Jennifer Tsai

Experience

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  HealthTech Connex Inc.

  Jul 2019 - Sept 2021

  Summers 2019, 2020, 2021+HealthTech Connex Inc. is a brain technology company within Surrey's Health and Technology District, a rapidly growing innovation ecosystem immediately adjacent to Surrey Memorial Hospital. We are working to collaborate on translational health care solutions that directly impact patient care.Investigated how translingual neurostimulation (TLNS) can improve the brain function, gait, and balance of those affected by neurological disorders. Helped validate the PoNS device in clinical studies using EEG, behavioral, and cognitive assessments. The device is now authorized by Health Canada and FDA for treatment of TBI and multiple sclerosis! Show less

  • Research Assistant, Centre for Neurology Studies

    Apr 2020 - Sept 2021

  • Research Intern

    Jul 2019 - Apr 2020
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  UW Blueprint

  Jan 2021 - Jan 2022

  UW Blueprint is a student-led organization dedicated to building and promoting tech for social good. We partner with non-profits to provide technology services such as websites, apps, and analysis tools—free of charge.Worked with Richmond Centre for Disability (non-profit) to develop a full-stack web application and features to digitize their 1000+ user storefront and admin workflows.

  • Software Developer, Richmond Centre for Disability

    May 2021 - Jan 2022

  • VP of Outreach

    Jan 2021 - Apr 2021
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  TD

  May 2021 - Aug 2021

  Software Developer Intern, TD Innovation Lab

  TD Lab is an innovation team focussed on experimenting with emerging technology and innovating on new customer experiences. We're aligned to innovate and prototype early-stage solutions "for students, by students".Led the development of a banking app prototype with concepts of cryptography and encryption (patent pending). Place first place at both internal intern hackathons. Researched NFT architecture, markets, and creators.

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  University of Waterloo

  Sept 2021 - Jan 2022

  Undergraduate Researcher, Neural and Rehabilitation Engineering Lab

  UW NRE lab focuses on researching and developing solutions to improve human mobility, drawing on knowledge in sensors, signal processing, robotics, and machine learning. Collaborated with clinicians, nurses, and long-term care workers to conduct a needs assessment for skin health in spinal cord injury, with applications to exoskeleton and wearable device design. Funded by Waterloo's Research Experience Award.

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  Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

  Jan 2022 - May 2022

  Research Intern, Cembrowski Lab

  The Cembrowski Lab at UBC aims to understand how the brain forms, stores, and retrieves memories by combining cutting-edge experimental techniques with computation, engineering, and mathematics to study memory across the spatial scales of the nervous system: molecules, cells, circuits, and behaviour.Employed big data and machine learning techniques to study single-cell and spatial transcriptomics of the anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN), a brain region believed to contribute to an unresolved memory circuit. Discovered a new cell population in the ATN! Funded by Biotalent Canada Grant and attended 2022 Canadian Association for Neuroscience Meeting. Show less

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  Nucleate

  Mar 2022 - now

  Nucleate Dojo is a global student-run organization that empowers biotech innovators at the undergraduate level with education, community, and capital.Currently orchestrating a multidisciplinary team of 30 to build out sponsorship, branding, community, and three programs: DojoGrants, a year-long grants program for undergraduate life sciences research; DojoHouse, biotech summer co-living communities in SF and Boston; DojoExplore, an intro to biotech venture program piloting in-person on campuses. Always looking for sponsors and partners to support our programs. Let’s talk if you’d like to collaborate/support! Show less

  • Co-Managing Director, Dojo (National)

    Jan 2023 - now

  • Founding Program Manager, DojoGrants

    Mar 2022 - Nov 2023
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  Strand Therapeutics

  Sept 2022 - Dec 2022

  Computational Biology Intern

  Strand Therapeutics is an emerging biopharmaceutical company applying synthetic biology to RNA therapeutics and developing the first platform for the creation of programmable, long-acting mRNA drugs capable of delivering precise, multi-functional, potentially curative treatments with a single dose.Led the research and development of a machine learning model to predict RNA properties for the application of accelerating and optimizing mRNA drug discovery. Designed model architecture with sequence featurization, natural language processing, neural network, and transfer learning models. Show less

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  Mercatus Center at George Mason University

  Apr 2023 - now

  Emergent Ventures Fellow

  Awarded an Emergent Ventures grant by Tyler Cowen for my research over 2023-2024.

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  EPFL School of Life Sciences

  May 2023 - Aug 2023

  Visiting Researcher, NeuroRestore

  NeuroRestore is a research, innovation, and treatment center that develops and applies bioengineering strategies involving neurosurgical interventions to restore neurological functions.Worked in Gregoire Courtine's lab at Campus Biotech to develop novel computational methods for single-cell and spatial transcriptomics analysis to identify the neurons perturbed in spinal cord injury. Admitted to EPFL School of Life Sciences Summer Research Program (top 2% internationally).

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  University of California, San Francisco

  Jan 2024 - now

  Visiting Researcher, Kheirbek Lab

  Studying the neural circuits of mood and anxiety disorders with cutting-edge neural recording and modelling tools! Funded by Emergent Ventures fellowship.