Profile photo
Hekus
Computer Scientist - Software Engineer - Gamer

Experience

University of Iowa

Degree
  • Bachelor of Arts — Computer Science
    Graduated August 2019
  • Minor — Art History
Extra Curriculars
EPX Studio — 2015–2019
  • Treasurer — 2018–2019
  • President — 2017–2018
  • Vice-President — 2016–2017
  • Team Leader — 2015–2019
  • Project Manager on three shipped game titles.
  • Organised fully-funded trips to Gen Con, GDC, and Train Jam via grants.
  • Managed event budgets of $500–$20k.
Students in Technology and Sciences (SiTS)
  • Founding Member & Treasurer — 2019

Work Experience

Integrated DNA Technologies
Software Developer I — Sep 2019–Present

Coralville, IA & Leuven, Belgium

  • Develop and maintain internal .NET applications (WinForms, Blazor, RESTful web services, Windows services) supporting synthetic DNA manufacturing.
  • Build software with direct PLC machine interaction for automated control of DNA synthesis hardware.
  • Manage Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines, AWS databases, and Power BI dashboards across multiple global teams.
Design Engineering Intern — Spring 2019
Visual Intelligence Lab — University of Iowa
Undergraduate Research Assistant — Jun 2017–Oct 2018
  • Built a Unity3D virtual driving scene for driver-behaviour recognition via pose tracking.
  • Assisted with Studio 360 (99-camera 4D scanning dome) setup and data processing.
  • Co-designed a crowd-sourced 3D model segmentation Game with a Purpose (GWAP).
Edammo, Inc.
Software Development Intern — Jul 2016–May 2017
  • Developed AWS-hosted web products in C++, Python, and SQLite.
  • Peer-programmed predictive and classification algorithms for financial analytics.
Dept. of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering — University of Iowa
Research Intern — Aug 2016–May 2017
  • Developed C++ and Python code for classification algorithms.
College of Engineering — University of Iowa
Instructor, Pre-Engineering Camps — Summers 2017 & 2018
  • Designed and taught week-long robotics curriculum for students aged 10–15.
Jewelry By Harold
Sales and Design — 2011–2016

About

Hello! I'm Hekus — born in the Netherlands, raised in Iowa. My family's connection to Iowa goes back further than my own: after World War II, my grandmother began writing to students at a small farm school in Iowa City, a bond that grew so strong the mayor of Iowa City declared September 9, 1997 "Leny van Beek Day" in her honor. When my parents decided to bring us to the United States in 2005, Iowa was always the destination — we just made a pit stop through Massachusetts and Missouri first. I've called Iowa City home since I was nine.

Growing up I attended Mark Twain Elementary, Southeast Junior High, and Iowa City High School, where I represented my school at Iowa Model United Nations and helped with stage design for the school musicals. My parents run a small jewelry business in North Liberty, where I spent years working with them and learning to design custom pieces with 3D CAD/CAM software.

At the University of Iowa I earned my Bachelor's in Computer Science with a minor in Art History. I threw myself into EPX Studio, one of the largest student organizations on campus, working my way from Team Leader to President and serving as Project Manager on three shipped game titles. After graduating in 2019 I joined Integrated DNA Technologies in Coralville, building software that directly supports DNA synthesis — including assays used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, US immigration law forced me to leave the country I had lived in since I was seven. I continued my work at IDT from Leuven, Belgium, and in 2023 I testified before the US Senate Budget Committee as a member of Improve the Dream, advocating for legislation protecting children of legal immigrants. I returned to Iowa City in April 2026 and am glad to be home. Outside of work I am a Freemason, a lifelong gamer, and an avid tabletop player.

Skills

Software Development

Programming Languages
  • C#
  • Python
  • SQL
  • HTML & CSS
  • Java
  • C++
DevOps & Cloud
  • Azure DevOps
  • AWS
  • Git / GitHub
  • Databricks
Data & Reporting
  • Power BI
  • SSMS
Collaboration
  • Monday.com
  • Miro
  • GitHub Copilot
Design & Other
  • Unity3D
  • Visual Studio
  • Adobe Suite
  • 3D CAD/CAM

General

Spoken Language
  • English
  • Dutch
  • Spanish
Hobbies
  • Freemasonry
  • Video Games
    • World of Warcraft
    • Call of Duty
    • Rainbow Six Siege
    • Diablo
    • Civilization
    • Final Fantasy XIV
    • Jackbox
    • Valheim
    • Overwatch
  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • Tabletop Games
  • Books
  • Pokemon Cards
  • LEGO
  • Funko POP!

Leadership & Community

Freemasonry

Worshipful Master — Ongoing
  • Clarksville Lodge No. 668 — 2019
  • Iowa City Lodge No. 4 — 2022
  • Presides over lodge meetings and organises community events, including the annual Hope Lodge Christmas Dinner.
  • Manages and maintains websites for Iowa City Lodge No. 4 and Mt. Vernon Lodge No. 112.

Honours

  • Iowa Scholars Award — University of Iowa, Aug 2015
  • Ben & Carol Ploof Award (Masonic scholarship) — May 2015
  • Iowa Youth Salute — Finalist, Feb 2015

Civic & Community

Improve the Dream

Immigration Advocacy — Ongoing

  • Advocates for legislation protecting children of legal immigrants who age out of the system due to visa backlogs.
  • Testified before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, September 13, 2023 — Written testimony · C-SPAN
Hope Lodge Christmas Dinner

Iowa City — 2013–2021

  • Annual dinner for Hope Lodge cancer patients hosted with fellow Masons.