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 is in orthopaedic biomechanics, while Shadden’s research is in cardiovascular biomechanics. In the O’Connell Lab our primary focus is in soft tissue biomechanics and tissue engineering. We use computational and experimental approaches. o understand the biomechanical function of soft tissues, such as the intervertebral disc and articular cartilage.
Outside of the laboratory members of the lab are active in various outreach activities within the community that aim to address underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM and environmental concerns. Some of the programs O’Connell lab members are involved with 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
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students looking for research opportunities in the O’Connell Lab should apply through this link.