrey programmed and maintained the company’s custom database system, which handled reservations, inventory, marketing, and financial activity for the company headquarters and hundreds of satellite offices. Jeffrey also programmed Elderhostel’s first real-time ecommerce solution.
Jeffrey attended the University of Massachusetts where he earned an M.S. in Computer Science, and B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Physics. In his spare time, Jeffrey enjoys hiking, sailing, music, and meditation.