Jiayu Chen

M.Eng. student in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley

Albany, California, United States

About

I am currently pursuing a Master of Engineering in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley, focusing on molecular biology, cell line development, and translational biotechnology. With 3+ years of academic and industry experience, I’ve worked across cell line development, assay design, protein expression, and metabolic phenotyping, with projects spanning therapeutic protein screening, NIH-funded metabolic research, and computational data analysis. Previously, I improved CHO clone screening efficiency by 50% during my internship at OPM Biosciences and designed in vivo experiments in UTX-KO mice for metabolic studies. I enjoy working across disciplines to transform ideas into impactful solutions for human health.

Experience

  • University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, California, United States)
    • VR Educational Platform Development Project
      Aug 2025 - May 2026 · 10 mos

      Developed a Unity-based virtual reality educational platform for semiconductor concepts, including interactive scene design, UI integration, and multi-scene navigation workflows.

    • Single-Cell RNA-seq Analysis Project
      Aug 2025 - Dec 2025 · 5 mos

      Analyzed single-cell RNA-seq datasets from Tabula Muris to identify cell states and tissue-specific transcriptional differences using PCA, UMAP, clustering, and differential expression analysis.

  • Intern, CDMO Cell Line Development Department at OPM Biosciences
    May 2025 - Jul 2025 · 3 mos

    Shanghai OPM Biosciences Co., Ltd. Independently cultured and passaged CHO-K1 suspension cells with precise seeding control. Performed cell counting and monitored glucose/lactate levels to support culture stability. Assisted in single-cell cloning via limiting dilution plating and 96-well plate handling. Evaluated protein expression using ForteBio Octet and CEDEX Bio Analyzer. Verified protein size and yield through SDS-PAGE during clone screening. Participated in screening high-expression clones in a vaccine development project.

  • Georgia State University (On-site)
    • Research Assistant
      Aug 2023 - May 2025 · 1 yr 10 mos

      Dr. Hang Shi and Bingzhong Xue's Lab Successfully maintained a consistent lineage of genetically modified mice; managed and executed regular breeding schedules; conducted genotyping on offspring to verify the presence of target genes

    • Member of Treasure Department
      Jul 2023 - May 2025 · 1 yr 11 mos

      GSU Biology Chinese Student Association Skillfully managed financial resources in the procurement sector, ensuring optimal allocation and utilization of funds for purchasing needs

  • Technical Team Member at iGEM
    Dec 2022 - Nov 2023 · 1 yr

    Silver Prize Designed and executed molecular biology experiments as part of an international synthetic biology competition team. Gained hands-on experience in cloning, protein expression, and assay design. Collaborated across wet-lab, modeling, and outreach groups to deliver a full iGEM project presented at the Giant Jamboree.

  • Head of the Sports Department at Southwest Jiaotong University
    Jul 2021 - Jul 2023 · 2 yrs 1 mo

    SWJTU Student Association Organized and executed major school events, including a Tai Chi competition and the annual sports meet Managed squad formations; oversaw registration for various sports activities; ensured the execution of events