Resume

Jack Drabenstadt

jackdrab.dev jackdrabenstadt@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/jackdrabenstadt github.com/drabenstadtj

Full-stack Software Engineer graduating Spring 2026 with dual B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Digital Narrative & Interactive Design. Experienced in building and deploying production web applications, contributing to distributed systems research, and maintaining self-hosted server infrastructure serving multiple users.

Education

University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA

B.S. Computer Science, B.S. Digital Narrative & Interactive Design Expected Spring 2026

Minor in Information Science GPA: 3.386

Technical Skills

Frameworks: React | Flask | Node.js

Experience

University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA

Undergraduate Research Assistant December 2024 – August 2025

Dynamic Reconfiguration System: Sole implementer of a YAML-based routine configuration system for Spire, a Byzantine fault-tolerant distributed system, enabling live configuration updates without recompilation. Developed parsing, network transmission, and application components in C, replacing static compiled constants with dynamic reconfiguration capabilities.
Distributed Systems: Collaborated with research team on implementation and testing protocols for intrusion-tolerant system security and fault tolerance.

University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA

Student Technical Consultant February 2021 – December 2024

Diagnostics & Repair: Resolved hardware, software, and networking issues across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android with limited supervision, including malware removal, OS repair, and data recovery.
Documentation: Maintained team knowledge base for complex technical issues, improving resolution efficiency for recurring issues across 10–20 hours of weekly support.

Projects

Pittsburgh Food Access Map: Main developer for full-stack web application mapping food resources across Pittsburgh for Pittsburgh Policy Initiative. Built interactive React frontend with Leaflet map integration, filtering by resource type and neighborhood. Designed and implemented responsive interface for web and mobile. Developed Flask REST API backend with SQLite database. Created admin dashboard for content management and user reporting system. Cleaned and validated large-scale datasets for deployment.
Home Server Infrastructure: Designed and maintained self-hosted server with 50TB RAID storage running containerized services for personal media management, game servers, and file management. Migrated all applications to Docker for improved organization and scalability. Configured reverse proxies, DNS management, and security hardening (firewall rules, intrusion prevention). Implemented automated backup system for configuration files. Reduced power consumption 50% through hardware optimization while serving multiple users.
DIY Multi-Room Audio System: Built synchronized whole-home audio streaming system using Snapcast and Docker containerization. Designed and 3D-printed custom enclosures. Integrated Librespot for Spotify Connect functionality across entire home network.

Relevant Coursework

Software Engineering, Algorithms & Data Structures, Software Quality Assurance, Introduction to Systems Software, Programming Languages for Web Applications, Computer Organization & Assembly Language

Jack Drabenstadt

jackdrab.dev jackdrabenstadt@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/jackdrabenstadt github.com/drabenstadtj

Game developer and designer graduating Spring 2026 with dual B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Digital Narrative & Interactive Design. Experienced in building games in Godot and Unity, from systems programming to narrative design and playtesting. Background in distributed systems research and server infrastructure.

Education

University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA

B.S. Computer Science, B.S. Digital Narrative & Interactive Design Expected Spring 2026

Minor in Information Science GPA: 3.386

Experience

University of Pittsburgh — Independent Study in Game Development Pittsburgh, PA

Solo Game Designer & Programmer Fall 2021 – Present

Game Design — Lamport General Systems: First-person immersive sim set inside a derelict data center running Byzantine fault-tolerant protocols, where players intercept messages, inject code, and sabotage subnetworks to influence an authoritarian surveillance state. Produced concept doc, pitch deck, systems design, and a playable in-engine prototype.
Implementation: Currently building the full game in Godot (GDScript). Engineered a simulated terminal with functional command parsing, custom state machine player controller, network simulation layer, and item interaction systems. Managing development with Kanban and iterative sprints. Conducting ongoing playtesting to assess whether terminal mechanics and game systems are intuitive without explanation.

University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA

Undergraduate Research Assistant — Distributed Systems December 2024 – August 2025

Dynamic Reconfiguration System: Sole implementer of a YAML-based routine configuration system in C for Spire, a Byzantine fault-tolerant distributed system. Replaced static compiled constants with live reconfiguration; developed YAML parsing, network transmission, and application components enabling configuration updates without recompilation.

Projects

Fight or Flight — Pitt Games 4 Social Impact (G4SI) Game Jam (2025): Won Technical Achievement Award. 2.5D platformer built in Godot in 48 hours; player controls a flightless penguin navigating climate displacement through movement constraints. Built NPC dialogue system with per-character text speed to convey personality without voice acting. Managed all Git operations for a four-person team including merge conflict resolution under deadline pressure.
Public Service Abandoned — Pitt G4SI Game Jam (2024): Won First Penguin Award. Ren'Py visual novel exploring the value of public service and the effects on communities.
Caterpillar Quest: Top-down exploration game in Unity (C#) inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Exceeded class requirements by implementing full 3D environments where a 2D game was the minimum. Built custom Arduino glove controller: accelerometer maps hand tilt to cursor position using absolute positioning, with finger contacts emulating mouse clicks. Reworked the hardware pipeline by pivoting from velocity to tilt-angle mapping, producing immediately intuitive control. Python pipeline handles auto-calibration, deadzone filtering, and cursor scaling. Validated through 10+ user playtests with iterated design changes.
Discards: First-person narrative game in Godot exploring identity and digital consciousness. Structured around a single irreversible moral choice that permanently alters the game state, implemented via conditional state tracking that controls which world elements are visible and interactable.
Home Server Infrastructure: Maintains a 50TB RAID server running Docker-containerized services with reverse proxies, DNS, firewall, and automated backups. Reduced power consumption 50% through hardware optimization.

Technical Skills