Hey, I'm Tim Johnson
I work at the crossroads of science, AI, and high-performance computing — and I write about making sense of fast-moving technology without getting lost in the hype.
I didn't start out in tech for tech's sake. My career began in chemical research, where systems were physical, messy and without a manual. That background shaped how I think — start with the problem, not the technology.
What I'm About
Making AI Useful
AI is everywhere right now — but the real challenge is making it useful. In my day job and in my writing, I'm interested in what's worth investing in, how to manage the risks, and how to actually get value from it. A big part of that is building a service lens around these tools — turning raw technology into something people can actually adopt, support, and rely on. I hold the Azure AI Engineer Associate certification, but the practical experience matters more.
Leading Teams Through Change
Tech is nothing without people. I've led technical teams through the kind of shifts that make people nervous — new platforms, new ways of working, reorganisations where the ground moves under you. What I've learned is that the technical side is rarely the hard part. Getting people aligned, keeping them honest about what they don't know, and making space for them to grow into new roles — that's the actual work.
Smarter Ways of Working
I'm a bit of a productivity nerd. Over the years I've built systems with Emacs and Org-mode that cut through noise and keep me focused on what matters. I write about these tools a lot — not because they're trendy, but because they've genuinely changed how I work.
Quantum Computing & HPC
I've been following quantum computing since my research days. Most of the conversation around it is either too theoretical or too hyped. I'm interested in the middle ground: what should people actually be paying attention to, and what can they safely ignore? I write about this and run QuantumExecBrief, a weekly quantum computing newsletter for executives, to keep track of the field.
Recognition
- 1000+ citations across published chemistry and materials science research
- Published on using Emacs in chemical R&D — bridging research and tooling
- Azure AI Engineer Associate and FinOps Certified Practitioner
- 2024 NQCC Quantum Computing Hackathon participant
- Build and run QuantumExecBrief (a weekly quantum computing newsletter for executives), EmacsNews, and initweave
This Site
This is where I write about what I'm learning and building. It's not a consultancy pitch — it's a place to think out loud, share what's worked, and connect with people interested in the same things.