WORK EXPERIENCE
MTS Developer Technology Engineer
AMD (2022 - 2024, All of UK, parts of Europe)
- Worked with Rocksteady (Suicide Squad) and other top UK studios, offering support (remote and onsite), and helped them optimize for AMD hardware.
- Traveled to places like Dubrovnik, Croatia, to give tech talks.
- A client-facing technical position, multifaceted; it felt just right for me.
Senior Graphics Programmer
Codemasters (EA) (2020 - 2022, Manchester, UK)
- Shipped Dirt 5 - Trailer: https://youtu.be/D81Fs9c6ssY
Generalist Programmer
Sony Interactive Entertainment (2016 - 2019, Manchester, UK)
- Worked on a PSVR title for years; sadly, it was cancelled.
- Created an environmental analysis AI system, coupled with fuzzy logic to deliver behavior with human-like cover/navigation tactics. Added a GUI with 3D/VR support, Jenkins CI, and a ton of other features.
Gameplay Programmer
Kickback Studios (2015 - 2015, Larisa, Greece)
- Worked on a game that was a Ludum Dare entry.
Gameplay Programmer
Genesis Game Studios (2013 - 2014, Larisa, Greece)
- Worked on four mobile games (doubling as an AI programmer when needed).
- This was also the Imagine Cup team (made of Microsoft Student Partners).
Microsoft Student Partner
Microsoft (2012 - 2016, Larisa, Greece)
- Acted as a university campus leader and was mentored by Microsoft.
- Delivered presentations and organized workshops.
- Was part of a global community; learned to play well with others.
Waiter & Bar Tender
Bars/Hotels (2008 - 2010, Zante, Greece)
- Cleaned tables, made drinks, served, and chatted with people.
- This is the job I'm most proud of.
GAME ENGINE (KNOWN FOR)
Spartan - One of the most advanced and longest solo-developed game engines out there.
- Comes with a 600+ people Discord community, which I maintain.
- Working on it almost daily for 10+ years.
- It attracts young ambitious people; I've mentored as many as I could.
- Pivotal for getting hired by AMD (clients trusted me as a result).
- Available on GitHub: https://github.com/PanosK92/SpartanEngine
PODCAST (NEXT BIG PROJECT)
Panos Karabelas Podcast - I seek out people with signs of exceptional ability across different industries and talk to them for about 60 minutes. Three pilot episodes are available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@panos_karabelas) and Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5F27nWKn9TZdClc5db9efY).
EDUCATION & ACHIEVEMENTS
Computer Science & Telecommunications
University of Thessaly (2010 - 2016, Larisa, Greece)
- Collaborated with a professor/mentor on a Minority Report-like, Kinect-assisted natural user interface which attracted national attention. Was promoted to a Microsoft Student Partner as a result (campus leader).
Certificate of Proficiency in English
University of Michigan (2000 - 2010)
- A 10-year study program, provided by Michigan University authorized organizations in Greece.
Imagine Cup World Finalist
Microsoft (2014)
- World-class distinction in the games category with a turn-based strategy game. This was the first sign that I might be good at it.
SKILLS
- Vulkan
- DirectX
- HLSL/GLSL
- Trigonometry and Linear Algebra
- C/C++
- Unreal
- Unity
- Qt
- ImGui
- GPU Debugging & Profiling
- Physics
INTERESTS
- Food
- Running
- Movies
- Music
- Friday Beers
WHY DO I DO THIS
In 2004, I played Doom 3, learned about John Carmack, and had a Eureka moment; I knew what I wanted to be. As I’ve grown, my scope and ambitions have only expanded; I don't think I will ever stop as I believe that life should be exciting.