James Northrup is an integrator and founder with 16 years of engineering experience, blending deep systems-level expertise with modern ML and data engineering work. Based in Ann Arbor, he leads an R+D startup focused on democratizing machine learning and advances Kotlin-based data tooling while retaining strong Python and TensorFlow chops. A seasoned architect and contractor, he has delivered high-throughput backend systems, realtime ad and media platforms, and domain-specific tooling—from genotyping visualization to exchange-trading libraries—often refactoring legacy Java for long-term compatibility. His open-source contributions include practical fixes to the widely used XChange Java library, demonstrating an emphasis on maintainability and cross-exchange integration. Comfortable moving between C++, Java, Kotlin and Python, he pairs entrepreneurial drive with a history of producing production-ready prototypes that scale.
16 years of coding experience
14 years of employment as a software developer
extensions classes - XML and XSLT Computer Science, extensions classes - XML and XSLT Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley
CS, CS at Pellissippi State Community College
Perpetual Study Mathematics, Perpetual Study Mathematics at Khan Academy
Audit - Machine VIsion Electrical Engineering, Audit - Machine VIsion Electrical Engineering at Eastern Michigan University
XChange is a Java library providing a streamlined API for interacting with 60+ Bitcoin and Altcoin exchanges providing a consistent interface for trading and accessing market data.
Role in this project:
Back-end Developer
Contributions:14 commits, 35 PRs, 161 comments in 3 months
Contributions summary:James primarily focused on refactoring the codebase to address compatibility issues, especially related to Java versions and dependencies. Their work involved removing Java 9 module dependencies from the `DataConverter` class and incorporating `DateUtil` calls, indicating a focus on improving code maintainability and compatibility. The user also addressed specific issues related to different exchanges, updating and fixing issues related to time parsing and database connections. Overall, the contributions show a focus on core library functionality and fixing integration issues across multiple exchange APIs.
Contributions:1 release, 8 PRs, 122 pushes in 8 months
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