Zoe Tian (she/her)
AI and life science generalist builder. I build production ML and AI systems, and I think about where AI actually belongs in pharma and life science.
writing
Why AI is so hard to actually ship inside big pharma
In a highly regulated world, the hard part is not building the AI. It is everything around it.
A prediction on AI in pharmaceutical manufacturing
Everyone is watching upstream discovery and clinical. Almost no one is talking about what happens downstream in manufacturing. Here is my prediction.
education
MS Computer Science, Machine Learning
University of Pennsylvania
expected 2028
BS Chemical Engineering
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2021
industry
AbbVie
Sr. Business Systems Analyst, Data & Analytics
2025 to now
- •Built and deployed production LLM-powered tools for a regulated manufacturing environment
- •Automated manual compliance and documentation workflows into one-button processes
- •Architected data pipelines feeding manufacturing intelligence and analytics layers
Genentech (Roche)
Automation & Digital Systems Engineer
2022 to 2025
- •Built core real-time data infrastructure for a next-generation manufacturing facility from scratch
- •Constructed SQL analytical pipelines enabling real-time anomaly detection in GxP-regulated environments
- •Led cross-functional data architecture strategy across R&D, manufacturing, and engineering
Bristol Myers Squibb
Process Engineer & Clinical Data Analyst
2021
- •Analyzed manufacturing, supply chain, and clinical datasets using Python and R
- •Delivered leadership dashboards supporting data-driven planning
- •Gained hands-on exposure to real-world clinical data and HEOR workflows
research
UIUC Sweedler Group
Sweedler Lab ↗single-cell metabolomics and robotic extraction
- •Extended a Python-based robotic automation platform for single-cell sampling
- •Optimized extraction parameters and solution preparation methods; validated analytical standards
- •Developed the operational manual; presented at 3 UIUC conferences and 1 national conference
- •Mentors: Dr. Marina Philip, Dr. Elizabeth Neumann, Dr. Joanna Ellis
projects
community outreach
teaching
- UIUC Teaching Assistant — supported undergraduate chemistry and chemical engineering students (CHEM 104, CHEM 203, CHEM 205, CHBE 121, CHBE 221)
- Minds Matter — ACT math instructor, nonprofit supporting underprivileged students into selective colleges
volunteering
- Carle Health Hospice — supported patients in hospice care
community art
- Community artist — zines, ceramics, and local shows