Hello, I'm Ember

software developer

Ember Lu

About Me

Hello! 👋 I’m Ember, a second-year Computer Science student and researcher at UC Santa Cruz.


My work has a strong focus on applied AI, machine learning, and full-stack systems that solve real-world problems in language models, healthcare, geospatial data, and research.


I have industry experience as a Software Engineering Intern at organizations including Overture Maps Foundation and PicnicHealth, where I built production-level AI and full-stack systems used by product managers and for data analysis of current LLMs.


I’m also deeply passionate about research, contributing to labs studying

  • Neural Networks
  • Computational Ecology
  • Health Predictive Analytics
  • Cryptology
  • Molecular Dynamics

I’m seeking a tech internship where I can apply my skills to real-world challenges, learn from industry professionals, and geek about tech! 💻

Experience & Education

Software Engineering Intern, Overture Maps Foundation

Sept. 2025 - Dec. 2025
  • Adapted 3+ lightweight language and embedding models (Meta, Microsoft, Google) into high-performing sequence-classification models tailored for intaking 3K+ geospatial data points.
  • Optimized model performance to 90%+ by implementing PyTorch optimization pipelines, LoRA fine-tuning, and maintaining thorough documentation of OKR progression.

Software Engineering Intern, PicnicHealth

Jul. 2025 - Sept. 2025
  • Built 2 full-stack AI features (React, Node.js) accelerating clinical trial record workflows
  • Integrated scalable APIs and UIs with REST controllers, real-time React/Apollo GraphQL components, Temporal workflow endpoint calls, and PostgreSQL/Hasura data operations
  • Pioneered groundwork for applying AI to streamline health tech research study operations within future projects

Software Engineering Intern, UCSC Biomedical AI Lab

Jan. 2025 - Jan. 2026
  • Processed 150+ Hepatitis B capsid PDB files with MDTraj/MDAnalysis and scripted automated protein dimer identification via center-of-mass proximity
  • Simulated protein structures with OpenMM/ChimeraX to generate PDB data for ML model training within a Linux server environment under Professor Razvan Marinescu

Machine Learning Researcher, UCSC Computational Ecology Lab

Oct. 2024 - Jul. 2025
  • Enhanced ML models (PyTorch, R) to predict species movement, analyzed fairness in algorithms, and led a software team to boost model efficiency under Professor Luca de Alfaro

Executive Club Officer

2024 - Present
  • Director of Internal Affairs -- Google Developer Group
  • President -- Girls Who Code
  • Marketing Officer -- Santa Cruz AI

Computer Science B.S.
University of California, Santa Cruz

2024 - 2027

Skills

Python
TypeScript
Java
JavaScript
React
C/C++
HTML
CSS
R
Node.js
PostgreSQL
Git
Docker
Flask
PyTorch

Projects

Project 2 screenshot

LLM & Embedding Model Benchmarking & Data Analysis

  • Achieved 90%+ LLM model performance managing geodata conflation with Google's Electra, Microsoft's Phi-3 Mini, and Meta's Llama 3.2 models

  • Working and learning from industry professionals from Twitter and Overture Maps Foundation (steered by AWS, Meta, Microsoft, and TomTom)

  • PyTorch, Hugging Face, Pandas, matplotlib - Fall 2025 Intern Project

Project 1 screenshot

Clinical Study Document Automation

  • Built 2 full-stack AI features (React, Node.js) that accelerated a clinical trial record workflow by 95%

  • Integrated scalable APIs and UIs with REST controllers, real-time React/Apollo GraphQL components, Temporal workflow endpoint calls, and PostgreSQL/Hasura data operations

  • Excellent feedback from 4+ product managers using the web feature for study document workflows

  • Typescript, PostgreSQL, React/Node, Temporal - Summer 2025 Intern Project

Project 3 screenshot

CalmSense

  • Neural Network Prediction of Oncoming Anxiety Attacks using Health Device Data and UI for Anxiety Attack Breathing Patterns using the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique

  • Won 3rd Place in the Santa Cruz Artificial Intelligence competition

  • PyTorch, HTML/CSS - Jun. 2025

Project 4 screenshot

2x Machine Learning Papers

  • Led a research publication and a team of 4+ to build a RandomForestClassifier using data from 19 public health factors to determine COVID-19 risk levels by US county

  • Directed a team of 4+ in statistical analysis of the encrypted Voynich Manuscript to decode its unknown language and co-wrote a pending research paper discussing its results

  • Python, Matplotlib, Sci-kit Learn - 2020, 2022-2023

Project 5 screenshot

OccasionAll

  • Developed Full-stack web app utilizes Flask, Gemini AI, and Spotify API to generate an enhanced Spotify playlist, customized to the user’s description of their event

  • Flask, Gemini AI, Spotify API - Oct. 2024