Open to opportunities

Yuri Sarma

@yurisarma

Research associate and data-driven biomedical researcher, turning microfluidic and microbiome insights into predictive models.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a role where I can pair biomedical curiosity with rigorous data modeling—turning messy experiments into predictive insights, clear stakeholder narratives, and measurable impact, while continuing to grow my research and product-building skills.

I’m a Research Associate (NSF CAREER) at Illinois Institute of Technology, working at the intersection of biomedical research and quantitative modeling. I advise NSF stakeholders, translate complex experimental results into strategic roadmaps, and help shape grant narratives for program officers.

In my NSF-funded microfluidic cancer platform work, I synthesized findings from 700+ experimental runs into a prioritized research roadmap adopted across the program. I also built Python-based gut microbiome–pharmacokinetic predictive models reaching 90% accuracy, improving experimental resource allocation and reducing misdirected runs by an estimated 30%.

Beyond research, I’ve led operations for a 30-member technical team, diagnosing and resolving delivery bottlenecks and improving turnaround time by 20% across 300+ deliverables. I’ve also founded SponScore to score employer sponsorship likelihood using USCIS/DOL datasets, and I’m focused on scaling this data product through licensing and partnerships.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Founder

Current

SponScore

Jan 2026 - Present (3 months)

Founded a data product scoring 1,000+ employers on sponsorship likelihood using USCIS/DOL datasets, after identifying an H-1B/OPT employer intelligence market gap. Scaled through IIT’s startup accelerator, reaching 116% organic user growth across 8+ countries with zero ad spend and advancing toward institutional licensing and recruiter partnerships.

Product Development Market Research Data Product Scoring Data Pipelines Growth Analytics Startup Accelerator Partnerships Development

Current

Founder - SponScore

Current

SponScore

Jan 2026 - Present (3 months)

Built and launched a data product scoring 1,000+ H-1B/OPT employers on sponsorship likelihood using USCIS/DOL datasets. Scaled globally through an IIT startup accelerator, reaching 116% organic user growth across 8+ countries with zero ad spend.

Python SQL Data Pipelines predictive modeling Product Development Market Research USICS DOL Data Integration Scaling

Research Associate (NSF CAREER)

Bhushan Lab, Illinois Institute of Technology

May 2024 - Dec 2025 (1 year 7 months)

Advised NSF stakeholders on strategic direction for a $500K federally funded microfluidic cancer platform, synthesizing 700+ experimental runs into a prioritized roadmap adopted across the program. Built Python-based gut microbiome–pharmacokinetic predictive models reaching 90% accuracy, reducing misdirected runs by an estimated 30%.

Python predictive modeling Statistical Analysis Data Visualization Microfluidics Gut Microbiome–PK Modeling Competitive Benchmarking Grant Reporting Roadmapping

Research Associate

Bhushan Lab, Illinois Institute of Technology

May 2024 - Dec 2025 (1 year 7 months)

Advised NSF stakeholders on a $500K microfluidic cancer platform, synthesizing 700+ experimental runs into a prioritized research roadmap adopted across the program. Built Python-based gut microbiome–pharmacokinetic predictive models (90% accuracy), reducing misdirected runs by an estimated 30%, and shaped the grant renewal narrative using competitive benchmarking across 50+ peer publications.

Python predictive modeling Statistical Analysis Data Visualization Competitive Benchmarking Roadmapping Grant writing Microbiome–Pharmacokinetics Modeling

Team Lead, Operations

Collegedunia

Jun 2021 - Jul 2023 (2 years 1 month)

Diagnosed and resolved a delivery bottleneck impacting a 30-member team by redesigning workflow and reporting infrastructure, reducing turnaround time by 20% across 300+ technical deliverables. Served as the primary interface between technical teams and executive stakeholders, translating operational risks into recommendations with clear tradeoffs.

Operations Management Stakeholder Management Executive Communication Cross functional Leadership Project Delivery