Xunkai Chen

Experience

• 

  Berkeley City College

  Jan 2017 - May 2017

  Student Tutor

  1. Assisted about 15 students weekly with their assignments and exam reviews in Chemistry, Physics, Math, and Engineering to help them achieve their academic success2. Resulted in all students receiving a satisfactory grade in their midterms and assignments3. Committed 10 hours per week while taking 20 units of classes. Received A in all classes that semester

• 

  Jinan Water Group Co., Ltd

  Jun 2017 - Aug 2017

  Laboratory Intern

  1. Analyzed the potential hazardous organic compounds and heavy metals in the water samples collected across the city using GC – MS, FAAS, and HPLC, which are analytical chemistry instruments2. Analyzed 80+ samples in two weeks to compare the detected results with the database to determine the quality3. Detected unqualified samples successfully and reported the results to the other departments

• 

  Laney College

  Jun 2018 - Jul 2018

  Writing Center Lab Assistant

  1. Guided 10+ students each day with technological issues regarding computer systems, editing essays, using software, etc. Improved students’ editing skills and writing experiences

• 

  UC Berkeley College of Engineering

  Oct 2018 - May 2019

  Undergraduate Research Assistant

  1. Studied the electrical and optical properties of twisted bilayer graphene based on the twisted angle to discover more of applications of the graphene in devices and industrial fields.2. Researched new techniques to prepare the graphene samples with higher yield and new perspectives to analyze the data acquired using analytical instruments. 3. Manufactured the twisted bilayer graphene sample with graphene exfoliation followed by material transfer on the single layer graphene using boron nitride on PPC4. Enhanced the speed of the progress significantly Show less

• 

  Purdue University

  Jun 2019 - Jul 2019

  Undergraduate Research Fellow

  1. Investigated the influence of ion concentration and temperature on hydrogel swelling in high-performance concrete2. Designed and modified new techniques and experiments to acquire more consistent and more accurate data3. Summarized the results unprecedently using fundamental thermodynamic theories and peer-reviewed by the professor4. Achieved significant progress for the group to have primary data and materials for a publication on MRS Advances

• 

  Berkeley Lab

  Aug 2019 - Feb 2021

  Undergraduate Researcher

  1. Investigated the rheology responses of the PFSA polyelectrolyte to various solvent compositions using TA instruments Discovery Hybrid Rheometer to understand their interactions in fuel cell electrode catalyst layer applications2. Performed electrochemical impedance spectroscopy on various polyelectrolyte solutions and fitted the corresponding models using Python to characterize the resistance and capacitance of the solution3. Conducted Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) on Nafion dispersions and discovered correlations between intermolecular forces and solvent compositions.4. Derived computational results for a viscoelastic theory that was recently developed and advanced the capability to describe more complicated systems in Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM).5. Presented the research in the group every other week and postulated the intramolecular interactions based on the acquired experimental results Show less

• 

  UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (SCET)

  Feb 2021 - Aug 2021

  Research And Development Engineer

  1. Increased the concentration of Quillaja saponins in crude leaf extract 3-fold by a combination of membrane ultrafiltration and diafiltration method.2. Achieved high saponin recovery and purity through ion exchange column chromatography and evaluated the performance of various resins.3. Developed MPLC method to successfully recover saponin fractions of interest.4. Analyzed sample qualities using reverse-phase HPLC, serving as a guidepost to saponin concentration and the efficacy of various separation methods. Show less

• 

  Princeton University

  Aug 2021 - now

  Graduate Researcher