Meghan Urisko
Experience Research and Product Management

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. 

Staff User Researcher & Product Manager

May 2021 - Present​

• Own end-to-end UX research strategy and execution for the single-cell data platform, including research roadmap development, synthesis reporting for executive and engineering audiences, and stakeholder alignment across product, design, engineering, and computational biology teams.

• Conceived and shipped AI Workspace—a no-code single-cell analysis tool enabling experimental biologists to independently run advanced computational analyses (PCA, scVI, Transcriptformer embeddings, co-embedding with CELLxGENE Census, label transfer from Tabula Sapiens). Embedded with engineering teams and coordinated across engineers, designers, computational biologists, and external partners, compressing typical analytical timelines from 8–12 months to approximately one week.

• Built platform-level research infrastructure (user archetypes, jobs-to-be-done frameworks, workflow maps, feedback tracking systems) that contributed to growth from 800 to 8,000+ average weekly active users over three years.

• Conducted multi-source signal analysis integrating GitHub issue sentiment (1,349+ comments), Slack synthesis (200+ relevant messages), and qualitative research programs to surface product insight from the transcriptomic research community. Built Airtable-based systems to tag and analyze academic citations at scale; used Claude to prototype research infrastructure and accelerate analysis faster than conventional methods.

• Identified and advocated for strategic product priorities through cross-project synthesis research: recognized the need for differential expression tooling and successfully advocated for its prioritization over 1+ year before engineering greenlit it; elevated data quality issues into a top-level P0 initiative; defined migration sequencing for the CZI-to-bi[o]hub platform transition, producing options documents for executive decision-making.

• Led partnership development with scverse consortium, identifying strategic alignment between bi[o]hub's data infrastructure and the scverse Python tooling ecosystem; drafted proposal and secured leadership approval.
  
   

Kaiser Permanente. UX Research Lead

October 2018 - March 2021

• Grew and mentored a team of three researchers while setting research strategy and roadmap in alignment with product and development deadlines. Conducted 80+ studies using mixed methods (interviews, surveys, participatory design, card sorts, SUS scoring, A/B tests, and moderated/unmoderated usability testing) across consumer-facing and B2B tools.

• Established a rolling bi-weekly field study program tied directly to roadmap impact, resulting in improved visibility, quarterly reporting, and defined goals. Led the program as Shared Services Researcher, taking on user research for projects outside core UX department and guiding stakeholders unfamiliar with research through collaborative scoping and execution.

• Collaborated with product and design to plan and communicate research findings to cross-functional partners and senior leadership. Worked extensively with B2B stakeholders to understand professional requirements and conduct research targeting complex, specific user groups.

• Led internal initiatives on the role of research in agile transformation, building processes that increased member voice in product development and solutioning.

 

Microsoft. Civic Technology Fellow, User Research

June 2017 - August 2018

• Led Civic User Testing Group for City of Detroit, Detroit Public Library, and Data Driven Detroit, resulting in redesigns of municipal websites and creation of three open data portals. Trained nonprofit and civic organizations in usability testing methodology to enable continued internal practice.

• Conducted 1+ year ethnographic study of digital literacy in Detroit through 30+ field interviews and 50+ hours of embedded observation. Findings informed $400K+ in grants distributed to Detroit nonprofits—the highest allocation across 10 participating cities—and generated local and national news coverage.

• Served as primary relationship owner for Microsoft's civic technology partnership in Detroit; managed $500K portfolio of civic technology grants.

 

 

 

GE. UX Researcher - Digital Innovation Co-Op

Jan - June 2017

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• Researched executive leadership development workflows through 12 qualitative interviews, producing journey maps, scenarios, and high-fidelity interactive prototypes for web and mobile.

• Directed software engineers during agile development process; presented workshops on empathy and design thinking to introduce human-centered approaches to US HR leadership.

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Wayne State University. Research Assistant

2010 - 2016

• Led cross-functional research team through complex historical documentation initiatives, coordinating with archivists, historians, and exhibit designers to deliver multiple publications and eight public exhibits reaching thousands of visitors annually.

• Managed project portfolios spanning 6+ years of research operations, establishing systematic workflows and quality standards while mentoring junior researchers.

• Built and directed stakeholder engagement strategy across museum officials, consuls general, academic scholars, and public officials, facilitating partnerships that expanded institutional reach.

• Architected scalable information systems and digital archive frameworks, implementing long-term knowledge management solutions that improved researcher productivity and established new organizational standards.