Welcome

About

Education

My Education

Most recently, I received my Master's of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in December 2024. My main area of study was theoretical computer science with a focus on quantum computing. Prior to coming to CMU, I graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with a BS in computer science in 2023. While there, I specialized in theoretical computer science and cybersecurity, and completed a triple minor in mathematics, quantum information science and technology, and computing security. Fun fact: I was the first ever person to graduate RIT with the quantum information science and technology minor, since it was first offered the year of my graduation.

Teaching

In the fall semester of 2024 I designed and ran a StuCo at Carnegie Mellon. This 3 unit (1 credit) course called Intuitive Quantum Computing aimed to bring quantum computing concepts to an undergradutate level. The goal was to break down concepts into a simple digestible form for a more thorough understanding that does not rely on the mindset of "shut up and calculate". The focus was on the computational aspects of quantum computing such as computational models, algorithms, complexity theory, and cryptography. The content is targeted at students with a moderate computer science background, particularly students in their 2nd to 3rd year of a computer science or related bachelor's degree.

The course ended up with a moderate class size of roughly 15 students. Despite the course being brand new, course feedback was generally quite positive (after some adjustments early into the course). The end-of-semester assessment showed that most students ended the course with a solid foundation of the principles of quantum computing. Unfortunately, since I have graduated, it is unclear if someone else will be able to run this course at CMU in the future. If you're interested in running this StuCo, please reach out. The course content remains live at intuitiveqcomp.jzaia.net, where all lecture and supplemental material are publicly available.

Tutoring

I am a lifelong teacher and tutor. I started my tutoring career as a volunteer in high school, and continued into the private sector in college via Wyzant. I love helping people learn and grow as I teach them computer science and mathematics in a way that's easy to understand. In total I have almost 10 years of tutoring experience in both computer science and mathematics, at the middle school, high school, college, and adult level and over 1,250 hours of experience on Wyzant alone. This experience spans various programming languages and paradigms, and covers fields from computing fundamentals to object oriented languages to operating systems, pure theory, embedded development, algorithm optimization and cybersecurity.

Please note that at the moment I am not taking on new tutoring clients.

Communities

I am a moderator over at r/QuantumComputing where I help remove bot & spam posts and ensure discussions are high quality. I am also a Wikipedia contributor, helping share knowledge with the world, primarily for quantum computing topics.

Work

I am currently a Quantum Software Developer at Xanadu, where I aid the Pennylane performance team in their effort to keep Pennylane fast and efficient. During my college career I have worked a series of internships spanning a wide breadth of computer science topics. Most recently, I have worked at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) helping to conduct novel research in several roles. Projects I worked on involved identifying and solving issues with creating fault-tolerant quantum systems, analysis of data compression schemes, and creating test environments for ML-enabled security systems. I have also worked for MITRE in both a development and research capacity. My research was involved in symbolic manipulation of qubit states, whereas my development roles were mostly associated with an internal resource management research project and the F-35 project. Earlier in my career, I worked for Herrick Technology Labs, as an embedded software developer working on software defined radio systems, and for Morgan Stanley as a web developer for an internal website. I'm always open to explore new opportunities to grow more as a developer.

For a more detailed list of everything I've worked on, please see my resume.

Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) Endeavors

FOSS & Linux

This website, in addition to being open source itself, is being hosted through Mail-in-a-box, which is an open source implementation of a mail, file storage, and HTTP server. I am an active participant in and proponent of the free and open source community throughout the internet, my community, and especially at RIT, where I served as secretary and then president of the RIT Linux User's Group. I love linux-y things, and encourage wider adoption of Linux for both technical and ethical reasons wherever I can.

Hackathons

Moreover, I am a frequent attendee of hackathons, and have attended well over 20 across the state of New York and the surrounding area. My teams and I always enjoy working hard to produce something interesting, whether it be for the betterment of society or just to make something fun. For examples of some of these projects, please visit my portfolio, which lists many of my hackathon, personal, and school projects. I have also mentored hackathons on occasion and provided administrative and technical knowledge to participants and organizers. In addition, I am a Certified Rockstar Developer and contributor to the Rockstar Language project and community.

Contact

Feel free to reach out to me at one of the following emails:

• jakezaia00 {AT} gmail.com for business inquiries
• jzaia {AT} cmu.edu for academic opportunities and inquiries

Alternatively, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message there.