I'm Leah — a mechanical engineer and researcher with a passion for wearable devices and soft robotics. As a lifelong athlete with a love for movement and play, I am broadly interested in wearable technologies that augment human performance, particularly in the realm of sports and athletics. By using inherently soft materials that can also apply targeted, localized force, I strive to develop wearable devices that are versatile, accessible, and valuable to the wearer. Recently, I completed my doctoral research in the Morphable Biorobotics Lab at Boston University (PI: Tommaso Ranzani).

Feel free to learn more about my work and interests below. A list of my scientific publications can be found here. For more information, please also see my academic CV.

Research

My doctoral research predominantly focused on stiffening strategies in wearable devices and soft robotics. Stiffening mechanisms are often used to reverse compliance and transmit force in wearable and soft robotic systems. For a complete list of my scientific publications, check out my Google Scholar.

Teaching

I fulfilled my teaching fellowship as a Co-Instructor for EK 125: Introduction to Programming for Engineers (overseen by Prof. Stormy Attaway) in Fall 2022. Previously I TA'd the course for five semesters as I am passionate about programming education. The course covered MATLAB and C, and below are some learning resources I compiled for students.

MATLAB Resources

Topics include vectors & matrices, selection statements, loops, text manipulation, basic functions, advanced functions, and data structures.

C Resources

Topics include strings, functions, dynamic memory allocation, pointers, and linked-list manipulations.

Running

While I love all sports, running has been a constant activity in my life. Previously I competed in cross country and track & field at the NCAA Div. I level; now I race on the roads, anything from the mile to the marathon.

I go through a lot of shoes.

Though I'm a 6x marathoner and 6x Boston Qualifier, I wouldn't say that I understand the distance. I'm still waiting for the one day when it all comes together, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying the process.