👋

Hey, I'm David Chen

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Junior at Yale University studying Mathematics, Computer Science & Economics — focused on quantitative modeling, machine learning, and financial systems.

I build ML models and full-stack systems with Python, PyTorch, Go, Node.js, and SQL, applying statistical modeling and software engineering to problems in finance and AI.

Feel free to reach out at [email protected]

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interests: ['Quant Finance', 'ML Research', 'Systems'],
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Who am I?

David Chen

I'm a junior at Yale University studying Mathematics, Computer Science & Economics. While I'm passionate about the intersection of technology and finance, I also enjoy spending time outside the academic world.

You'll often find me outdoors — whether it's hiking, working out, or playing badminton. I'm an avid reader, and one of my all-time favorite books is The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee, which has deepened my curiosity about the human body and the broader world of science.

I'm always eager to explore new ideas and challenge myself in different ways, both in and out of academia.

Quantitative FinanceMachine LearningSoftware EngineeringHikingBadmintonReading

Hope to connect with you soon!

Experience

ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter
Machine Learning Engineer Intern
Incoming Summer 2026
Santa Monica, CA
Yale School of Management
Yale School of Management
Research Assistant
January 2026 – Present
New Haven, CT
  • Building and evaluating ML pipelines to study feature importance under model multiplicity, analyzing how near-optimal models produce divergent explanations despite comparable out-of-sample performance.
  • Quantifying robustness of interpretability methods (SHAP-style attributions) by characterizing cross-model variation in feature importance across constrained model classes with similar empirical risk.
  • Designing empirical and simulation-based frameworks to separate features with stable, model-invariant importance from those sensitive to modeling assumptions and regularization choices.
Yale School of Medicine — Therapeutic Radiology
January 2025 – Present
New Haven, CT
  • Accelerated TG-43 brachytherapy dose calculations using vectorized GPU algorithms and CUDA-backed PyTorch kernels, achieving a 70% speedup through linear-kernel superposition and automated RP/RS DICOM processing.
  • Developed a cross-platform RP/RS parsing and channel reconstruction system with stepping-source algorithms, enabling large-scale automated treatment-plan evaluation.
  • Designed optimization pipelines using simulated annealing and genetic algorithms for dwell time/position search; authored work accepted at the 2025 American Brachytherapy Society Conference.
CL
Collinear Learning, Inc.
Co-Founder & CTO
November 2024 – September 2025
New Haven, CT
  • Architected a scalable AI-powered STEM grading platform used by educators across CA, CT, IL, and IA, delivering real-time rubric generation and personalized feedback to thousands of student submissions.
  • Designed and deployed a production backend using FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Docker, and Supabase, supporting fault-tolerant task queues, data validation, monitoring, and low-latency teacher dashboards.
  • Implemented secure Chrome extension integrations with Google Classroom and Canvas, supporting FERPA-compliant data handling, cross-platform authentication, and automatic assignment syncing.
Yale School of Management
Yale School of Management
Research Assistant
April 2025 – September 2025
New Haven, CT
  • Engineered a GPU-accelerated pipeline to extract structured personality factor signals from 100k+ LinkedIn & MBA headshots using transfer-learned CNN + transformer embeddings, boosting trait prediction calibration by 23% vs. baseline.
  • Implemented out-of-sample validation (nested CV, stratified temporal splits, leakage audits) and reduced domain shift error by 40% through distribution alignment and controlled image attribute regressions.
  • Built a data signal-testing framework linking AI-inferred factors to compensation, mobility, and school rankings after controlling for education, tenure, and industry.
Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science — YINS
January 2024 – Present
New Haven, CT
  • Contributed to ML research with Prof. Tassiulas and Dr. Palaiokrassas on complex network analysis of DeFi protocols, with applications in fraud/anomaly detection and network optimization.
  • Developing a dApp and RAG pipeline for LLMs with novel applications in transparency and data privacy for LLM training.
  • Co-authoring the working paper 'Dynamic Pricing in Transparent Data Economies: Integrating Blockchain, AI, and LLMs.'
ZT
Zenith Technologies
Founder & CEO
May 2021 – Present
New York, NY
  • Founded a SaaS platform and web development agency providing software on a subscription basis to 50+ online communities.
  • Solely responsible for product development: design, implementation, and deployment; decreased churn rate by over 50% through automated subscription management.
The Stuyvesant Spectator
The Stuyvesant Spectator
Head Web Editor & Managing Board Editor
December 2020 – January 2023
New York, NY
  • Managed a department of 40+ members; developed a new React website with 13,000+ monthly visitors.
  • Reduced AWS costs by ~50% and led a full rewrite of the website using Next.js and MongoDB.

Selected Projects

Personal Quantitative Trading Framework

Ongoing
PythonPandasTensorFlowLightGBMSQL
  • Engineering a modular trading framework integrating multi-strategy implementations (momentum, factor, pairs trading, ML, and regime switching) with robust backtesting capabilities.
  • Implemented risk management tools including dynamic VaR, Expected Shortfall (CVaR), and GARCH-based volatility forecasting for rigorous portfolio risk control.
  • Optimized computational efficiency via parallel processing (ThreadPoolExecutor) and parquet storage, enabling rapid analysis and real-time signal generation.

E-Commerce Discord Bot

2024
Discord.jsGoogle Sheets APITesseract OCR
  • Designed a custom Discord bot enabling an efficient in-app ordering process for an e-commerce client.
  • Implemented an interactive checkout flow with real-time inventory updates in Google Sheets.
  • Integrated OCR to verify payment transactions for seamless, secure order processing.

Code Fjord — Online Educational Platform

2022
ReactAWSPostgreSQLDocker
  • Built an interactive coding education platform with an in-browser execution environment supporting multiple languages and instant feedback.
  • Maintained a remote code execution engine with Docker and Node.js, including security measures against malicious code, fork bombing, and outbound network requests.

Custom Browser Autofill Extension

2021
ReactJavaScriptRegex
  • Built a Chromium extension that streamlines checkout across e-commerce platforms.
  • Implemented a regex engine to identify and fill data on unsupported websites, broadening platform coverage.
  • Ensured reliability through unit and integration testing.

Bot Protection Reverse Engineering

2021
Node.jsAST traversalGoBezier Curves
  • Used Acorn AST traversal to deobfuscate Akamai's bot protection clientside JavaScript.
  • Simulated realistic mouse movement using Bezier curves, splines, Gaussian functions, and Fourier series.
  • Modified Go's low-level TLS library to replicate browser handshakes, HTTP/2 frames, and cipher suite configurations.

Skills

Let's connect

Open to opportunities & conversations

Whether you're hiring, collaborating, or just want to chat about quant finance, ML, or startups — I'd love to hear from you.

[email protected]+1 (646) 894-2374
Connect on LinkedInSend an email