Distributed Systems Expert Witnesses

El Segundo, California

Software Engineering, Internet - Distributed systems, Software failure analysis, Software defect investigation, Code review, Software architecture, Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Software patent, Software copyright, Software trade secret, Breach of software contract, Software project failure, Data privacy, Cybersecurity incident, SaaS platform

# Qualifications - Software engineering expert with extensive experience analyzing internet, web, and mobile systems in high-stakes disputes - Deep, hands-on expertise in modern software systems, including web applications, mobile platforms, and distributed backend services - CEO of a technical consulting firm Cyberonix Experts, LLC, specializing in software IP analysis, source code review, and expert testimony - USC Computer Science faculty (teaching graduate-level Software Engineering and Software Architectures courses) # Litigation & Expert Work - Experience serving as an expert in matters involving software patent, copyright, and trade secret - Conducts detailed source code review and technical analysis of software systems at issue - Performs root cause analysis for outages, bugs, and degraded system performance - Assesses claims related to breach of contract, failed implementations, and unmet technical requirements - Supports counsel with clear, well-documented, and defensib...

Irvine, California

Software Engineering, Internet - Computer Science, Software Development, Mobile Software, Android, Computers, Internet, Web, Distributed Systems, Software Architecture, Operating System, Database, Cloud Computing, Software Security, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Information Technology, Internet of Things, Embedded Systems, Cybersecurity

Highlights - Professor of Software Engineering, University of California, Irvine - 25+ years of experience in academia and industry - 100+ prior engagements in software-related litigation matters - 80+ prior testimonies in trials and depositions - Renowned author of 150+ peer-reviewed publications Formal Education - PhD, Computer Science, University of Southern California, 2007 - MS, Computer Science, University of Southern California, 2004 - BS, Information and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, 2000 Academic Experience Sam Malek is a Software Engineering Professor at UC Irvine’s School of Information and Computer Sciences, where he directs the Institute for Software Research and Software Engineering and Analysis Laboratory. His research spans software design and architecture, distributed and embedded systems, mobile computing, web technologies, and software security. With 140+ peer-reviewed publications cited over 12,000 times (Google Scholar), Prof. Malek...

Palo Alto, California

Intellectual Property, Internet - Computers, Information Technology, Databases, Electronic Commerce, Software, Distributed Systems, Plaintiff, Defense

Researcher and Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz, Senior Research Scientist, Stanford University, Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Austin, Lecturer and Systems Programmer, Brooklyn College. Chief Technical Advisor and Board Member, Persistence Software (went public in 1999), Founder, COO, and CFO, Mergent Systems (acquired by CommerceOne in 2000).

Los Angeles, California

Software Engineering, Intellectual Property - Computer Graphics, AI/ML, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Image Processing, System Architecture, Distributed Systems, Cryptography, Rasterization, Visualization, 3D Modeling, 3D Animation, Patent Infringement, Copyright, Trade Secret Misappropriation, Breach-of-Contract

Dr. Iman Sadeghi is an award-winning computer scientist and software engineer, holding both a master’s and a doctoral degree in Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego. His illustrious career includes roles at tech giants such as Google, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Lucasfilm. These valuable experiences have enriched his expertise across various aspects of computer science and software engineering disciplines. Currently, Dr. Sadeghi serves as a Principal Software & Technology Consultant at Quandary Peak Research, where he provides critical analysis in legal contexts. He provides deposition/trial testimony, reports, and declarations in the fields of computer graphics, 3D rendering and animation, 3D geometry processing, software engineering, system architecture, algorithms, and data structures. Dr. Sadeghi also conducts thorough source code analysis for software litigation. His work primarily addresses issues related to patent infringement, trade secret mi...

GAINESVILLE, Florida

Computers, Information Technology - Databases, Algorithms, Parallel Computing, Distributed Computing, Distributed Systems, GPU Computing, High performance computing, Data Analytics, Big Data, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Expert Systems, Cloud Computing, Marketing, CRM, Advertising, Optimization, Ad Servers

I am a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of Florida, IEEE Fellow, and AAAS Fellow, and I serve as an expert witness in patent litigation and other complex technology matters involving distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, data platforms, machine learning, GPU-accelerated and high-performance computing systems, and large-scale software architectures. My work focuses on helping counsel and courts understand how modern computing systems operate in practice—particularly where technical claims, system behavior, and real-world implementation diverge. This includes analyzing how systems behave under scale, latency, partial failure, and distributed coordination constraints. I provide clear, structured, and defensible technical analysis across all phases of litigation, including expert reports, depositions, PTAB/IPR proceedings, and trial testimony. I previously served as CTO and co-founder of Paramark, an ad-serving optimization platform (PILOT) that opera...

Wyoming, Michigan

Technology, Information Technology - Software Architecture, Code Review, Cloud Architect, Source Code Analysis, Software Quality Assessment, Technical Due Diligence, Distributed Systems, System Modernization, Cloud Migration, Secure Application Development, Software Failure Analysis, Software Development Best Practices, Application Security, Technology Strategy

Chris Woodruff is an experienced software architect and engineering leader with over 30 years of hands-on experience designing, building, and evaluating enterprise-grade software systems. While new to expert witness work, Chris brings a deep technical background and a career shaped by solving high-stakes problems across industries, including finance, education, and healthcare. His expertise spans software architecture, distributed systems, source code evaluation, and the modernization of legacy applications—primarily within the Microsoft .NET ecosystem and the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. Chris has led engineering teams, built secure and scalable platforms, and been called upon to analyze system breakdowns, review code quality, and assess architectural decisions. He has served as a fractional architect, technical mentor, and strategic advisor to organizations undergoing digital transformation and post-incident recovery. Chris is also a respected speaker and educator. He has pr...