Kirk specializes in Java™, where he works in all aspects of performance and tuning in each phase of a project life cycle. Author, speaker, consultant, Kirk was recognized as a 2006 Java Champion recipient for his contributions to the Java community. He has been the recipient of a JavaONE Rockstar award in 2011 and 2012. In 2008 Kirk was the first non-Sun employee to present a Hands-on-lab at JavaONE.