Work History

Non-Exhaustive Version

Sources clickable*

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Founder, GovSteals, Chicago, IL | May 2025 - Present

• Designed and developed a full-stack vehicle auction analytics platform integrating a web frontend, API backend, PostgreSQL databases, automated data pipelines, and machine-learning prediction systems.
• Developed REST API integrations and SQL workflows connecting external auction data, VIN/vehicle information, normalized records, image data, predictions, and application-facing datasets.
• Built and managed automated data workflows with exception handling, logging, health checks, and utilizing local LLMs for cleaning and basic text analysis, APIs, databases, and application components.
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Adjunct Instructor, University of South Florida , Tampa, FL | Aug 2026 - Present

• Subject: Perception (neuroanatomy and psychology)
• Online course instructor certification (OIC)
• Designing course curriculum, holding weekly lectures, and grading assignments

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Technical Project Manager, Non-Profit Lithuanian Museum (Balzekas), Chicago, IL | Aug 2023 - Present

• Manage daily operations, stakeholder coordination, events, exhibits, digital infrastructure, and logistics for a cultural nonprofit expanding into a downtown satellite location.
• Handle international logistics and customs compliance for air and sea shipments Handle international logistics and customs workflows for air and sea shipments, balancing documentation, timing, compliance, and institutional constraints.
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Independent  Data Scientist, & Data Analyst Private Clients & Contract Engagements | Jan 2017 - Present

• Creating data cleaning pipelines for the ASU Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention department
• Conducted data cleaning, ML analysis, and model evaluation for https://reporeport.io/. 

• Designed https://glowriderz.com/ (2026) https://pittsburghlithuanianschool.org/ (2025) https://mgspiceco.com/ (2025) https://www.vipremodelingservices.com/ (2017)
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Quality Assurance Specialist, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Tampa, FL | Feb 2022 - May 2023

• Performed manual and API-based functional testing across enterprise systems
• Supported virtual machine infrastructure management and security patching
• Approved DevOps build changes and supported weekly release cycles
• Contributed analytical modeling to site-selection strategy for an Eastern Europe acceleration center
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Graduate Researcher, Cognitive Electrophysiology & Clinical Neuroscience Lab | Aug 2020 - Aug 2023

• Designed, ran, and supervised multiple EEG-based experiments 
• Hired and trained a lab manager and led a team of 12 research assistants
• Extensively used Qualtrics, R, Excel, Net Station and E-Prime
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Graduate Teacher & Course Lecturer, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL  | Aug 2020 - Aug 2023

• Held 50min lecture every week with office hours
• Graded research papers and most major class assignments

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Manager, Prato, Winter Park, FL | Jul 2018 - Jul 2020

• Promoted to management after a year of exceptional performance
• Kept track of restaurant expenses and managed employee database

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Education

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Masters in Cognitive, Neuroscience, & Social Psychology – GPA: 3.96 | 2023

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL [Thesis]

     Specialized in Structural Equation Modeling, R, and Data Science

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B.S. in Psychology with Honors & Minor in Cognitive Sciences – GPA: 3.92 | 2020   

University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL

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Knowledge Base

Skills and Software

• Data cleaning, analysis, and visualization using Python, R, IBM SPSS, & Mplus
• Structural Equation Modeling, Multi-Level Modeling, CatBoost, XGBoost, Linear Regression, & ANOVA
• Beginner in Azure DevOps, Qualitia, Selenium, XML, Bash
• Intermediate in Python (+ Scikit-learn), HTML, CSS, Jenkins & Postman API/REST API, Google Colab
• Expert in Qualtrics, Microsoft Word, Excel & Powerpoint
• GitHub, Slack, Qualtrics, Jira, & Confluence 
• E-Prime 2.0 & 3.0
• Net Station 5.4 - Magstim EGI Electroencephalography (EEG) 
• Fluent in English & Lithuanian | Basic in Spanish

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Contributions In Academic Literature

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Clayson, P. E., Varkala, K., Baldwin, S. A., Steffen, P. R., Sandberg, J. G., & Larson, M. J. (2025). Spouse support and stress: Gender differences in neural measures of performance monitoring under observation of a spouse. Social Cognitive And Affective Neuroscience, nsaf053.

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Varkala, K. (2023). Observed Error Monitoring as an Index of Theory of Mind (Master's thesis, University of South Florida).

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Varkala, K. (2020). Executive Function Impairment and the Influence of a Break in a Virtual Nature Environment.

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Lighthall, N. R. (2020). Neural mechanisms of decision‐making in aging. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 11(1), e1519.