Mark Solis

M.S. Computer Science | Systems Programming • Real-Time Graphics • Tech Art

About Me

Hi! I'm a graduate student at Texas A&M University–San Antonio, currently working toward my Master's in Computer Science. I earned my Bachelor's from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and engineering.

I'm especially drawn to low-level systems, graphics programming, game development, technical art, and building tools that empower creativity. I enjoy working on projects that blend performance with expression, whether that means optimizing a graphics pipeline or creating intuitive tools for artists and developers. I'm always exploring new ways to bridge technology and creativity through code.

Education

Masters of Science in Computer Science
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
January 2025 - May 2026
Bachelors of Science in Computer Science
University of Texas at San Antonio
August 2020 - August 2024

Work Experience

Graduate Teaching Assistant
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
August 2025 - PRESENT
  • Lab instructor for Programming Fundamentals II and Data Structures.
  • Assisted in grading assignments for Programming Languages and Discrete Computational Systems.
  • Delivered constructive, detailed feedback to support student growth and comprehension.
  • Hold regular office hours to provide one-on-one academic upport.
Technical Artist - Animation, Rigging, Pipeline
Toontown Rewritten
April 2021 - PRESENT
  • Collaborated with a diverse group of programmers to create new gameplay content and systems for MMO-RPG.
  • Contributed in the "Sellbot Task Force" expansion resulting in online media coverage and 3,000+ concurrent users.
  • Responsible for developing and maintaining internal tools with Python and C++
  • Reduced 3D animator's workload by developing an in-house animation transfer solution.

Other Experience

Assistant Store Training Manager
Dollar General
November 2020 - November 2024
  • Contributed to the initial training and development of incoming Store Managers.
  • Recognized by Divisional Vice President for maintaining a “model store” across four consecutive years.

Projects

Sellbot Task Force
Toontown Rewritten Python C++
  • Collaborated with core team to launch a new gameplay expansion.
  • Transferred multiple new ice skating animations to various character rigs.
  • Contributed to a transfer solution to automate derived character animations.
  • Updated and refurbished out-of-date tools related to 2D texture processing.
LVing: Vulnerability Detection Framework
TAMUSA Research Rust LLVM-IR
  • Contributed to the development of a framework for detecting memory vulnerabilities in concurrent systems.
  • Implemented methods for tracking taint sources and preserving information across Rust → LLVM → Neo4j.
  • Introduced visualization enabling developers to trace synchronization primitives across abstraction layers.
Free Form Deformation
C++ Graphics
  • Implemented real-time Free-Form Deformation of arbitrary 3D meshes in Panda3D without relying on shaders.
  • Enabled soft-body-like manipulation through curve-based control points.
  • Designed visualization tools for editing mesh deformation in real-time.

Technical Expertise

General Development

Programming Languages C, C++, Rust, Python, Java, JavaScript
Databases & Query Languages Neo4j (Cypher), MongoDB
Build Systems CMake, Make, Ninja
Quality & Maintainability Modularization, Refactoring, Documentation, Testing

Systems Programming

Concurrency & Synchronization Custom Thread Management, Asynchronous Programming
Memory Management Custom Allocation, Garbage Collection, Cache Optimization
Networking & IPC Sockets, RPC, Message Queues
Error Handling & Fault Management Defensive Programming, Recovery Strategies, Watchdogs

Graphics & Technical Art

Shader Programming GLSL, HLSL, Shader Optimization
Rigging and Animation Skeletal Rigging, Skinning, Kinematics
Particles & Visual Effects Particle Systems (CPU/GPU), Physics-Based FX
Tool Development & Pipeline Custom Editor Tooling, Asset Optimization, Automation

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