Hello, I'm Riti Sharma

I'm a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics at UPenn, working in the Multiscale Biomechanics Laboratory. My research asks a deceptively simple question: why does bone resist fatigue so much better than its constituent materials would suggest? To answer it, I image mineralized collagen fibrils in 3D at sub-micron resolution using synchrotron X-ray nano-tomography and radiography at NSLS-II (Brookhaven National Laboratory), capturing crack initiation, bridging, and deceleration mechanisms that only become visible at the nanoscale. I also collaborate with Drexel University on advanced materials characterization and imaging.

Before Penn, I completed an M.Eng (Research) in Bioengineering at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, graduating with first-class honours, where I studied how mitochondrial network architecture shapes cardiac energetics and contractile force in type-2 diabetes. My toolkit spans experimental mechanics, viscoelastic characterization, synchrotron X-ray tomography, and computational modelling. I'm graduating in August 2027 and am actively exploring postdoctoral and research scientist positions in nanoscale mechanics, materials biomechanics, and experimental characterization.