Alex Zhou

Summary
  • 4+ years Python
  • Strong web programming (HTML/CSS) proficiency
  • Highly articulate writer and proven public speaker/presenter
  • NMR spectroscopy
  • Proficient with Linux, running AmberTools16 and Psi4 for MD research simulations
  • Solid data/statistical analysis ability with Python and MATLAB in practical research applications
Education

Duke University [Incoming Fall 2019]
MS Quantitative Management, Forensics Track

Attending on a $35,000 merit-based tuition scholarship.

California State University, Los Angeles  [Since Fall 2014]
BS Physics, General Option

Honors College and Early Entrance Program Student, graduated with Departmental Honors.

Work Experience

Open Pathway (Founder, CEO)  [Fall 2015-Spring 2016]

In my sophomore year, I founded a 501(c)3 non-profit with fellow Early Entrance Program students to help out the surrounding community. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Worked with LEAP USA’s K-12 after-school program in East LA and the Anna Bing Arnold Children’s center at Cal State LA.
  • At our height, I led a student team of over 40 volunteers to design and teach extra-curricular programs for low-income schools and communities.
  • The website I built (openpathway.org) is still available on the Wayback Machine, but most of its original shining features are now defunct.

Student Government – Associated Students, Inc.  [Since Fall 2016]

I was elected and received a monthly grant-in-aid to work as the Campus Affairs Representative at-Large of our campus student government. My duties included:

  • Sitting on the ASI Board of Directors.
  • Serving as chair of the University Council for Clubs and Organizations.
  • Producing, releasing, and analyzing data from an annual survey release for the ASI strategic plan.

Physics and Mathematics Tutor [Fall 2018 – Spring 2019]

I worked  for my campus’s library as a part-time student tutor for physics and mathematics. I am a nationally recognized tutor by the NTA for consistently high performance reviews and student interaction hours.

Research Experience

Center for Energy and Sustainability (Research Fellow)  [Since Fall 2015]
Cal State LA – Department of Physics and Astronomy

  • Studied in an experimental nuclear magnetic resonance lab, creating spectral analysis tools with Python
  • Produced a program to analytically find the Madelung constant of NaCl, repurposed to find the magnetic field of our research sample.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Lab  [Since Fall 2016]

  • Analyzed the persistence length of Poly-T ssDNA assisting MIT biophysics alum Dr. Paul Nerenberg.
  • Linux experience with the Ubuntu distribution, running AmberTools16 for simulation. Solid understanding of the shell, basic shell scripts, and generally performing tasks with UNIX-based operating systems.

Summer Internship at Yale University CBIC  [Summer 2017]

I completed a summer research position at the Yale Chemical and Biophysical Instrumentation Center under the direct guidance of the center’s director, Dr. Eric Paulson, and x-ray crystallographer Dr. Brandon Mercado. Here’s a summary of what I did this summer:

  • Conducted research on permanent magnet NMR shimming, writing data analysis programs in Python to interface with OpenVnmrJ.
  • 3D printed some molecular models as gifts for the scientists that discovered them.
  • Devised a simple PyQt5 GUI method for introducing rotating bonds onto 3D printed molecular models.

NASA DIRECT-STEM (Research Fellow) [Since Fall 2018]

  • Received a $4000 stipend to participate in a semester long data-intensive training program in preparation for a potential JPL appointment in the upcoming summer.
  • Presented a thesis on a rigorous statistical analysis comparing classical and quantum computational chemistry methods in determining the dipole moments of biomolecules (Honors College senior thesis).

MSP Summer Intern [Summer 2019]
Caltech/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

  • Designing a live visualization interface for the APR-3 airborne radar system over its three constituent frequency bands.
  • Code will be used in its next flight over the Phillipines at the end of summer 2019.
Projects

I’ve had a lot of time for interesting projects over the years. Here are some that I’m most proud of:

Outfit Selector

A Python script that analyzes weather data from the Open Weather Map API and recommends me outfits to wear based on my mood and current weather conditions.

Spirograph Generator

I created a program that generates beautiful spirographs based on the formula for a mathematical hypotrochoid, and did some analysis on the number of closed regions of the complex graphs that are generated.

Madelung Constant Finder

I analytically calculated the Madelung constant for NaCl (and any identical crystal lattices) with original code, and found some interesting quirks with its summing pattern (OEIS #A005875).

Monte Carlo Petals

A Monte Carlo-style simulation of petals falling from a tree inspired by the elegant falling pattern they make on the ground.

Honors, Activities, & Affiliations

27th Annual RSCA Student Symposium – Undergraduate Winner (Physical and Mathematical Sciences I)

I won the natural sciences category in my school’s student research symposium with an oral presentation on my
honors thesis, “Benchmarking Quantum Chemistry Methods for Accurate Fixed-Charge Electrostatic Models.”

Honors College Scholar

Physics and Astronomy Departmental Honors Program

Golden Key International Honors Society – Invited

National Society of Leadership and Success (Sigma Alpha Pi) – Invited

Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society – Active Member

Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, Lambda Mu Chapter – Pledge Class President

Speech and Debate & Model United Nations Wins

Spring Champs 2016 Novice Programmed Oral Interpretation (First Place)

Robert Barrera Invitational 2016 Senior After-Dinner Speaking (Second Place)

Robert Barrera Invitational 2017 Senior Informative Speaking (Third Place)

Crossman Invitational 2018 Senior Informative Speaking (First Place)

Cerritos High School MUN Fall Conference 2015 (Best Delegate)

Tustin High School MUN Spring Conference 2016 (Research Award and Outstanding Award)

Gahr High School MUN Spring Conference 2016 (Commendation Award)

Extras

I keep up a science/personal blog @ http://physicstomato.com/, of which I designed most of the CSS for. This site serves also as a platform for my recreational programming, research reporting (presented to a general audience), physics notes, essays, and fiction. I’m an avid jazz pianist and I’d love to talk to you about it.

I speak fluent Mandarin (Native – bilingual household) and intermediate German (self-taught).

I’m also a…