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
2025 – on
Software Dev Engineer in Scientific Visualization
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Working on Oncoscape and various tools to bring the complexities of cancer research to the masses.
2023 - 2024
Research Engineer
Meta
Working for Reality Labs on Project Aria, both to update frontend architecture and develop new models to train machine learning on 3D data. Ultimately the hope is to accelerate AI to engage more in how humans see.
2021 - 2022
UX Engineer
Microsoft
Updating the design system for MS Azure, SharePoint, Teams and more, including page authoring functionalities and publicly-consumable git repos with node packages, React, and Typescript.
2015 - 2021
Web Developer and Graphic Designer
Electric Pen
Creatively pushed boundaries of frontend with novel tech for non-profit and multinational clients, building trust through active listening. Incorporated psychology of design in all strategy to make complicated ideas approachable and digestible, learning new tools in for data visualization and organization
I also managed a bridge between design and engineering teams by knowing limits and possibilities of each, insisting on the highest standards. Through my self-enrichment, I helped create over $300k in new business offerings for the company with web development and email strategy / campaigns.
Versed in animation, illustration, UI / UX design & engineering, and researching new ways to provide exceptional visual solutions for clients
2013 - 2015
Laboratory Research Manager
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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.
Volunteer & Leadership
2025–current
Volunteer member of the Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project (CWCAC), to test the local North-Seattle watershed regularly on all manner of contaminants and health. This is a fun reason for me to get outside, and the DNR depends on our efforts—the govt could/should never afford to have as much as insight as the community can provide.
Also—the river is healthy! currently. And salmon levels are increasing.
2022-current
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 - 2019
Photographer and woodworking volunteer at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle
2014 - 2015
Docent and assistant animal caretaker at the Nashville Zoo
Education
2025 (exp)
Master of Computer Science and SWE
University of Washington
Study with emphasis in computer vision & graphics, 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
UX Certificate
School of Visual Concepts
Self-motivated interest to pursue design courses and understand the human psychology of layout and color to create better user experiences. Various classes including Typography, Graphic Design, UX/UI, Web Design, and Screen printing
2016 - 2018
Bachelor in Biology & Chemistry
Trinity College
Double-majored summa cum laude with emphasis in medicine. Sought on-and-off-campus efforts in biomedical research, immunology, and biochemistry (summer internships @ Mayo Clinic, UofWI, & UofM).
Frequent participant in campus Jazz band, “Activities Committee” (free tickets to museums & zoos), Media Committee (fliers, memes to keep Admin in check), TA-ing for my favorite profs, various pranks and more.
Skills
Software "Dev / Engineering"
What even is “engineering” these days? I may be afraid of powertools but I can clean your (pc) trashcan waaay better than John McAfee. Whether React or scratch HTML, CSS and Javascript, I aim for truly usable interfaces for whoever is using. I have solid foundation in OOP languages like C++ and Java
User "UX/UI" Design
Buzzwords all around. I’ve been blessed with some of the most prestigious coaches in history (one of my profs was responsible for the red-Starbucks-“Taking the Christ out of Christmas” cup fiasco). Now proficient in Figma (ick) and Adobe Creative Suite (forever monopolizing my wallet).
Design forces us to step back. To think. Thank GOD everyone is giving their lives to AI. Makes our job even easier to stand out. Give me your design AI and I can’t wait to kick its ass.
Research
From biochemistry to computer science, research undergirds my strategy. Design—Research—Engineer…I am coming full circle on realizing we can’t do without any of them. I am a poor jack of several trades, aiming to improve how I can.
Skills in Cell, wet-lab management, creation, and funding; clinical and communal research; and data science / visualization, using MATLAB, R, SRSS, FlowJo, D3, and more.
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.
