About Me
I’m Christian Zhou, a Computer Science student passionate about software engineering, cloud deployment, and intelligent systems. I focus on building practical, scalable solutions that bridge backend efficiency with intuitive frontend design.
My work spans full-stack web applications using Spring Boot, React, and PostgreSQL, as well as machine learning and data visualization projects. I enjoy designing systems that automate workflows, analyze data, and improve user experience.
Outside coursework, I explore DevOps, AWS, and AI-driven knowledge tools. I value clear architecture, reproducibility, and well-documented code.
Projects
Full-stack project inspired by production backend systems maintained during my co-op term.
The Todo Project is a full-stack task management system built with a Spring Boot + PostgreSQL backend and a React + TypeScript frontend, inspired by enterprise-grade architecture from my co-op experience.
Key Features
- RESTful APIs with JWT authentication and role-based access control
- File attachments stored via AWS S3, integrated with OpenAPI-generated TypeScript clients for type-safe frontend communication
- Containerized deployment using Docker Compose, orchestrating backend, frontend, and database services
- Nginx reverse proxy with HTTPS (Certbot) and automated deployment scripts written in Bash and PowerShell
Focus Areas
- Production-aligned architecture emphasizing service-layer separation, DTO mapping, and Flyway migrations
- Scalable PostgreSQL schema design for multi-user and task-attachment relations
- Maintainable CI/CD-style workflow mirroring real-world DevOps practices
Experience
IDI-Itech Development Inc.
Website Developer
September 2025 - December 2025
• Maintained and enhanced the IT team’s Java Spring Boot backend repository, resolving bugs, improving service-layer documentation, and managing code changes with Git version control.
• Led WordPress malware remediation on SiteGround; removed PHP backdoors, purged ∼6,000 spam posts, implemented Apache protections, and achieved a clean Sucuri scan; consolidated domain/DNS records and automated billing extraction using Python regex.
• Self-Developed Project: Built a production-aligned application modeled after the company’s backend using Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, and React (Vite); implemented JWT authentication, AWS S3 integration, and OpenAPI-generated TypeScript clients.
• Containerized and deployed all services on a DigitalOcean VPS using Docker Compose and Nginx; automated deployment via Bash & PowerShell scripts; secured server with Ubuntu firewall & HTTPS.
Education
McMaster University
BASc, Computer Science Co-op
2022-2027
Skills
Programming Languages: Python, Java, TypeScript, JavaScript, SQL
Frameworks & Libraries: Spring Boot, React, Node.js, Flask, Tailwind CSS
Databases: PostgreSQL
DevOps & Tools: Docker, GitHub, AWS (S3), Vercel, Flyway, Nginx
Machine Learning: scikit-learn, NumPy, pandas, Matplotlib
Other Skills: system architecture, deployment automation, applied machine learning, data visualization