Christian Castro
← Back to Home
Education
Southern Methodist University
-
| Master of Science in Data Science |
GPA: 3.7 (Expected December 2025) |
Relevant Coursework: Statistics for Data Science, Applied Statistics, Data Visualization, File Organization and Databases, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Natural Language Processing
-
| Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies |
Comparative Religion, Christian Tradition (August 2023) |
Additional Coursework: Introduction to Electrical Engineering, Principles of Computer Science I (Java), Principles of Computer Science II (C++), Calculus I & II, Physics: Mechanics, Physics: Electricity & Magnetism
Professional Experience
Data Scientist
NIT Consulting | August 2023 - Present
- Frito-Lay Employee Attrition Analysis
- Developed machine learning models (Random Forest and Logistic Regression) to predict attrition
- Created models to identify key indicators influencing attrition and produced actionable recommendations
- Century21 Real Estate Analytics
- Built predictive models to identify profitable home features
- Analyzed market trends to provide insight for pricing strategies across different neighborhoods
- Anheuser-Busch Case Study
- Analyzed data on beers and breweries to gain understanding of regional taste preferences
- Identified potential market gaps and opportunities for product development
- Airbnb Paris Housing Study
- Created prediction models to analyze features including room count and proximity to landmarks
- Used GIS to analyze location data and determine distance from well-known features of Paris
IT Help Desk Team Lead
Southern Methodist University | August 2019 - May 2024
- Help Desk Team Lead (December 2020 - May 2024)
- Managed IT support operations resolving software, hardware, and networking issues
- Developed and maintained knowledge bases and troubleshooting documentation
- Gained experience with Active Directory and authentication security using Duo Mobile
- Led student employee customer service team
- Worked with ticket-based systems and network configuration involving security certificates
- Computer Imaging Specialist (August 2019 - November 2020)
- Oversaw system imaging, software deployment, and device management across campus
- Assisted with automation of software installations and network configuration
- Collaborated with both student workers and University staff to maintain University functions
- Gained experience in technical aspects of Microsoft Windows and MacOS
Campus Minister (Part-Time)
Cru | August 2023 - Present
- Managed a $70,000 budget and coordinated logistics for a team of 12 to North Africa for 5 weeks in Summer 2023
- Solely led a team of 12 to North Africa for 10 days, managing all finances and logistics in January 2025
- Developed financial strategies and contingency planning for unpredictable environments
- Gained skills in cross-cultural communication and interpersonal relationship building
- Raised personal support package, developing fundraising and financial development skills
- Previously served on Cru leadership team (Spring 2022 - May 2023) and as volunteer staff (August 2023 - May 2024)
Electrical Team Lead
Hilltop Motorsports Formula SAE | August 2019 - May 2023
- Received design and execution acknowledgment from head of body dynamics at Tesla in a competitive presentation
- Led effort to design and build custom wiring harnesses for Peruna III & IV cars
- Designed and assembled Peruna IV’s wiring harness from scratch
- Coordinated schedules and timelines in order to meet deadlines
- Worked cross-functionally with students of varying technical backgrounds to meet technical needs
- Also served as Secretary for the organization (Fall 2021 - Spring 2022)
Leadership & Campus Involvement
Theta Tau Engineering Fraternity
Member | Spring 2020 - May 2023
- Risk Management Chair (Fall 2020 - Spring 2021): Developed strategies for hazard mitigation during the pandemic
- Community Service Chair (Fall 2021 - Spring 2022): Coordinated service events for the Dallas community
- Rush Chair (Fall 2020): Organized and led recruitment activities
SMU Mustang Band
Trombone Player | Fall 2019 - May 2023
- Held leadership position in 2022-2023
- Performed at university athletic events and community functions
SMU Mustang Mavericks
Member | Spring 2020 - May 2023
- Participated in student spirit organization supporting athletic events
Technical Skills
Programming Languages
Python, R, Java, C++, JavaScript, SQL, SAS, HTML, JSON
Machine Learning & AI
Scikit-Learn, TensorFlow, Keras, Pandas, NLTK, PyTorch, Regression, Classification, Clustering, Decision Trees, Neural Networks, Natural Language Processing (NLU/NLG), Large Language Models, Generative AI, Deep Learning, OpenAI APIs, Groq, HuggingFace
Statistics and Data Science
Data wrangling, data cleaning, feature engineering, data exploration, model selection, cloud deployment, client communication, experiment design, time series analysis and prediction
Database Management
SQL, NoSQL, MySQL, MongoDB
Data Visualization & Web Development
Tableau, PowerBI, Processing, P5.js, D3.js, Three.js, Excel, JavaScript, React, Dashboards, ggplot2
Cloud, DevOps & Deployment
AWS (EC2, S3), GitHub, Docker, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure
IT & Support
Windows & macOS Administration, Microsoft Office and 365, Network Security, Multi-Factor Authentication, Active Directory, Communication and Customer Service
Projects
Built an application providing realistic-voice translations of YouTube videos using AI technology.
Analyzed market data to identify underserved niches by studying IBU and ABV relationships and mapping craft beer culture by region.
Developed regression models for the Kaggle Ames Housing competition and built an RShiny App to visualize neighborhood pricing.
Research Interests
- Technology’s impact on society and culture
- Educational accessibility through technology
- Interdisciplinary approaches combining data science and humanities
- Breaking communication barriers with AI and NLP technologies
- Ethical development and deployment of AI