Rachel Cheng

Civil Engineering @Carnegie Mellon University

United States

About

Hey there! I’m a civil engineering and engineering public policy student at Carnegie Mellon University with international experience that has trained me to operate in unfamiliar systems and problem solve. I’m interested in the intersection between engineering, technology and diplomacy. Outside of school, I paint. My work has attracted the attention of local businesses in cities I’ve studied at. Feel free to check out my portfolio and/or reach out for creative inquiries.

Experience

  • Information Technology Consultant at Palau Foreign Investment Board
    May 2026 - Present · 2 mos

    Working within a multicultural environment serving investors from Japan, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and across the Pacific to improve the digital system for business certificate and quarterly report submissions by assessing current workflow and deploying AI systems.

  • Gilman Scholar at Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
    Dec 2025 - Present · 7 mos

    Selected among 18,000 national candidates for a competitive US State Department sponsored scholarship supporting study abroad and global engagement

  • Facial Biometrics Research Assistant at Carnegie Mellon University Software and Societal Systems Department
    Jan 2026 - May 2026 · 5 mos

    Led 13-30 year old participants through 1.5 hour study sessions to test hypotheses on age-estimation bias among three leading commercial facial biometric algorithms (Facetec, Privately, Yoti) to inform safeguards against minors accessing harmful online content. Advised by Professor Sarah Scheffler.

  • Study Abroad at University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC)
    Dec 2025 - Jan 2026 · 2 mos

    Master’s level coursework in United Nations Sustainable Development at Univerzita Karlova (Charles University); Authored research on Flood Protection in the Czech Republic through Nature-Based Solutions: A Hybrid Strategy for Skalička Waterworks Project

  • Study Abroad at CIEE Council on International Educational Exchange
    May 2025 - Jun 2025 · 2 mos

    Coursework in Japanese Language, Culture & Cuisine