Mavin James ’25M

From AI experiments to basketball analytics, graduate student Mavin James ’25M is combining his strengths in mathematics and computer science to pursue a career in data science.

“I chose to pursue a master’s in data science to tie together the two disciplines I studied as an undergraduate,” he said. “Math has always been my favorite subject, but I realized building a career directly in math could be challenging. Combining it with computer science gives me skills that make me a valuable problem solver across many areas.”

One of his most exciting projects focused on image poisoning to prevent unauthorized use in artificial intelligence models.

“We developed a model that altered cat images so the AI would misclassify them as dogs,” James said. “The project gave me valuable experience working in the command line, managing files and interacting directly with the computer.”

James also gained industry experience through a practicum with Apiture, a Wilmington-based company that provides technology solutions to banks and credit unions. Along with a classmate and mathematics and statistics professor Jeff Brown, he worked on introducing the Model Context Protocol, a new framework that allows companies to securely use internal documents through an AI-powered chatbot.

“One of the biggest things I learned was source control,” he said. “It’s widely used in companies but rarely taught in school, so getting that experience was invaluable.”

He also served as an analytics manager for the UNCW men’s basketball team, where he applied classroom knowledge to his favorite sport.

“I started out just trying to provide value anywhere I could,” James said.

“Over time, the coaches recognized my knowledge of the game, and my role grew into helping with both player development and data analysis.”

Before enrolling at UNCW, James attended Lycoming College, a liberal arts school in Pennsylvania with just over 1,000 students, where basketball was central to his experience. “I chose Lycoming not only because it was close to home and offered a strong education, but also because it gave me the opportunity to continue playing basketball for a program that was on the rise,” he said. He graduated in May 2024 with a double major in mathematics and applied computer science.

As he prepares to graduate this fall, James is excited to take the next step. “After more than five years as a student, I’m ready to begin a career in data science and analytics,” he said. “Ideally, I’d love to work in sports, following the path of my brother who works as a data scientist for an NBA front office.”