Born with congenital hyperinsulinism.
Open to part-time opportunities alongside university
Contact
Based in Newcastle / Manchester — My portfolio
Jack Herman
Philosophy Student at Newcastle University looking for part time work, spanning from hospitality to tech-driven projects
More than a project theme
Why diabetes technology?
This isn't a problem I discovered in a brief. It has shaped my entire life.
Where it started
I was born with congenital hyperinsulinism, a rare condition that caused my body to produce dangerously high levels of insulin before I was born. I weighed 14 lb 8 oz at birth and spent the first months of my life critically ill.
At 14 weeks old, I underwent a near-total pancreatectomy. Surgeons removed approximately 95% of my pancreas. As I grew older, the small amount that remained gradually lost its ability to produce enough insulin, leaving me insulin-dependent.
Today I trust an insulin pump, continuous glucose monitor and open-source tools every day. In my spare time, I use that experience to guide the diabetes technology I build, teaching myself software, electronics and AI to make tools that are more useful, understandable and humane.
I don't just build diabetes technology.
I build technology for the condition that shaped my entire life.
Four miles. Every four hours. For 48 hours.
Diabetes influences my life. It does not define what I can achieve.
From 6–7 October 2024, I completed David Goggins' 4×4×48 Challenge—running 48 miles in total—to raise money for Magen David Adom UK in commemoration of the tragic events of 7 October. It tested my mental and physical endurance; managing insulin, glucose, food, sleep and recovery between every run made it significantly harder.
Read my finishing postWhere it could lead
Make diabetes demand less.
Diabetes technology is a passion I pursue in my spare time. I would like to gain work experience or an internship with a diabetes technology company and learn where it could lead, while keeping my longer-term career path open. I want to keep exploring software, hardware, AI and connected devices that give people living with diabetes one less thing to worry about.
Near-total pancreatectomy.
Became insulin-dependent.
Started building diabetes technology.
Developing around diabetes data.
Explore diabetes-tech experience while keeping my path open.
These experiences inspired every diabetes-related project on this website.
Explore diabetes projectsBuilt from lived experience
Diabetes projects with a reason to exist.
CGMDeskBuddy
An ESP32 bedside glucose lamp that reads Nightscout data and turns it into a clear colour signal using NeoPixels.
ESP32C++Nightscout APINeoPixelJSON
Open repository
Sweet Music
A wall-mounted 64×64 LED matrix that shows Spotify album art and live playback progress, then switches to Nightscout glucose readings when music stops.
Raspberry PiPythonSpotify APINightscoutPillowHUB75
Open repository
AI Macros
A native iPhone Shortcut that takes a meal photo and an optional description, then uses Apple’s Use Model action with ChatGPT to return midpoint estimates for fat, protein, carbs and calories. It uses no server or API key, and does not control insulin or Trio.
Apple ShortcutsUse ModelChatGPTNo serverNo API key
Open repository
Other things I've built
Practical work beyond diabetes.
Lendhub Learning Hub
Designed and shipped Lendhub's internal onboarding and training platform, turning a broken prototype into a production tool used daily by staff. I built guided induction, real-deal assessments, certifications and rewards, a 3D employee handbook, profile-photo upload and site-wide feedback.
Guided inductionCase-study assessmentsCertifications3D handbookLive production
Lendhub website
Second Brain
A personal wiki and web app with markdown notes, chat, GitHub sync, VPS hosting and scheduled Telegram reports.
Next.jsNode.jsPM2GitHub APIDockerCaddy
Priv repo
Arch + Sway Dotfiles
My daily ThinkPad Linux setup: Arch, SwayFX, foot, waybar, rofi, fish and theme switching across the desktop.
Arch LinuxSwayFXfishfootwaybarrofi
Priv repo
jackherman.co.uk Archive
A preserved school-era website and browser-games archive, cleaned up and documented so the old project can still be understood.
HTMLCSSJavaScriptGitHubDocumentation
Priv repo
Learning by building, documenting and running things myself.
I like technology that solves a real daily problem, stays understandable, and can be repaired or run without hand-waving.
My Current Education and Qualifications.
Please contact me for references.
Philosophy student at Newcastle
Building a practical portfolio around Linux, self-hosting and embedded systems.
Part-time junior technical work
Looking for support, hosting, Linux or infrastructure work alongside university.
Experience
Work historyWork Experience
LendhubDeveloped Lendhub's internal Learning Hub for staff onboarding and training / Added induction, assessments, certifications, rewards and feedback features
Shop Assistant and Cashier
State Fayre Bakery, Hale BarnsCustomer service and cash handling / Retail support in a busy local shop
Video Production and Editing
Freelance Drone VideographerAerial photography and videography / Creative content for local clients
Education
Academic pathNewcastle University
PhilosophyKing David High School, Manchester
A Levels in Maths, RS and BusinessManchester Grammar School
Secondary educationWhat I can bring to a team.
Practical support, clear communication and reliable follow-through—backed by projects I have built and services I run myself.
Troubleshooting & support
Work through Linux, configuration and deployment issues methodically, then record the fix so it can be repeated.
Website & service upkeep
Help deploy and maintain small websites and services using Git, Docker, Caddy, PM2 and DNS.
Practical prototyping
Turn a real problem into a working prototype, from ESP32 hardware to a usable web interface.
Useful automation
Reduce repetitive work with scheduled jobs, API integrations, notifications and simple reports.
Clear documentation
Write readable setup guides, READMEs and recovery notes so work is easy to hand over.
Customer-facing teamwork
Bring retail customer service, clear communication and reliable follow-through to technical or hospitality teams.