Welcome to Brazen Careerist!

About Me

I've been curious about science, programming, and building things my whole life. I've been a programmer since age 10, and devoted my education to computers and science. Now I want to write software and solve technical problems that really change the world for the better.

Work History

• Massachusetts Institute of Tech. Lab for Computational Immunology
• Doctoral Student Researcher
• September 2006 to Present

• * Currently constructing low-dimensional regression models of complex immunological phenomena and writing model simulations
  * Frequently build utilities in Python, Perl and shell scripts to automate research tasks
  * Release utilities to other scientists; maintain and improve them from feedback
  * Responsible for system administration of 600-core $285,000 Beowulf cluster
  * Studied the impact of peptide sequence on TCR/antigen
  complex with molecular dynamics simulations; published in Journal of Physical Chemistry (http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp202471d)
  * Developed C++ Monte Carlo simulations to search for macrostructure formation on T cell surfaces
  * Implemented hydrogen-bonding functionality in the PL statistical potential library using C++

• The MathWorks, Inc
• Statistical Software Development Intern
• July 2011 to August 2011

• * Comprehensively researched and implemented Burr Type XII probability
  distribution in Matlab
  * Integrated contributions into consumer product
  * Increased relative accuracy of Burr probabilities by a factor of two through
  analytical approximation
  * Presented and defended design before 5-person
  development team and head of statistical development
  * Contributions to be incorporated into next release, to be used by thousands
  of customers

• Addgene, Inc
• Part-time Developer
• January 2011 to June 2011

• * Implemented an improved BLAT-like plasmid sequence feature detection
  algorithm web application in Python and Django
  * Developed interactive AJAX library for plasmid feature visualization
  and analysis, using the Raphaëljs and jQuery JavaScript frameworks
  * Became functionally proficient in new languages (JavaScript) and technologies
  (Django) within one week
  * Contributions incorporated into the website, used by thousands of biology
  laboratories worldwide (http://addgene.org/browse/sequence/6807/)

• Massachusetts Institute of Tech. Dept. of Chemistry
• Graduate Student Teaching Assistant
• September 2006 to December 2008

• * Led discussion sections in general chemistry, thermodynamics, and
  graduate-level statistical mechanics courses
  * Independently created, solved, and taught Matlab Monte Carlo simulation project
  to introduce chemistry graduate students to stochastic simulation
  * Tutored individual students on specific issues, from programming to mathematical
  techniques

Education

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Ph. D., Chemistry (Computational Biology)
• 2006 - 2012

• * Graduate-level coursework: biophysics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics
  * GPA: 4.9/5.0

• University of Wisconsin—Madison
• B. S., Computer Science, Chemistry
• 2002 - 2006

• * Comprehensive Honors in the chemistry major and the liberal arts
  * GPA: 3.5/4.0
  * Computer science coursework included:
  - data structures, discrete math
  - assembly programming, digital circuit design
  - artificial intelligence, algorithmic analysis, and operating systems
  - numerical methods, advanced numberical methods