Candice Wilson: U-M DevOps Manager and Passionate Hobbyist Engineer

Candice Wilson, a DevOps manager at U-M, is known for her problem-solving skills and passion for engineering projects.

April 7, 2025

Candice Wilson, a respected U-M employee for nearly 25 years, is renowned for her problem-solving skills. “I like to fix things. I don’t care if it’s a people problem, a business problem or a technology problem. Solutions are fun,” said Wilson, a DevOps manager at the Institute for Social Research’s Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. Wilson’s career at Michigan Medicine included roles as a solutions architect, programmer, and systems analyst.

Her passion for improvement goes beyond U-M, as she is a “hobbyist engineer” who has crafted audio amplifiers, her own 3D printer, and custom light fixtures. Wilson and her husband are currently working on an animatronic parrot, inspired by Walt Disney World’s Enchanted Tiki Room. “The original animatronic parrot at Walt Disney World was done with technology from the mid-century, so we are cheating a little using modern technology. But it’s still not easy to do,” Wilson said.

A photo of a woman at a work bench with many tools and projects in the background — Candice Wilson a DevOps manager at ICPSR sits in front of her workbench Hanging in the background is an oversized wrench she made with a 3D printer while behind her on the table sits an assortment of creations including left to right a USB tube amplifier an oversized nut and bolt a pair of speakers and a nixie tube clock Photo courtesy of Candice Wilson

Showing an Early Aptitude

Wilson’s engineering curiosity began in childhood. At three, she started exploring a used Compaq Deskpro her father gave her. By six, she was writing in BASIC. Disassembling a Commodore 64 further fueled her interest. “I took apart the Commodore, laid it all out on the floor of my bedroom, and my mom walked in and freaked out,” Wilson said. “When my dad got home, he was like, ‘Well, let’s see if she can put it back together.’ And I did.”

In middle school, she built her first computer from free parts, igniting her passion for high-performance computing. Wilson and friends often held LAN parties, playing games like Warcraft and Duke Nukem. Her tech talents led to a part-time high school job in desktop support at a pathology lab.

Applying Her Tech Talents

After attending Grand Rapids Community College, Wilson worked at Circuit City installing car stereos during the “The Fast and the Furious” era. Around her 20th birthday, she began her U-M career at Michigan Medicine. Over more than two decades, Wilson transitioned to being a woman. “I began the transition while I was at Michigan Medicine, which was awkward, but people were generally supportive,” she said.

A photo of an animatronic bird — Wilson is building an animatronic parrot inspired by the one at the Enchanted Tiki Room at Walt Disney World Photo courtesy of Candice Wilson

In 2018, when she joined the DevOps team, she socially transitioned. “It was a tumultuous time, because I was having to learn a new set of skills in my new job, while also trying to be this new me,” Wilson said. Her hobby projects provided solace. “When I’m really engaged with a project, it tunes out the noise. I just lean into the flow of creation and it’s a lovely feeling, like everything is right,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s projects often combine various engineering disciplines. She crafted a vacuum-tube headphone amplifier with a USB connection. Wilson also designed a computer backplane for an AMD Ryzen processor display. Wilson enjoys creating items that challenge perception, like oversized 3D-printed objects and entertainment-inspired novelties, such as a lightsaber and a Maltese falcon. “I enjoy making things that are the wrong size. It elicits a kind of cognitive dissonance,” she said.