Sen Meng

I am a recent UCLA graduate with experience across multiple fields. Through rigorous coursework at UCLA, I've conducted comprehensive experiments in organic chemistry, bioinformatics, and physics. I've also served as a research assistant for a venture-fund, where I managed multiple research interns and completed administrative tasks, such as scheduling, organizing, and posting educational content on social media.

Research Assistant at FessLabs, UCLA (2023-01 – Present)

Tested whether "shh" represents a universal behavioral signal or reflects cultural-linguistic divergence. Contributed to study design and methods, co-designed information sheet and interview questions. Led the pilot study, collected 60+ audio recordings, and managed Chinese back-translation, which informed planning for the full-scale study.

Research Intern at The Autoimmune Fund (2025-01 – 2026-12)

Investigated evolutionary, environmental, and behavioral influences on autoimmune disease. Synthesized findings from 100+ studies and managed 10+ datasets. Led production of a flagship autoimmune-disease report, authored sections, and developed a comparative-evolutionary analysis of bats as model organisms.

Created 70+ LinkedIn posts that helped lead to an invitation for an Autoimmune Fund representative to speak at Cure and Women's Health Horizons Power of X. Led a group of undergraduate and graduate research interns across immunology, longevity, and women's health sectors.

Undergraduate Researcher at UC Natural Reserve System (2025-01 – 2025-12)

Investigated the relationship of environmental pressures and phenotypic responses through five ecological field studies.

• Macroinvertebrate Habitat Preference: Investigated whether shoreline vegetation presence and cover influenced insect habitat use. Co-designed study methods using plots spaced 10 m apart, 2 × 2 m quadrats, and 3-minute surveys of five macroinvertebrate groups. Analyzed presence and abundance data using t-tests, chi-square tests, and linear and logistic regression, finding three of four groups were more frequently observed in vegetated habitats.
• Hermit Crab Resource Utilization: Investigated how local resource limitation influenced hermit crab shell selection. Designed randomized systematic sampling across 29 rocky-intertidal sites, surveying 1,400+ snails across 11+ species and 900 hermit crabs; used paired t-tests to compare snail availability with shell use, supporting that shell use exceeded local availability.

Undergraduate Researcher at Elegant Mind Club, UCLA (2024-01 – 2024-12)

Designed and built Unity/C# VR behavioral experiments investigating decision-making, reaction time, consciousness, and spatial perception across 100 participants. Developed an eye-tracking task in which a ball moved at a constant angular velocity of 4 rad/s and switched direction every 1-2 seconds; measured an approximately 200-ms delay in eye-movement adjustment, supporting the MePMoS hypothesis under investigation.

Committee Officer at UCLA Bruin Street Workout Club (2024-01 – 2025-12)

Managed external partner correspondence and administrative records while planning student events and developing educational social-media content for health, exercise, and nutrition.

Graphics Editor at UCLA The Daily Bruin (2022-01 – 2025-12)

Planned Graphics section coverage and coordinated with editors across 10+ sections to turn sports, science, and arts reporting into visual content. Managed section operations by onboarding interns, leading workshops, and organizing team events.

Volunteer at UCLA Volunteer Center (2024-01 – 2024-12)

Plant flowers and greenery at Los Angeles Unified School District schools to create more welcoming, nature-filled spaces for students.

B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution – University of California, Los Angeles

Relevant Courses

• Organic Chemistry Labs I & 2: Managed laboratory equipment, drafted comprehensive lab reports, set up and executed experiments.
• Physics Courses: Ran a number of physics experiments across Mechanics, Energy, Thermodynamics, Fluids, Waves, Light, Optics, Electricity, and Magnetism. Used Word and Excel to create graphs and charts.
• Introduction to Laboratory and Scientific Methodology: Ran bioinformatics experiments such as PCR and histology. Drafted comprehensive lab reports.