# Kara Lu

> Software Engineer at Ladder Life

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/karalu

## Work Experience
### Software Engineer @ Ladder Life
Jan 2019 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area

### Software Engineering Fellow @ Hack Reactor
Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco Bay Area
▪ Screened candidates for technical skill level and cultural compatibility
▪ Guided students in solving coding challenges and conduct mock interviews with alumni job seekers
▪ Supported current students in understanding syntax, JavaScript concepts, workflow

### Customer Service Associate @ Follett Higher Education
Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Hayward, California
▪Process transactions efficiently while accommodating variety of payment types
▪Maintain clean, orderly sales floor; adjust merchandise displays and layout; and track expiration dates to encourage sales and ensure customer satisfaction
▪Assist customers with textbook purchase, rental, buyback, check-in, and orders for out-of-stock books
▪Calculate tills and organize paperwork for manager review

### Remote QA Engineer @ Knowledge NoteBook, LLC
Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Fremont, CA
▪ Screened Knowledge NoteBook learning enhancement software for defects.
▪ Compiled and submitted error reports including images and instructions for reproducibility.
▪ Designed base construction and visual elements for software website.

### Student Researcher @ Wellesley College, Shaer Human-Computer Interaction Lab
Jan 2012 – Jan 2014 | Wellesley, MA
▪ Developed survey tool to collect data on user interactions with personal genomics.
▪ Presented software to biologists and computer scientists at conferences: ITS 2012, IBE 2013.
▪ Co-authored paper on reality-based interfaces for bio-design published in Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-013-0752-1.

### Summer Intern @ Wellesley College, Shaer Human-Computer Interaction Lab
Jan 2012 – Jan 2012 | Wellesley, MA
▪ Designed and implemented kinesthetic user interface for software tools to help biologists design genetic constructs for cloning.
▪ Conducted in-person user studies with laypeople, academic researchers, and domain experts.
▪ Met frequently with users and PI for direction, discussion, and feedback on prototypes.
▪ Created professional web layout for Wellesley HCI’s iGEM 2012 website.
▪ Awarded World Finalist, Best Requirements Engineering, Best Eugene-based Design, Best SBOL Tool at iGEM Competition 2012.

### Summer Intern @ Sansum Diabetes Research Institute
Jan 2013 – Jan 2013
▪ Presented and stimulated discussion on novel diabetes care technologies to educate patients
▪ Participated with and encouraged youth in community exercise and health education programs
▪ Designed cross-culturally accessible visual literature for community gestational diabetes clinic
▪ Shadowed medical professionals in endocrinology, internal medicine, hematology, oncology, neurology, rheumatology, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, dermatology

### Student Researcher @ Wellesley College: Sequeira Lab
Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 | Wellesley, MA
▪ Sequenced, analyzed, assembled DNA data from Galápagos weevil populations to provide insight into effects of habitat fragmentation

### Intern @ MedImmune
Jan 2011 – Jan 2011 | Mountain View, CA
▪ Analyzed prospective reagents to determine compatibility with existing protocols and future vaccine development projects
▪ Evaluated candidate cell lines with ELISA for current vaccine in development

### Summer Intern @ Dongzhennalan (NGO)
Jan 2009 – Jan 2009
▪ Interviewed activists involved in HIV/AIDS awareness and NGO networking
▪ Distributed HIV/AIDS literature to establishments in Beijing
▪ Translated Chinese articles to English to raise awareness abroad


## Education
### Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Biology, General
Wellesley College

### Computer Software Engineering
Hack Reactor


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kara-lu

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Source: https://flows.cv/karalu
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/karalu/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-10