About Me
Hi! I'm James, an aspiring full-stack developer with a passion for building applications and continuously improving them with new features. My journey into software development began when I created a simple music player GUI. Seeing it come to life sparked a deep interest in programming and sharing it with family and friends made me realize how rewarding it is to bring ideas to life through code.
Currently pursuing an MS in Computer Science at Brandeis University, I’ve worked on projects like leading the development of a React Native app with over 1,600 daily users and building a payroll anomaly detection feature during my internship at Zebra Technologies. My leadership experiences as an instructor, TA, and IT technician have also taught me how to communicate technical concepts clearly and collaborate effectively.
I enjoy tackling challenges across the tech stack and am always excited to build innovative solutions. Let’s connect and explore opportunities to collaborate!
Email:
jameskong098@gmail.com
Phone:
(781) 428-5342
Experience
Graduate Head Teaching Assistant - Intro to Problem Solving in Python
Brandeis University | Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Aug 2024 - Dec 2024 | 5 months
• Lead bi-weekly recitations for a class of 70 students, facilitating in-depth discussions and reinforcing Python programming concepts
• Conduct weekly office hours to provide personalized academic support and guidance
• Oversee the grading process and coordinate exams to ensure fairness and accuracy
Python Teaching Communication Problem Solving Leadership
IT Technician Level II
Brandeis University | Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Nov 2022 - May 2024 | 1 year, 7 months
• Delivered comprehensive technical support to clients, efficiently managing up to 350 tickets per week
• Promptly tracked and resolved tickets using Jira with a 85% ticket resolution rate under 48 hours
• Facilitated the re-imaging of staff and student devices, optimizing system performances
Software Engineer Intern
Zebra Technologies | Dedham, Massachusetts, United States
May 2023 - Aug 2023 | 4 months
• Developed a machine learning prototype interface for payroll anomaly detection using the Isolation Forest algorithm in Python, analyzing over 5.4k transactions from an IBM Db2 database streamlined by optimized SQL queries
• Automated API documentation according to OpenAPI specifications, reducing documentation time by 60% through custom Gradle tasks and plugins
• Refactored Punch API and wrote extensive unit tests using JUnit and Mockito, achieving a test coverage of 95% across all Punch service and method classes
REST APIs Relational Databases Gradle Groovy React.js Mockito Java JavaScript Unit Testing API Documentation Machine Learning SQL Jira
Lead Mobile App Developer
Branda | Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
April 2022 - July 2023 | 1 year, 4 months
• Directed and mentored a team of 15 student developers on a React Native mobile app rated 4.5/5 stars and used by over 1.6k users daily
• Increased code efficiency by integrating new API routes and configurations into the backend, enhancing scalability and reducing response times by 30% during peak usage periods
• Improved user experience by implementing a chat bot, revamping the hours page to auto-refresh, adding dark maps to shuttle tracking tab, and fixing miscellaneous bugs
React Native JavaScript CSS MongoDB Heroku REST APIs User Experience Mentorship Team Leadership Problem Solving Communication Mobile App Development
Computer Science Instructor Level II
Juni Learning | San Francisco, United States (Remote)
May 2021 - August 2022 | 1 year, 4 months
• Provided engaging Python and Java lessons to a diverse group of students aged 8-16, fostering a passion for programming and technology among young learners
• Tailored teaching methods to suit individual skill levels and learning preferences, resulting in a 20% improvement in student comprehension and enthusiasm for coding
• Implemented effective record-keeping practices to monitor student progress and development, ensuring clear communication with parents and guardians about achievements and areas for improvement
Teaching Communication Python Java Record-Keeping Problem Solving
Projects
Home Gym
January 2025 - February 2025
Home Gym is a smart personal fitness tracker app designed to make working out at home more engaging and effective. By leveraging advanced body tracking technology and computer vision, Home Gym allows you to monitor your exercises in real-time, ensuring proper form and providing feedback on your progress. The app features comprehensive workout logging and analytics, allowing users to track their fitness journey through detailed exercise metrics, progress visualization, and performance trends. Supporting a variety of exercises, the app includes features like automatic rep counting, personalized goal setting, workout history management, and achievement rewards to keep you motivated.
This project was developed for Apple's 2025 Swift Student Challenge. I am still awaiting the results of the challenge and will update this section accordingly!
SwiftUI UIKit Vision AVCaptureSession AVFoundation CALayer AVSpeechSynthesizer Charts TipKit iOS/iPadOS Mobile Application Development Concurrency Control
Public Transportation Systems Efficiency Analysis
November 2024 - December 2024
An interactive data visualization using D3.v4 and javascript that explores various countries spending patterns on railway systems compared to the usage of those systems.
This includes various quality measures and spending breakdowns as well. The final webpage additionally contains a description, analysis, and walk
through of the visualization and creation process. This visualization will run both on chrome and firefox.
D3.js Javascript HTML CSS Data Analysis
Trojan Horse Game
April 2024
This project implements a trojan horse-style game where the game serves as the trojan horse, containing a hidden payload in the form of a computer scraping script.
The script gathers information in the background such as IP Address, approximate location, list of directories and files leading to the root,
list of all running proccesses, and general system info such as CPU type. The program can also optionally
send the information to a designated email address.
Cybersecurity Python Pygame Requests Sys Threading OS Subprocess
Robot Control Interface
March 2023 - May 2023
The Campus Rover Command & Control system is a key component of Brandeis University's Campus Rover Project, which aims to develop robots for campus tours and package delivery. This system enables seamless remote interaction between operators and robots, acting as the first step towards autonomous navigation and delivery.
The system consists of a React-based web application that directly communicates with ROS (Robot Operating System) via rosbridge, eliminating the need for an external API. The robot used for testing is a TurtleBot3 Burger.
React JavaScript Python ROS rosbridge TurtleBot3 Gazebo Simulation Robotics
Movie Portfolio Website
June 2022
I designed a portfolio website for a friend to showcase his films, animations, and blog posts.
The website includes an admin login system that allows him to edit post titles and descriptions, add new posts, and delete old ones.
To manage the data effectively, I utilized a MongoDB database for storing post links and descriptions.
HTML CSS Express.js Javascript MongoDB Node.js CRUD Heroku
Education
Brandeis University
Master of Science - MS, Computer Science
Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
August 2024 - May 2025
GPA 3.77/4 Teaching Assistant for Intro to Problem Solving in Python
Brandeis University
Bachelor of Science - BS, Computer Science
Minor in Business
Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
August 2020 - May 2024
GPA 3.46/4 Branda Club Executive Member DeisHacks 2022 Winner (Hidden Gem Award)
Sharon High School
High School Diploma
Sharon, Massachusetts, United States
August 2016 - June 2020
Varsity Captain of XC and T&F Teams Volunteer at Sharon Youth Running Program 2018 5 AP Classes and 6 Honors Classes Principal Clarinetist in Honors Band Tri-M Music Honor Society Executive Member (Band Chair) NEC MYWE Band Clarinetist