Yifan Li

Business Economics & CogSci Machine Learning @ UC San Diego

San Francisco Bay Area

About

Hi, I’m Sophia! I’m a student at UC San Diego, double majoring in Business Economics and Cognitive Science (Machine Learning & Neural Computation). My experience spans consulting, investment analysis, and economic research. Through consulting projects, I've worked with local businesses on growth strategy and market analysis. In finance, I've gained exposure to asset management, hedge fund due diligence, and performance attribution. As a research assistant, I study issues related to small business lending, financial access, and economic inequality using large-scale datasets. I'm currently exploring opportunities in consulting, financial analysis, corporate finance, and strategy, with a particular interest in how data and technology can drive better business decisions. Beyond academics, I'm probably listening to music, planning a trip, in a pilates class, or convincing my friends to try a new restaurant. I'm always excited to connect with people who enjoy learning, challenging ideas, and building things that matter.

Experience

  • Cornerstone Community Consultants (San Diego, CA · On-site)
    • Vice President of Partner Relations
      May 2026 - Present · 2 mos

    • Strategy Consultant
      Oct 2025 - Present · 9 mos

  • Research Assistant at University of California, San Diego - Rady School of Management
    Apr 2026 - Present · 3 mos

  • Financial Analyst at Lupu Investment
    Jul 2025 - Aug 2025 · 2 mos

    - Performed equity hedge fund performance attribution relative to the CSI 300 benchmark - Analyzed sources of alpha and risk through return decomposition and comparative analysis - Supported hedge fund due diligence by evaluating fund strategy, hedging approach, and historical performance - Built Excel-based analyses to support internal assessment of risk–return characteristics

  • Technology Market Research Intern at Case Project Program
    Apr 2025 - May 2025 · 2 mos

  • BCG Launch Participant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
    Feb 2025 - Apr 2025 · 3 mos