jchinen@mde.harvard.edu
https://imnotjohn.io
Education
Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, Expected: May 2024
Master in Design Engineering, Thesis: Indigenous Epistemologies and AI
University of California, Berkeley
M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering
University of Hawaii at Manoa
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
B.F.A. Graphic Design, Minor: Japanese
Université Catholique de Lille, Study Abroad: Lille, France
Konan University, Study Abroad: Kobe, Japan
Experience
Harvard University, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Senior Teaching Fellow, Cambridge, MA, August 2023 – December 2023
I was the Senior Teaching Fellow for “Integrative Frameworks for Technology, Environment, and Society”, a graduate-level seminar course for graduate and undergraduate students at Harvard. The course focuses on building an integrated intellectual framework to explore the complex relationships between science, engineering, manufacturing, design, innovation, environment, sustainability, culture, aesthetics, business, public policy, and government.
Harvard Business School - Research Assistant, Cambridge, MA, July 2022 – September 2023
· Leverage data science methods to aggregate, clean, and process large datasets to infer behavioral insights into consumer behavior.
Facebook - Frontend Engineer, Menlo Park, CA, December 2020 – July 2021
· Work with various internal stakeholders and large teams to develop functional, responsive desktop + mobile experiences from mockups and wireframes. Develop tooling and scalable components to anticipate and accelerate development of public-facing websites. Develop toolkit plugins and contribute to miscellaneous design projects.
Renault-Nissan Innovation Lab - UX Research / Design Engineer, Sunnyvale, CA, May 2019 – May 2020
· Led development of web app prototypes for three different end-users using the Twilio’s SDK, ReactJS and NodeJS to validate concepts for new interaction paradigms unique to an autonomous mobility context.
· Co-developed web app architecture and implementation by collaborating with software engineers from multiple internal teams to develop a ReactJS front-end that controlled vehicle functions by sending and receiving MQTT and websocket messages delegated by a NodeJS back-end served on AWS.
· Co-develop stories and ideate user journeys and use cases within future display technologies in order to inform new opportunities and visual language. Conducted user research internally through surveys and semi-structured interviews to gain insights into user needs, explore concepts, and synthesize design principles.
Renault-Nissan Innovation Lab - Interaction Design Engineer, Sunnyvale, CA, January 2018 – May 2019
· Led design of custom brackets and enclosures; managed hardware integration and system architecture for projection mapped exploration of immersive visual, aural, and haptic environment of future autonomous mobility concepts; implemented real-time collection of vehicle telemetry through TouchDesigner and Python via Open Sound Control to drive live proof-of-concept demos of to Renault and Nissan CXO’s.
· Developed hardware and software solution to explore simplified human-machine interaction paradigms using Python and Google’s AIY Voice Kit.
· Prototyped scenarios for autonomous vehicles for Mobility as a Service context using the Twilio API; developed prototype web app and iOS interaction.
· Consulted and mentored student teams at UC Berkeley and Stanford’s CDR (Center for Design Research); led hardware integration and system development for immersive mobility contexts; co-developed qualitative and quantitative data visualization and analysis of social interactions within driverless vehicles.
· Performed user research and interviews across neighborhoods in San Francisco to better understand public perception and acceptance of driverless vehicle testing and technologies.
Design Incubation Centre - Interaction Designer, Singapore, Singapore, October 2015 – March 2017
· Leveraged typography and visual communication expertise to lead a 7-week workshop for university students.
· Co-led the programming of interactive animations created with the Processing language and projection mapping as part of an installation piece for the National Design Centre’s Night Festival exhibition.
· Led development of iOS & Pebble Watch apps for rapid prototyping of wearable device for eczema patients.
· Led development of ideation for web & print branding collateral for prospective students.
· Oversaw the planning and execution of design research and student projects as initiated by the DIC.
UC Berkeley - UX Design Researcher, Berkeley, CA, Fall 2014 – Spring 2015
· Led human-centered design and proficiency in UX research in order to identify user pain points, develop user flows, personas, and design principles that improved user productivity and emotional and cognitive health.
· Employed visualization of fractals generated by Processing language to improve end-user experience and overall health within a work environment as part of an integrated Internet of Things-enabled smart office system.
UCSF Hospitals - UX Design Researcher, San Francisco, CA, Fall 2014
· Co-developed prototypes as part of an iterative ideation cycle in collaboration with UCSF Hospitals’ surgical teams and patients to identify ways to enhance patient-surgeon experience through UX Design.
· Synthesized users’ needs & insights, applying the human-centered design process, identified secondary user groups; reframed the initial problem to focus on managing relationships and optimizing modes of communication between patients and their medical team.
