Materials × Software × Finance

John (Jack) Slavinskas

I work at the overlap of materials and software. International experience (Europe & North America). I turn lignin and other biobased research into clean data, simple models, and small tools that help teams decide faster.

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Open-source Commits (12 mo)
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About

Materials, data, and a big soft spot for useful tools.

Endurance sports are a big part of my life. I train year round and finished an Ironman. Long swims, windy bike rides, and quiet miles teach patience and grit. The plan matters, but so do the small choices inside the plan. Fuel on time. Keep the cadence. Fix little problems early.

I came to Europe to study in Munich and work with teams building real materials, not just slides. Germany gave me new labs, bilingual meetings, and a useful kind of humility. Learn fast. Ask clear questions. Write things down so the next person does not have to guess.

That mindset shows up in my work. I break big goals into blocks I can finish this week. I keep clean notebooks and short scripts that anyone can run. I like small tools that make decisions easier for the whole team. If a teammate can pick up my work without me in the room, that is success.

Day to day I move between lignin and other biobased materials, Python and ML pipelines, and little interactive apps. Give me a fuzzy problem, a pile of notes, and a deadline and I am happy.

Interests

TriathlonUltimateProgrammingEntrepreneurshipTravelBirdwatchingFishingGeocaching
Resume picture — headshot
Resume picture
Christmas Market with friends in Munich
Christmas Market — Munich
Caving in Syracuse
Caving — Syracuse
Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg, Austria

Featured projects

Hands-on tools and experiments.

Eagle Scout Project

Custom dugout gear systems for John Glenn High School. Scoped, permitted, fundraised, and led volunteers — built to last, delivered on time.

View project

Prazise

Recovery-aware training engine. Reads HR/HRV, sleep, and recent load to auto-calibrate targets and adjust sessions — private by design. In active development.

View project

Efficient Frontier App

Interactive mean-variance explorer with factor tilts, constraints, and stress tests — compare to benchmarks and export in one click.

View project

Experience

  1. Technology Development — Working Student — Lignopure

    Dec 2024 – Jun 2025 · Hamburg
    • Developed lignin-based leather via extrusion (≤70% lignin).
    • Optimized properties; achieved industry-leading strength.
    • Experimented with new lignin formulations for compatibility.

  2. Master Thesis Researcher — HM Munich (with Lignopure)

    Nov 2024 – Jun 2025
    • Solvent selection & optimization (temperature, ratios, surfactants).
    • Estimated Hansen Solubility Parameters for solvent selection.
    • Evaluated functional changes during dissolution.

  3. Technology Development Intern — Lignopure

    Aug 2024 – Nov 2024
    • Lignin processing & drying method studies.
    • Contributed to “ForFun” functional materials project.
    • With Univ. of Helsinki: VOC testing; identified odor sources & mitigations.

  4. Emerging Leader (Intern) — Sonoco Product Co.

    May 2023 – Aug 2023
    • Analyzed effluent treatment; implemented cost-effective improvements.
    • Deployed Parcview/Everactive sensors for real-time QC.

Education & Research

Education

  • 📈 MS Financial Engineering
    WorldQuant University · Jan 2024 – Dec 2025 (DEAC)
    Capstone: Sustainability (TBD).
  • 🧻 MEng Paper Technology
    Hochschule München (HM) · Oct 2023 – Jul 2025 (ZEvA)
    Thesis: Solubility Evaluation of Technical Lignins in Organic Solvents for the Development of a Lignin-Based Extract
  • 💻 BS Computer Science
    University of the People · Jun 2023 – Jun 2025 (WASC)
    Concentrations: Data Science, Network & Application Security
  • 📄 BS Paper Engineering
    SUNY ESF · Aug 2020 – Aug 2023 (ABET)
    Minors: Management, Physics

Research & Publications