AI Software Developer
Jessica is a Developer and Educator at Duke’s Innovation Co-Lab, where she builds software tools and hands-on learning experiences that help the Duke community explore AI and emerging technologies. Her work in AI grew out of a not-quite-linear path through chemistry, computational science and software. She earned an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill and a PhD in Computational Materials Science and Engineering from NC State. Before joining Duke, she spent eight years at the Molecular Sciences Software Institute, where she developed deep expertise in research software development and scientific computing while leading education and training efforts in scientific programming and software engineering.
At the Co-Lab, Jessica especially enjoys making complex technologies feel approachable, helping people turn ideas into working prototypes, and finding unexpected ways to use AI in creative, technical, and research contexts. Outside of work, she likes to stay active through yoga, running, and weightlifting. She also enjoys contributing to open-source software and personal coding projects that apply mathematical models in surprising places.