Shai is the founder and lead developer of Lightbulb First Consulting. His key skills include PHP/MySQL and J2EE development, the Rails framework, the Drupal content management system, digital library systems, and metadata standards and transport systems.

At Lightbulb First, Shai has implemented a wide variety of Drupal sites. This work has entailed configuration and extension of popular Drupal modules, including CCK, Views, Organic Groups, Workflows, and Ecommerce. Shai has developed custom modules for integration with third-party ecommerce systems, membership import, content migration, user-friendly AJAX interfaces, interaction with third-party APIs, and many other purposes. Shai has also created a variety of custom Drupal themes based on graphics provided by third-party designers. Shai has contributed an installation profile, three modules, and many bug fixes to the Drupal community; his drupal.org account is shaisachs. While at Lightbulb First, Shai has developed sites for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Simbiotic Software, the Jewish Women's Archive, and techPresident.

Shai also co-founded Welcoming Websites, a leading web development firm for Unitarian Universalist organizations and congregations. Shai's work at Welcoming Websites includes the development of many congregational websites, as well as websites for several leading UU organizations. Shai also developed Welcoming Websites Wizard, a Drupal installation profile for Unitarian Universalist congregations.

Before establishing Lightbulb First in February, 2007, Shai worked as the Director of Research and Development at Isovera, Inc. and Akaza Research, LLC. His experiences at those companies include two open source projects: the Dewey digital library cataloging system, developed for a PHP/MySQL platform, and the OpenClinica clinical trials data management system, developed for a Java J2EE/PostgreSQL platform. Other significant experiences include the development and management of a members bill payment system for the Harvard Club of Boston, a health news review system for the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, a number of scientific digital libraries including BiosciEdNet and EcoEdNet.

Volunteer experience includes the lead development role on the website for the First Parish in Cambridge, Unitarian Universalist and the website co-chair role for the Principles Project collaborative statement-writing project.

Shai received an M.S. in Computer Science in 2003 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an A.B. in Computer Science, magna cum laude with highers honors, in 2001 from Harvard University.