UC Berkeley - Product Designer, Berkeley, CA, Fall 2014
· Co-led the ideation, prototyping, and integration of electronics for a smart prosthetic socket product concept by leveraging human-centered design principles to drive UX research in order to improve the experience of fitting a prosthetic limb for patients and their prosthetists.
· Led electronics enclosure design, prototyping, and integration using 3D Printers to rapid prototype concepts.
· Final enclosure design reduced production time; improved integration with prosthetic socket aesthetic.
UC Berkeley - Product Designer, Berkeley, CA, Fall 2014
· Co-led an interdisciplinary team that designed, integrated, and prototyped a novel game controller for a 3D version of the game 2048.
· Led microcontroller software programming (C++) that drove human-controller interaction; led hardware electronics and sensor enclosure and integration into physical controller prototype.
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Nuclear Engineer, Honolulu, HI, May 2014 – July 2014
· Deconstructed technical work instructions to understand underlying guidelines and regulations in order to prescribe competent maintenance solutions.
· Led the development of an onboarding primer to improve new-hire assimilation to this high-security organization.
Hawaii Space Grant Consortium - NASA Space Grant Fellow, Honolulu, HI, Spring 2012
· Led mechanical engineering design, machining, fabrication, and testing of a single-axis satellite testbed in order to calibrate a satellite’s ADCS subsystem; completed within $500 budget.
· Developed testbed UI using Processing programming language; enabled quadrature, velocity, and angular acceleration control to rotate a 150 kg mass within target +/- 0.01° tolerance.
· Presented research at Hawaii Space Grant Consortium; published in HSGC Fellowship editorial.
Wall-to-Wall Studios, Graphic Design Intern, Honolulu, HI, September 2008 – December 2008
· Led brainstorming and concept generation for various print and web projects.
· Used Adobe CS software to create mockups and wireframes for multiple print and interactive web deliverables.
Honors
2023: Harvard Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Education Justice at La Modelo Prison, Panelist
2023: Graduate Thesis Guest Critic, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, School of Architecture
2023: Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard – Summer Fellow [withdrew]
2023: iF Design Student Award 2023, Circular Deathcare Design, Shortlisted (top 300 of 7000 submissions)
2022: MIT Media Lab x Samsung Project the Future of Wellbeing Hackathon, WJM Design Award, 3rd Place
2017, 2019: IDEO CoLab Makeathon Participant – San Francisco
2015: National University of Singapore, Teaching Workshop & Seminar Program Certification
2015: UC Berkeley 3D Printing Designathon, Berni Joint, 1st Place Award
2014: UC Berkeley, Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership Merit Award
2012 – 2013: Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentorship Program Scholar
2012: NASA Space Grant Fellow: Satellite Testbed Development
2009: AIGA Hawai‘i 5-0, Top 5 Print Professional Award, deaf to Deaf.
2009: AIGA Hawai‘i 5-0, Top 3 Student Design Award, deaf to Deaf book and exhibit installation.
2009: AIGA Hawai‘i 5-0, Top 3 Student Design Award, draw | withdraw books.
2008: Designed book set, draw/Withdraw, included in Cooper Union’s
website www.designingwithtype.com; also included in the School of
Visual Art’s book, Design School Confidential.
Memberships
Harvard Indigenous Design Collective, 2022–Present
Harvard Circular Economy - Web Developer, 2021–2022
EPIC (Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference) - Member, 2018–2020
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society - Alpha Kappa Psi Member, 2011 – Present
· Engaged the community through an outreach program to increase awareness of Hawaii’s Meth problem.
Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, 2012 – Present
· As Vice President, assisted in coordinating Pi Tau Sigma events and new member recruitment.
· Presented funding proposals to campus organizations and secured funding increasing budget by 250%.
Society of Women Engineers - Fundraising and Event Chair, 2013 – 2014
· Assisted in organizing outreach event by mentoring and leading young girls with various engineering projects developing activities for STEM recruitment still used by the SWE chapter today.
Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentorship Program, 2012 – 2013
· Particpated in multiple community workdays within Native Hawaiian organizations, thus increasing the reach of Indigenous knowledge, language, and practices.
· Tutored fellow NHSEMP Scholars in Physics, Thermodynamics, and Fluid Dynamics.
Engineer’s Council at the University of Hawaii - Vice President of Communications, 2012 – 2013
· Facilitated communication between College of Engineering Administration and undergraduate student improve organization visibility, and bolster morale and pride within COE student community.
· Co-led planning of events; led COE community engagement efforts to support STEM recruiting.