So much to learn,
so little time
Academic settings feel like home to me, with a sense of wonder in learning something new. Math has always been my best subject, although my passion is for design and artistic creation— so I’ve tried to find ways to fold these together. Through classwork, research, professional experience, and volunteer opportunities, I aim to build, create, and tell stories.
Josiah Zacharias
Frontend Engineer and UX/Graphic Designer
MEADOWBROOK · SEATTLE, WA
Experience
2021 - 2022
Microsoft
UX Engineer
Most recently I have been working on SharePoint in Microsoft 365 and OneDrive to update their Fluent design system, including recent revamps to page authoring functionalities and working to update publicly-consumable git repos and npm packages using Node.js/npm with React.js, Typescript, and CSS in Js.
I worked to modernize SharePoint in Teams for a larger education-focused effort—to improve online classrooms via elegant user experiences for both educator and student.
This required conducting demos for broader cross-discipline teams, leading bug bashes, and drafting wiki/Readme documentation. I also implemented automated tests and Quality of Service monitors to assess UI and performance impact.
2015 - 2021
Electric Pen
Designer, Web Developer and UX/UI Researcher
Starting in a graphic design and branding role, my duties have evolved to incorporate web development, including user research on a $100k site for a local Big Five tech company. We designed a proprietary CMS incorporating React.js, SASS and worked to incorporate AWS services, developing a site gateway API.
2013 - 2015
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Research Assistant, Statistician, and Lab Manager
Expanded a high-functioning research environment and coordinated the creation of a $30k cell culture laboratory in three months. Also devised a novel 3D skin model to study cancer. Other duties included training PhD candidates, budgeting and fast-paced project management.
2012 - 2013
Loyola University Medical Center
Epigenetics Research Assistant & Statistician
Volunteer & Leadership
2019 - Present
Volunteer research/developer/designer on the EYE Team to provide immersive AR experiences for vision-disabled youth in the Native American community, working under Dr. Bill Erdly
2016 - Present
Photographer and woodworking volunteer at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle
2014 - 2015
Docent and assistant animal caretaker at the Nashville Zoo
2013 - 2014
Science and math tutor for at-risk youth at the Oasis Center in Nashville
Education
2019 - Present
University of Washington
Master of Science in Computer Science and Software Engineering
Study with emphasis in computer vision, cybersecurity, cloud-based services, and machine learning.
Graduate Certificate in Software Design & Development (GPA 3.94)
Graduated in June 2020, accepted and transitioning into the UW Master of Computer Science and Software Engineering program thereafter. Relevant coursework — Data Structures and Object-Oriented Programming I and II, Systems Programming, Software Development Processes, Software Modeling Techniques, Software Testing and Quality
2016 - 2018
School of Visual Concepts
Various classes including Typography, Graphic Design, UX/UI, Web Design, and Screen printing
Self-motivated interest to pursue design courses and understand the human psychology of layout and color
2016 - 2018
Trinity International University
Bachelor of Arts (GPA 4.0)
Double majored chemistry and biology in Honors program; summa cum laude
Skills
Languages & Software
Typescript, React.js, C++, Java, HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, Python, Node.js, and MySQL. Knowledge of WebGL, MATLAB, Windows, Unix/Linux, and OS X.
UX/UI & Design
Firm grasp on methodologies to wireframe, design, and illustrate stories to communicate effectively.
Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (esp. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects)
Processes & Tools
Agile, Scrum Kanban, XP, AWS, and Git.
Interests
SRT rock climbing, guitar, piano, illustration, photography, exploring the new, and merging opposites like art and science.
The fun stuff
to round me out
If you thought my professional skills seem unpredictable, let’s talk hobbies. Passions, skills, vocations… at some point passions coalesce to produce new sparks of new ideas.
Photography
I love to capture the world and show others. Lenses offer new perspectives and require focus to compose a scene. I experiment with moving photos, long exposure, and drone photography. I converge these skills in my overall pursuit of good design and desire to tell stories.
Travel & Exploration
Being born in a different country than where I grew up set the foundation for my life— to travel and experience all the world has to offer. Across four continents (so far) I’ve explored architecture, sought unfamiliar cuisine, rock-climbed into caves, and enriched myself with new culture.
Music
From living rooms to auditoriums, playing and performing music has been a part of me my entire life. Piano, percussion, and guitar are my focuses, but I aim to learn as many instruments as I can. Crossover from music to design and even computer science has fascinated me, as similarities appear in ways you wouldn’t expect.
Reading
Books are invaluable to me. I soak up classic fiction (Alexandre Dumas and Jules Verne being a couple of my favorites) and love falling into novels that whisk me away to a far off universe. I aim to enrich my mind with wisdom from the collective experience of humanity, studying philosophy, ecology, and psychology.
