Darrion Nguyen
Research Technician Darrion Nguyen (lab_shenanigans) is pretty much the Bill Nye of TikTok. The UT graduate is known for combining his day job with a hilarious, relatable dose of comedy. Nguyen began like many others, first downloading the app as a joke of sorts. When his video explaining metaphase during mitosis went viral, however, things certainly took a turn. It took just over a year for the scientist to amass his social media following of over 500k followers. His unique combination of education and entertainment is rare on TikTok, making him extremely popular amongst high school and college students alike. It would be a surprise to none if he were to continue this creative journey for years to come. We recently spoke to him about his incredibly niche video style, plans for the future, and more!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Darrion Nguyen, and I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017, where I studied biochemistry and theatre & dance. Currently, I’m a research technician, working on a couple of projects in a lab. I spend most of the day researching in the lab and my nights recording random lab shenanigans (hence the name).
Your TikTok content is so wonderfully original. What was the inspiration for starting on the app?
Just like most people on TikTok, I downloaded the app as a joke when it was still trying to rebrand itself from Musical.ly. Initially, I had no intentions on taking the app seriously, but I finally gave in once a video of mine went viral overnight. In that video, I used an audio clip from Dance Moms to explain metaphase during mitosis, and surprisingly people found it funny and educational. When I realized the impact this video made, I decided to dedicate my TikTok channel to creating more educational and relatable content.
Were you surprised at all when your niche content began to reach large audiences?
Yes! Most of the science topics that I cover are taught in high school and college, so it genuinely shocked me to see that viewers from all different age groups liked this specific content.
How do you combine the biochem and theatre sides of yourself in your videos?
So when I hear an audio clip that I think it applicable to a science concept, I’ll do my research and brush up on what I know about that topic. Then, I’ll start planning on how I want the scenes to be shot and executed. Once I start filming, I will relentlessly reshoot each scene until I get the right emotions/expressions to fit the audio.
If there’s one trend you wish would circulate on the app, what would it be?
Honestly, I’d love to see more videos of science experiments executed in the style of POV cooking videos. That’d be pretty rad.
Do you have any advice for any prospective science TikTokers?
My biggest advice is to be true to yourself (cliché, I know). In my opinion, one of the biggest pitfalls in content creating is catering your videos to the audience’s interests; don’t do that. A sense of identity is lost by doing this, and you’ll blend in with everyone else. With a platform like TikTok, everyone has an equal opportunity to appear on other people’s For You Page to become “famous”, so you want to try to be unique and stand out from the rest.
Who’s in your TikTok dream collab?
This is a toughie since I look up to so many people on TikTok. In the moment, I’m going to say Nick Uhas (@nickuhas). His science experiment videos are so mesmerizing, and he’s inspiring a whole generation of young scientists/pre-health students out there.
Since we are a music AND entertainment magazine, we have to ask; what was the last song you listened to?
“Sour Candy” by Lady Gaga and Blackpink. It’s just so darn catchy! *Chef’s kiss*
What’s next for @lab_shenanigans?
I’m getting ready to pursue a PhD in neuroscience, and I’ll be using this platform to showcase my journey a bit. At the same time, I’ll continue recording my lab shenanigans at night and hopefully catch the attention of some potential sponsors!
