Yuan Chen was born and raised in Shanghai and sees her practice as having deep roots in literature and her diverse cultural background. She has an innate curiosity about the human condition, which leads her to seek the most pragmatic and empathic solution to every problem.

Yuan earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Prior to this, she studied for two years in Shanghai, where she focused her coursework on Chinese Literature. She spent three years working as a visual designer for companies both in Chicago and Shanghai. Yuan is focused on enhancing her design skills, to finding more efficient ways of using design and technology to solve social problems, and to making the world a more harmonious place.