Zachariah Craven

Hey, I'm Zach

I’m a CS grad student at Montana State University focused on backend development, APIs, and systems programming. I enjoy working on compilers, networking, and service integrations. I started out in the field of biology because intricate systems and how everything works together fascinated me, that same interest ultimately pulled me toward computer science and software systems.

Currently looking for opportunities to work on backend systems and continue building expertise.

Education

MSc in Computer Science

Montana State University

January 2025 – December 2026

BSc Cell Biology and Neuroscience

Montana State University

May 2021

Projects

Notch

Java Maven JUnit 5 GitHub Actions jpackage

Open-source scripting language for the JVM, built by me and the rest of the Notch team at the Open Source Group at Montana State University. Public, installable, and in active development.

  • Designed and implemented the parser's error recovery and synchronization system, so the compiler reports multiple diagnostics per run instead of stopping at the first syntax error
  • Implemented much of the statement and expression layer, including classes, functions, exception handling, loop constructs, imports, and collection literals
  • Built the interactive REPL with multi-line input, tab completion, and session save/load/history commands
  • Wrote the release pipeline
  • Authored JUnit test cases across 16 test classes to provide coverage for committed code
Code Docs

Vet Clinic Application

Java JUnit Playwright

Assisted research group in building out large-scale web application for vet clinic management.

  • Developed software in Java using internal custom web framework
  • Assisted in developing unit and end-to-end tests using JUnit and Playwright
Code Demo

Cat-script Compiler

Java Maven JUnit 5 ASM (bytecode) Javalin

Implemented a compiler for a custom scripting language (CatScript) in Java, featuring tokenization, recursive descent parsing, semantic analysis, tree-walking evaluation, and JVM bytecode compilation.

  • Built a recursive descent parser supporting expressions, statements, functions, and type literals
  • Implemented semantic analysis with symbol tables, type checking, and error reporting
  • Implemented parser synchronization for resilient error recovery and better error messages
  • Wrote comprehensive checkpoint tests using JUnit 5 covering each compiler phase
Code Docs Demo

Experience

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Montana State University · Bozeman, MT
January 2026 – Present

  • Refactored legacy compiler test suites and developed new JUnit unit tests for integration into a redesigned custom-built compiler.
  • Implemented error recovery and synchronization in academic compiler to support more informative error messages.
  • Built custom command line interface integrated into web framework to provide students with improved ease of use when issuing SQL database queries.
  • Ensured comprehensive code coverage in unit test suites for course assignment codebases.

Student Researcher, Open Source Group

Montana State University · Bozeman, MT
August 2025 – Present

  • Core contributor to Notch, an open-source scripting language for the JVM; designed and implemented the parser's error-recovery and synchronization system, multiple language features, and the interactive REPL.
  • Wrote the release pipeline.
  • Authored JUnit test cases across 16 test classes to provide coverage for committed code.

Network Analyst

Montana State University · Bozeman, MT
October 2024 – August 2025

  • Assisted in deploying Cisco networking equipment, applying configurations and troubleshooting current networking infrastructure.
  • Automated network configurations by developing Python scripts transforming YAML data for Ansible, reducing manual entry errors and deployment time.

Environmental Health Specialist

City-County Health Department · Great Falls, MT
July 2022 – January 2024

  • Maintained data to support program improvement plans and managed detailed documentation for regional establishments using internal software tools.
  • Collaborated with teams to deliver educational content and enhance public relations efforts, building connections and increasing public outreach.

Get In Touch

Interested in working together, or just want to say hi? I'd love to hear from you.

Email Me Download Resume