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The O’Connell Lab is part of the Berkeley Biomechanics Laboratory (BBM), which is a core laboratory co-directed by Professors Tony Keaveny, Grace O’Connell, Lisa Pruitt, and Shawn Shadden. Keaveny, O’Connell, and Pruitt’s research focus on orthopaedic biomechanics, and Shadden’s research focuses on cardiovascular biomechanics. In O’Connell Lab, our primary focus is on soft tissue biomechanics and tissue engineering. We use both computational and experimental approaches to understand the structure-function relationship of soft tissues, currently including various intervertebral disc tissues and articular cartilage.

 

In addition to conducting biomechanics research, the members of O’Connell lab are also active in various outreach activities within the community that aim to address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM, as well as environmental concerns. Some of the programs that the O’Connell lab members are involved in include Girls in Engineering (GiE), Latino Association for Graduate Students in Engineering and Sciences (LAGSES), Expanding Your Horizons (EYH), Bay Area Scientists in Schools (BASIS), the Watershed Project, Black Engineers and Scientists Student Association (BESSA), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

Principal Investigator
Grace D. O’Connell, PhD