Back to Portfolio

Bryan Leonard

Consciousness Researcher & Independent Scientist  |  Co-founder, Qira LLC

Summary

Independent researcher and self-taught full-stack engineer studying the gap between what people know and what they can express. Co-founder of Qira LLC, building novel AI architectures, consciousness research frameworks, and production SaaS platforms. Accepted into Google's TPU Research Cloud. Patent pending on hybrid Transformer-SSM architecture. Self-funded from Phoenix, Arizona.

Skills

Languages Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, CUDA, HTML/CSS, SQL ML / AI PyTorch, Mixed-Precision Training, NLP, Transformer Architecture, SSM (Mamba), TPU/XLA Frontend React 19, Next.js 14/15, Tailwind CSS, Three.js, Canvas API, Vite Backend FastAPI, Node.js, Express, Celery, Redis, SQLite, PostgreSQL Cloud / DevOps Google TPU Research Cloud, Docker, Render, GitHub Actions, Vast.ai Web3 Solana (Web3.js, Jupiter, Jito), Ethereum, Smart Contracts Tools Supabase, Stripe, VS Code Extension API, tree-sitter, Playwright, Semgrep

Experience

Block — Customer Success Specialist
Jan 2026 – Present
  • Partner with Square sellers to optimize POS operations across Block's ecosystem
  • Provide expert technical guidance resolving complex merchant issues
Qira LLC — Co-Founder & Lead ML Researcher
Jan 2025 – Present
  • Designed LOLM: a hybrid Transformer-SSM architecture with 5-stream fusion (patent pending #64/002,166)
  • Trained models from 20M to 1.57B parameters, achieving 15% perplexity improvement over matched baselines
  • Accepted into Google's TPU Research Cloud for continued scaling research
  • Built EGC: a formal psychology framework with 44+ research subjects, Pearson r=0.311
  • Co-authored preprint on consciousness and expression (Zenodo)
  • Shipped Codey: AI coding SaaS with NFET structural analysis, 12+ LLM providers, Stripe billing, VS Code extension
  • Built autonomous content engine: trend scraping, LLM scripting, TTS, video assembly, 9-platform distribution
  • Developed Solana trading infrastructure: multi-wallet volume engine, 4 strategies, SaaS product with 20+ signups
  • Technologies: PyTorch, CUDA, mixed-precision, FastAPI, React, Next.js, Supabase, Stripe, Solana
Amazon — ACCS
Oct 2025 – Dec 2025
  • Assisted candidates with Tier 1 onboarding procedures and process optimization
  • Identified and implemented workflow improvements
Edward Jones — Tailored Branch Support
Sep 2024 – Oct 2025
  • Supported financial advisors and clients across multiple branches
  • Managed investment account inquiries and day-to-day operations
Bakkt — Customer Service Specialist
Sep 2022 – Jun 2024
  • Provided customer service for Chase reward accounts and experiences
  • Excelled in communication, problem-solving, and high-pressure situations
Majorel — Customer Service Representative
Nov 2019 – Jan 2022
  • Assisted Ally Bank customers with financial transactions and account management

Research & Publications

"Expression-Gated Consciousness" — Preprint on Zenodo (zenodo.org/records/19242315)
LOLM Architecture — US Patent Pending #64/002,166
In dialogue with stereotype threat researchers at NYU

Education

Mountain Pointe High School  — Business / Commerce
2014 – 2018

Certifications

Funded Trader  — Funding Certificate 250K

Projects

LOLM  — Hybrid Transformer-SSM, 5-stream fusion, 1.57B params, patent pending
EGC Study  — Live psychology research, 44+ subjects, Shannon entropy analysis
Codey  — AI coding SaaS with NFET structural health analysis
Solana Trading Infrastructure  — Multi-wallet volume engine, SaaS
Autonomous Content Engine  — End-to-end video production pipeline
Claude Usage Dashboard  — 3D visualization of 10.5B+ tokens processed