James Choi
Verified Expert in Engineering
Machine Learning Developer
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Toptal member since October 26, 2018
James enjoys the challenges of extracting value from real-world datasets by wielding the latest machine learning and artificial intelligence tools in the Python stack. He has extensive experience in scientific research in academia and industry and thrives in collaborative teamwork.
Portfolio
Experience
- Machine Learning - 2 years
- Amazon EC2 - 2 years
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) - 2 years
- NumPy - 2 years
- Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT) - 2 years
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) - 2 years
- Scikit-learn - 2 years
- PySpark - 1 year
Availability
Preferred Environment
Amazon Web Services (AWS), MacOS, Linux, Vim Text Editor, Atom, Python, Git
The most amazing...
...thing I've worked on was applying my neuroscience expertise to develop new methods in the characterization of charge-stabilized nanostructures (nanobubbles).
Work Experience
Consultant/Advisor
MW Coach
- Developed a data management framework to track and manage document assets for Official Development Assistance projects.
- Contributed to development projects across central and south Asia, Africa, and South America, conducting feasibility studies, project planning research, and stakeholder interviews to establish performance metrics and monitor projects.
- Generated reports, proposals, dashboards, and surveys; conducted stakeholder analyses, established project requirements, and developed competency matrices to help bring projects to success.
- Created digital tools and process pipelines to enable small teams to leverage technology effectively. Adopted generative AI models to aid in report generation.
Data Scientist
GN Science
- Created a neural network-based text classifier and text summarizer with transfer learning (using Fast.ai and Amazon SageMaker) for a client's proprietary data.
- Built a data pipeline to scrape (ETL) more than 1 million PDFs from a website to model and rate a financial broker's integrity using the AWS platform (EC2, RDS, DynamoDB).
- Implemented new clustering algorithms for the identification and characterization of neuronal cell types.
- Developed and managed digital marketing campaigns (Facebook Ads, Google, AdWords Search/Display/Video), for big-budget (more than $100,000/month) clients.
- Implemented A/B testing to optimize the customer journey through a conversion funnel.
Scientist
Revalesio Corporation
- Set up electrophysiology laboratory facilities for in-house ion channel screening.
- Established a semi-automated patch clamp pipeline for membrane-based target screening using proprietary cell lines.
- Coordinated studies with leading institutions and CRAs to elucidate the biophysical mechanism of action for nanobubble therapeutics.
- Contributed actively to the physical-chemistry characterization of nanoparticles in solution.
- Devised new detection methods using nanopores.
- Detected and characterized cardiomyocyte activity modulation for A/B testing.
Postdoctorate Fellow
Boston Children's Hospital | Harvard Medical School
- Conducted single-cell-patch-clamp experiments on tissue slices from the mammalian visual thalamus.
- Devised stereotactic injection techniques for the focalized injection of viral vectors.
Experience
Current and Previous Projects in Data Science
http://q0j0p.github.ioEducation
PhD Degree in Neuroscience
Brandeis University - Waltham, MA, USA
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biochemistry and Cognitive Science
Rice University - Houston, TX, USA
Certifications
Data Science
Galvanize
TESOL
International Language Academy of Canada Vancouver
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, PySpark, Fast.ai
Tools
GitHub, Git, Google Sheets, Atom, Vim Text Editor, MATLAB, Amazon SageMaker, Amazon Elastic MapReduce (EMR), Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), AWS Glue, AWS CLI
Languages
Python, Python 3, Python 2, SQL
Paradigms
Object-oriented Programming (OOP), CRISP-DM, Business Intelligence (BI)
Platforms
Amazon EC2, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, MacOS, Jupyter Notebook
Storage
MongoDB, Data Pipelines, Databases, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), PostgreSQL
Other
Data Science, Software Development, Data Extraction, Research, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Supervised Learning, Machine Learning, Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Computer Vision, PDF, Large Language Models (LLMs), AI Modeling, Neuroscience, Clustering, Big Data, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Performance Management, Data Management
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