Melissa Wei Yi Tan

Experience

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  Nobel English House

  Jun 2018 - Aug 2018

  Receptionist

  Enhanced customer service and cashier skills when dealing with a wide range of parents and students from the tuition centre. Communicated effectively when dealing with challenging customers.

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  The University of Sheffield

  Oct 2018 - now

  My research interest lies in the field of olfactory sensory coding and memory. I am studying how the brain represents sensory information to allow it to store unique memories using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. This role has helped me improve my interpersonal and communication skills when dealing with colleagues and customers. Being the voice of students from my cohort, my team and I represent our opinions and feedback about various aspects of the course to be brought up to the Student-Staff Committee for improvement. We are the driving force for all students to make the most out of our degree throughout our years in the university.

  • PhD candidate and Research Assistant

    Sept 2023 - now

  • Student Ambassador of the UK Recruitment Team

    Jan 2019 - Sept 2023

  • Academic Representative of Department of Biomedical Science

    Oct 2018 - Jun 2020
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  Malaysian Bioscience Scholars

  Jan 2019 - Sept 2020

  Led a team of 4 passionate individuals. Together, we spearheaded MBIOS' biggest events such as MBIOSymposium: A Global Pandemic, Malaysian Research Insider, Career Series webinar and Teh Tarik Socials. My 2 years in MBIOS helped me widen my network with the Bioscience community in Malaysia and explore many available opportunities as a stepping stone towards my future scientific career. In addition, this role also helped to sharpen my event planning, leadership and time management skills. MBIOS is a student-led organisation that aims to be a primary hub of talent cultivation for Malaysian Bioscience students by organising various events such as seminars, workshops and talks. As the member of the Project and Events team, I have helped organise events such as MBIOS Breakout Session during Projek Amanat Negara XVI, MUSOF What's Next 2019 and MBIOSymposium 2019. Being a part of MBIOS has given me the opportunity to meet and network with Malaysians from many other universities.

  • Director of Projects & Events

    Nov 2019 - Sept 2020

  • Project and Events Team Member

    Jan 2019 - Nov 2019
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  United Kingdom & Eire Council of Malaysian Students (UKEC)

  Mar 2019 - Mar 2020

  Supreme Councillor

  As a part of the umbrella body of all Malaysian Societies in the UK, I represented Malaysian students from the University of Sheffield to allow their voices to be heard in UKEC by attending their annual events such as the Ordinary and Annual General Meetings.

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  Sheffield Malaysian and Singaporean Society (MASSOC)

  Mar 2019 - Apr 2020

  President

  With the fundamental goal of ensuring the welfare of Malaysian and Singaporeans in Sheffield, my team and I built a stronger MASSOC by strengthening our relationship with other Malaysian organisations around the UK, presenting more career-related events and opportunities as well as bringing in new and larger-scale social events for the members. As a team, we organised over 20 events which benefitted over 500 Malaysian and Singporean students in The University of Sheffield.

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  Sheffield Malaysian & Singaporean Night

  May 2019 - Jun 2021

  Director of Finance/Props

  As a committee of the annual Sheffield Malaysian and Singaporean Night for the third consecutive year, I have rotated between being a props team member (2019), Director of Props Team (2020) and Director of Finance (2021). This event aims to showcase the culture of Malaysians and Singaporeans on an international platform and have been successfully attracting a yearly audience of 400+. I also spearheaded the rebranding of 'Sheffield Malaysian Night' to 'Sheffield Malaysian and Singaporean Night', in line with the theme of inclusivity in our university. Show less

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  Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp)

  Jul 2019 - Aug 2019

  Summer Intern

  As a part of the Mobility team in Graduate and Emerging Talent Department (GET), we worked on a programme called the Semester Break Programme (SBP) which consisted of two career events, benefitted over 100 university students. CEOs and representatives of companies such as Tenaga National, Panasonic, ExxonMobil, Ecoworld, StashAway, Fave and more were invited to share their experience and insights into the industry. Participants were also given the opportunity to engage and network with these company representatives. This experience has sharpened my event planning skills in a professional setting and trained me to work effectively in a team. Show less

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  International Students' Committee

  Apr 2020 - Jun 2021

  Events Officer

  Awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award by Sheffield's Societies Committee. With the challenge of hosting events during a pandemic, we embrace these difficult times as a team and convert them to a fully-virtual experience. The year was an event-filled year consisting of social events, intellectual events, campaigns and competitions. As the team, we represent the international community at the University of Sheffield and provide a support system for those in need. We also collaborate with societies and Students' Union officers to promote integration between home and international students, cultivating global perspectives throughout the SU and the University. Show less

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  Sound On Podcast

  May 2020 - Nov 2020

  Founder

  Coming from a passion for listening to podcasts, my friend Chris and I decided to start our own podcast channel to talk about topics from many genres that everyone can relate to. Every week, we bring in guests to share their perspectives on various topics. We produce weekly content on Youtube and Spotify as Sound On. To date, we have filmed more than 15 episodes ranging from topics such as self love, racism and education inequality.

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  Skills and Career for Youth (SKY)

  Jun 2020 - Jul 2021

  Director

  Led team of 20 committee members with the aim of exposing Malaysian students to the key aspects of enhancing interpersonal skills and career awareness. The team organised a total of 17 events and initiatives including Career Empowerment Day, Policy Making Competition and Sembang SKY which benefitted hundreds of students across the UK, with the hopes of making a difference among the younger generation to develop the country to greater heights.

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  AstraZeneca

  Jul 2020 - Sept 2020

  Summer Intern

  As an intern in the Oncology Medical team, my experience with AstraZeneca broadened my perspective of the Oncology climate and pharmaceutical industry in Malaysia. In collaboration with Lung Cancer Network Malaysia, my team and I worked on a campaign which aimed to increase lung cancer awareness among general practitioners in Malaysia to promote early diagnosis. This internship was a steep learning curve and it drastically improved my knowledge about cancer and its treatments, spiking my interest in Oncology research. Show less

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  Hammersmith Medicines Research Ltd

  Jul 2021 - Jul 2022

  Student Biomedical Scientist

  As a Student Biomedical Scientist at Hammersmith Medicines Research London, I have gained many wet-laboratory skills as well as soft skills throughout my industrial placement. In the lab, I worked on laboratory techniques and procedures such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), flow cytometry and platelet aggregation procedures. I routinely carried out the analysis of blood and urine samples from volunteers for haematology, biochemistry, coagulation, endocrinology and urinalysis. Besides, I also performed daily maintenance and operation on analytical equipment such as Triturus, Gemini, BD FACSCanto II, and Helena AggRAM, as well as monthly pipette performance checks. All of these procedures are performed in line with Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) requirements. On the management side of things, I also handled the receipt, analysis, and storage of pharmacokinetic samples. This placement also gave me valuable insight into clinical trials and the pharmaceutical industry. Show less

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  The University of Sheffield, Hearing Research Group (Marcotti Lab)

  Jul 2022 - Jul 2022

  Summer Research Student