Veronica Ni

Design-first Software Engineer

Hi!

User-centric software engineer with strong project ownership and and collaboration skills from previous experience in UX design, creative advertising, and education. I combine my UI/UX expertise to deliver features that exceed expectations, focusing on well-designed, robustly tested, and scalable code.

🤝 I start every task by asking questions and listening, to ensure I understand the problem completely before implementing a solution.

🗺️ I'm adept at taking full ownership of projects and breaking down complex, difficult goals into manageable tasks with clear documentation and defined next steps.

🎨 With hands-on enterprise UI/UX experience, I make sure designers understand technical limits without jargon, and ensure that design details do not fall through the cracks during development.

🥳 I take the work seriously but not myself. I celebrate others on my team and handle difficult situations with humor, actively boosting morale by finding the fun in small things.

đź“š I foster a continuous learning culture to elevate team performance and adhere to best practices by actively asking questions, promoting knowledge sharing.

Previously...

I designed and taught K-12 lesson plans across six Japanese public schools, successfully operating in a 100% Japanese workplace after self-teaching N3 Japanese and business etiquette.

I've spearheaded design and branding for interactive digital platforms, web + television animation, live events, photo shoots, installations, digital + print media campaigns, and more as Art Director at Black Math Inc. I’ve been privileged to work with clients such as:

Experience

  1. Developer I

    Schrödinger Inc.
    May 2025
    —
    present
    New York

    • Accelerating drug discovery workflows by developing graphical molecular dynamics analysis tools using Python, PyQt, and an MVC framework. Applying test-driven development and object-oriented principles to build scalable features with rigorous unit testing.

    • Scaling org-wide AI adoption as member of the Agentic DevX working group. Authoring educational newsletters on responsible use of AI and facilitating cross-department workshops on integrating agents into the software development lifecycle.

    • Operating in an Agile environment, drafting Jira tickets, architecting code, and organizing work into deliverable tasks to ensure on-time feature releases.

    • Collaborating with UX designers, product managers, scientific stakeholders, and QA teams; applying UX principles to bridge communication between teams and align on complex requirements.

  2. UX Designer (Intern, Contractor)

    ClinicMind Inc.
    Oct 2024
    —
    May 2025
    Remote

    • Designed a unified patient intake system across mobile, web, and kiosk platforms using Figma and Adobe Illustrator. Simplified navigation and expanded selection options to increase user adoption and accessibility.

    • Rearchitected the design system to achieve 1:1 parity with the Material Icon API, enabling developers to map assets directly to code via standardized naming.

    • Maintained and extended the design system, establishing new standards for modals and features. Created detailed UX specs and interactive prototypes to streamline design-to-development handoff.

    • Accelerated product discovery by facilitating stakeholder workshops to define requirements and partnering with engineering leads to validate technical feasibility prior to high-fidelity handoff.

  3. Software Engineer, UI

    NaviGuide Inc.
    Jul 2024
    —
    Nov 2024
    New York

    • Led the UX/UI design and implementation of a consumer website using React and Tailwind CSS to secure VC interest and strategic partnerships (Pursuit, Boys & Girls Club). Created detailed Figma prototypes and UX specifications for multiple user-facing dashboards.

    • Engineered a multi-step user onboarding flow using PHP Laravel, including user authentication, backend data connection, and an authorization process enforcing parental consent for student users.

    • Managed project tasks via Jira, maintained continuous team alignment, and collaborated with engineering lead to validate and optimize technical decisions throughout development.

  4. Fullstack Software Engineer (Volunteer)

    Live Music Project
    Mar 2024
    —
    Jul 2024
    New York

    • Refactored and maintained a legacy codebase (Django, Django REST Framework, React), improving stability, performance, and maintainability, while integrating third-party features like reCAPTCHA validation.

  5. Software Engineer Intern

    Rithm School - Student Information System
    Jan 2024
    —
    Feb 2024
    Remote

    • Implemented a RDBMS-based tagging system to improve search functionality in a Django and PostgreSQL based platform. Streamlined testing using third party libraries for model generation, and achieved 99% unit test coverage of new features.

  6. Assistant Language Teacher

    Japan Exchange and Teaching Program
    2021
    —
    2023
    Japan

    • Rapidly designed and taught K-12 lesson plans across six Japanese public schools.

    • Self-taught N3 Japanese to operate in a 100% Japanese workplace. Served as Area Leader and US Cultural Ambassador, mentoring peers on cultural adjustment while organizing community activities.

  7. Art Director

    Black Math Inc.
    Sep 2016
    —
    Aug 2020
    Boston

    • Spearheaded concept-to-delivery of branding campaigns in multiple domains (online, web/TV animation, live action/events, VFX, installation). Clients include America’s Test Kitchen, Meta, Instagram, Kellogg’s, National Geographic, Reebok, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and Starbucks.

    • Ensured consistent delivery of design assets under tight deadlines and evolving requirements. Pitched creative concepts, managed staff/freelance talent, and collaborated with animation/production teams.

Resume PDF

Projects

  • Webflow
    Adobe CC
    After Effects
    Demo of veronicani.com

    veronicani.com

    Demo

    A bespoke website designed with Webflow to showcase my design and illustration practice.

  • Flask
    Jinja
    Google Maps API
    Bootstrap
    SASS
    PostgreSQL
    Demo of Flask Cafe app

    Flask Cafe

    Github
    Demo
    username:
    admin
    password:
    secret

    A full stack MVP Flask application with Google Maps API integration to allow users to browse cafes, add new cafes, favorite cafes, and add menu specialties.

  • React
    Express
    Node.js
    PostgreSQL
    Jest
    Demo of Jobly app

    Jobly

    Github
    Demo
    username:
    admin
    password:
    secret

    A job board application built with a React frontend. It includes a RESTful API to interface with an Express backend and uses a relational database to store user and company records. Full authentication and authorization routes built for users and admin, tested with Jest at 99% coverage.

    The server may be sleeping đź’¤, and needs a minute to wake up!
  • Flask
    Jinja
    Google Maps API
    Bootstrap
    Demo of Sharebnb app

    Sharebnb

    Github
    Demo

    Full stack space-sharing application with a React frontend. It interfaces with a RESTful Flask API, and integrates AWS S3 for photo storage. Users can browse, search, and add listings on the site.

    The server may be sleeping đź’¤, and needs a minute to wake up!

Let's Chat!

Feel free to say hi or ask any questions! I can be reached at:

hello.veronicani@gmail.com