Jan Niestadt started his programming career at the age of 9 by developing simple games, initially on the MSX home computer, and later using a hypermodern 286 pc. He later went on to study computer science at Leiden University. His passion for computer games resurfaced in his final dissertation on applying additional details to interactive graphic applications (a fancy name for games), such as the textures on brick walls.
He started working as a software developer at the Dutch Language Institute (INT) in 2006, something that he found much more inspiring than his previous work on security software for the financial sector. At the INT, his focus turned to development environments and online search systems for dictionaries. He also played a key role in the early development of the open-source corpus search system BlackLab.
As senior developer, Jan currently represents a key part of the institute’s IT memory, but above all, his gaze is set towards the future, so that he can use the latest technologies to deliver increasingly better software. In his spare time, Jan volunteers at CoderDojo Leiden to help generate enthusiasm for his profession among a new generation.