About Me

I am a third-year University of Chicago undergraduate student double majoring in computer science and mathematics. In the computer science major, I am specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). My expected graduation date is June 2025. I plan on applying for the winter quarter cycle of the UChicago BS/MS in Computer Science program, which would allow me to get a Master's degree in Computer Science by December 2025.

For the last two years, I have worked as a research assistant at the University of Chicago's Human Computer Integration Lab under Professor Pedro Lopes. In this position, I research ways to give people new sensory experiences in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). 

Outside of HCI, I have taken a great interest in theoretical computer science and in the intersection between computer science and mathematics. One topic in this area that particularly interests me is type theory and formal verification using proof-checking programming languages such as Coq and Lean. 

In my free time, I enjoy designing, programming, and composing music for video games of various genres. I also regularly practice and compose music for the piano and trumpet. 

To contact me, please email me at jserf02@gmail.com

Note: The following sections on this website contain links to descriptions and demos of projects I've completed. Due to the nature of the projects I have worked on so far, I cannot publicly upload the code for many of my projects onto the internet. Each project's page will explain more if this is the case. However, I can still send segments of the code to interested employers. If you're interested in seeing code samples for any project where it is not already linked, please contact me at jserf02@gmail.com and I will send them as soon I can. 
The current projects with publicly available code segments include the Chess-like Board Game Engine (C++), Midity (Unity C#), the Snowboarder Animation (Python), Linear Algebra in Lean 4 (Lean 4, a cutting-edge proof assistant language), Highway Traffic Simulator (Unity C#), and the quest module from Chiventure (C). Also, if you just want to see something cool, check out the Virtual Reality Diver Interface project!

Work Experience

Research Projects

CHI'24 - Haptic Source-effector - Full-body Haptics via Non-invasive Brain Stimulation: June 2023 - September 2023 (Honorable Mention)

Authors: Yudai Tanaka, Jacob Serfaty, Pedro Lopes

Affiliation: UChicago Human-Computer Integration Lab

CHI'24 - Stick&Slip - Altering Fingerpad Friction via Liquid Coatings: September 2022 - June 2023

Authors: Alex Mazursky, Jacob Serfaty, Pedro Lopes

Affiliation: UChicago Human-Computer Integration Lab

CHI'23 - JumpMod - Haptic Backpack that Modifies Users’ Perceived Jump: June 2022 - September 2022

Authors: Romain Nith, Jacob Serfaty, Sam Shatzkin, Alan Shen, Pedro Lopes

Affiliation: UChicago Human-Computer Integration Lab

Projects - In Progress

Chess-Like Board Game Engine + Anarchy Chess Engine (C++): January 2023-October 2023, Finalizing at Present 

Nearly complete, estimated completion by June 10, 2024

Projects - Completed

Activities

University Game Design Club: Board Member, Design Track + Development Track Coordinator

Courses

Note: Ordered chronologically within each category

Computer Science:

Mathematics:

Other - STEM:

Other - Creative:

Other - Humanities:

Honors

Skills

Programming Languages:

Tools: