Térence Marchal

Freelance Embedded Software Engineer

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About

A Software Engineer specialized in Embedded Systems & IoT, I have worked as an independent consultant since 2021.

Today, I help my clients designing and developing their embedded software. I make a point in writing well-architectured code that can be maintained and reused on the long term.

My languages of predilection are C and Java, which allows me to write both low-level embedded firmware and higher-level human-interfaced software. I focus on writing high-quality code (i.e. no warnings, no untracked TODOs) in a proper development environment (i.e. build automation, proper git workflow, etc.) rather than functional but hastily tested and non-documented code.

A French native currently based in the Nantes area, I am fluent in English and have an intermediate level of Spanish, which allows me to work in an international context.

Experience

  1. Aug '24 — Jul '25
    Whole World

    Backpack travel around the world for 12 months with my fiancée.

    An opportunity to broaden our horizons and discover new cultures.

  2. Dec '22 — Jul '24
    Nantes area

    Design, development & deployment in real-life conditions of a facial recognition access-control terminal proof-of-concept.

    Integration & benchmarking of two facial recognition cameras on Arm Cortex A-53 & Android 12.

    Design & development on STM32 & FreeRTOS of the 4th iteration of the company's iconic access control terminal.

    Development of the network configuration-related functionalities of a Linux-based gateway through D-Bus.

    • C
    • STM32
    • FreeRTOS
    • Arm Cortex A-53
    • Java
    • Android 12
    • Linux
    • Git
    • D-Bus
    • Facial Recognition
    • Terence quickly took charge of his mission by developing a functional prototype, from the first steps of architectural design to the test phase deployment. Terence was able to work as much with our South Korean and Chinese partners than with the other internal stakeholders at Kelio (marketing, business teams).

      Satisfied with Terence's performance, we extended his mission so that he could contribute to other projects. We appreciated his dual technical mastery of high and low level programming languages, as well as his ability to analyze the end needs and the user context.

      Terence was able to fit into our team of a dozen people and was a driving force in the implementation of new processes to improve the quality and reliability of the code produced, in particular through the gradual deployment of a CI/CD infrastructure.

      We appreciated Terence's constructive and pleasant attitude throughout his mission where he was able to fully share his experience for Kelio and was able to suggest relevant proposals while respecting the integrity of the team. We wish him a bright professional future.

      Stéphane Douillard, Head of Hardware Research Department at Kelio
  3. Mar '21 — Nov '22
    Toulouse

    Design & development of a Remote Administration Service for fleets of emergency sirens in the US on STM32 & FreeRTOS.

    Implementation of remote monitoring & configuration, OTA firmware update through LwM2M, secure communications with PSK & MbedTLS.

    Design & development of a full 4G LTE stack (UDP & TCP) with Sierra Wireless latest modules. Implementation of multiple incoming P25 audio calls prioritization.

    Development of a custom-tailored server-side service for interacting with and visualizing 500+ devices. In charge of On-Premise deployment automation & maintenance through Docker-Compose.

    • C
    • FreeRTOS
    • Java
    • STM32
    • 4G LTE
    • LwM2M
    • Git
    • MbedTLS
    • Thingsboard
    • JS
    • Anjay
    • Docker-Compose
    • CoAP
    • MQTT
    • Fleet management
    • OTA update
    • Call Priorization
    • I had the pleasure of working with Terence on the development of a product to be used in the United States. Terence, at the time, was working with TPL Systems, our Technology Partner, and was tasked to provide a operational demonstration design for a product intended for remote monitoring and control of multiple early warning devices. The purpose of this design was to be a marketing tool used to solicit feedback from potential customers regarding information desired and ease of use. He was responsible for the User interface and the development of the IP/4G based interface to the remote devices.

      Terence's technical and interpersonal skills made it very easy to work with him. He valued different opinions and was very quick to implement proposed changes. His English language skills, both written and verbal are excellent.

      Vic Jensen, Senior Vice-President at PRISM
  4. Jun — Dec '20
    Paris

    Work on the at the time unrevealed next-gen Anafi USA drone as part of the RF team.

    Development of a testbench to measure isotropic radio sensitivity. Automatization of 4 tools including a $100k+ Radio Communication Tester: reduced duration fivefold, improved reliability & repeatability.

    Development of another testbench to reproduce the impact of flight conditions on radio communications & video streaming.

    • C
    • Python
    • Android
    • 4G
    • Jenkins
    • Git
    • Radio measurements
    • Testbench automation
    • Terence was a great help for our project, his abilities to understand complex software and work autonomously were an advantage during these troubled months. He was also able to understand the end user point of view in order to develop automated tests procedure on our complex RF test bench.

      Sébastien Gager, Head of Connectivity at Parrot
  5. Jun — Nov '19
    Toulouse

    Work on the BoMo project, based on multi-functional modular components embedded on satellites for Airbus & French National Centre for Space Studies.

    Autonomous work replacing a senior consultant to continue to implement the software requirements. Definition of validation requirement & extensive testing in extremes spatial conditions (high-vibrations, low temperatures, IEM, etc.)

    • C
    • PIC18F
    • Python
    • Embedded on satellite
    • Triple Redundancy
  6. Dec '18 — May '19
    Grenoble

    Mentoring of students diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome on two majors, Data Science & Web Development.

    This experimental formation distinguished itself with results beyond expectations, raising attention throughout entire France and other high-ranked institutions like Sciences-Po Paris.

    • Jupyter
    • Anaconda
    • Python
    • Java
    • HTML & CSS
    • JS
    • SQL
    • Data Science

Education

  1. 2017 — 2020
    Grenoble

    Major in Embedded Systems & Connected Devices

  2. Spring 2020
    Philadelphia

    Among the only two students selected from the 9.000 eligible

  3. 2015 — 2017
    Nancy

    Major in Mathematics & Engineering Science

Projects

More about me

After having developed my first video games as a self-learner back in high school, my personal projects have evolved and now include applicative software, electronics and mechanics.

I also devote my free time to reading, be it a literary classic or some social issue essay, or cooking a cruelty-free recipe.

My company is part of the 1% for the Planet movement, meaning that at least 1% of its gross revenue is reversed to climate-related charities.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss your needs and explore opportunities for collaboration on your projects.