Chris Ward

engineering manager speaker adhder androider crow queen skeptical friend to AI lgbtq+ recovering politician occasional activist friend to all books, books, books insert recent hyperfixation here

Well hello there

My name's Chris and I live in Berlin with my husband Josh and my cat Sulu.

I'm currently the Engineering Manager for the Mobile Platform Team at Babbel. But I'm also an android developer, ADHDer, public speaker, activist, former election candidate, and Tempelhofer Feld Crow Queen (we're all allowed a mid-life-crisis...).

Anyway, this is the space where I try to bring a semblance of order to that lot of things. I can also be found on Bluesky, Github, LinkedIn, Medium and of course you can simply email me.

Thanks for popping by!

Speaking

Helping other people learn, whether the subject matter is engineering leadership, code, mental health, or any other challenging subject matter, is something I've always enjoyed and got a good chunk of fulfillment from. Here you can see my latest talks and panel discussions...

Coding for Good - Achieving social change with an app

droidcon NYC - September 2022
Babbel Pride Talks - Jul 2023

How an app I wrote with my husband helped change the law on same-sex-marriage in the UK, how we did it, why it worked, and how all developers can utilise their enviable ability to impact social change with a few lines of code.

Concurrency for Imposters

droidcon Berlin - Jul 2022

Do you find concurrency hard, but don't want to admit it because people might think you're a "rubbish developer"? Guess what, there are more like you than you think. I was one of them, and after forcing my ADHD-addled brain to overcome my concurrency gremlins, I want to change the way it's taught. So, in a safe space, let's explore coroutines with octopuses.

Coding and Mental Illness - A Survival Guide

We Are Developers - Jun 2022
droidcon Lisbon - Apr 2022
Women Who Code Berlin - Jan 2022
droidcon London - Oct 2021
droidcon Berlin - Oct 2021

Being a coder with mental health problems has very unique challenges, especially if you don't know you have them. After 8 years of medication for depression/anxiety, I got my diagnosis for ADHD at the age of 37 and the treatment changed my life. Here I share my experiences and give concrete helpful suggestions to overcome these challenges.

Green Tech Development & Social Responsibility

droidcon Berlin - Jul 2022

Developing "green" software is a skill that will rapidly become an imperative in order to help achieve the ambition of climate neutrality. How can we develop more sustainable software? What apps can we develop to drive more social change and initiative to combat climate change? What tech-solutions can we develop to help meet climate-change goals?

War in Ukraine - How can devs help?

droidcon Berlin - Jul 2022

Technology is being used in many ways to help drive aid into Ukraine, to help fight Russian aggression and support refugees who need housing, medical help, employment and more. This panel will look at some of the current solutions and look at where we as a community can fill the gaps.