Work

My PhD research sits at the intersection of structural mechanics and materials biology. Using synchrotron X-ray nano-tomography at NSLS-II (Brookhaven National Laboratory), I image bone samples in 3D at sub-micron resolution to capture how cracks form, propagate, and — crucially — decelerate within mineralized collagen fibrils.

The central question: why does bone resist fatigue so much better than its constituent materials would suggest? My work provides the first direct 3D evidence that fibril-scale crack bridging and tortuous crack paths are key to that resilience.

This research has led to two poster award wins and a manuscript currently in review at Science Advances.

Following my M.Eng, I continued at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute as a Research Assistant, extending the cardiac computational models I had developed during my thesis.

The work focused on how Type-2 diabetes remodels mitochondrial networks within cardiomyocytes and the downstream effects on ATP production and contractile force. I built spatially-explicit MATLAB models of mitochondrial clusters and coupled them to established cross-bridge mechanics frameworks.

This role deepened my experience with multiscale physiological modeling and prepared me for the experimental synchrotron work that followed at UPenn.

This internship was my first exposure to bioengineering research. Working with the ABI team, I helped develop computational models of atrial electrophysiology to study the conditions that trigger and sustain atrial fibrillation (AF).

I implemented ion-channel models in CellML and ran simulations to investigate how tissue heterogeneity and electrical remodelling contribute to AF stability. The experience introduced me to the power of mechanistic computational modelling in biology — a thread I carried through my M.Eng and beyond.

As a TA for Dynamic Systems and Statics & Mechanics of Solids, I lead weekly recitation sections, hold office hours, and create supplementary problem sets designed to bridge lecture content with real-world engineering intuition.

I believe the best TA sessions don't re-lecture — they create the space for students to get stuck in productive ways. I try to ask the question behind the question, and to make the link between the math and the physical system as concrete as possible.

I mentored a cohort of high school and undergraduate students interested in bioengineering and research careers. Sessions covered everything from reading journal articles critically to designing a first experiment, managing imposter syndrome, and building a graduate school application.

One of the most rewarding parts of this role was watching students articulate their own research questions for the first time — that moment when they stop asking what to do and start asking why.

As Vice President of MEGA (Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association) at Penn, I co-organized a full calendar of professional development workshops, social events, and department speaker series.

Highlights included panel discussions with industry engineers and postdocs, a graduate-student research showcase, and cross-departmental social mixers. The goal was simple: help grad students feel less isolated and more connected — to each other, to the department, and to what comes after the PhD.

At Davies Collison Cave — one of Australasia's leading IP firms — I worked with patent attorneys on engineering and biomedical patents at various stages of prosecution.

My work included analyzing prior art, assisting in claim drafting, and preparing technical summaries that could be understood by both legal and engineering audiences. It was a fascinating window into the commercialisation side of research, and sharpened my ability to communicate technical ideas with precision.

This was a joint internship with Mercury Energy and the University of Auckland's Business School, focusing on the intersection of energy infrastructure and electric vehicle adoption in New Zealand.

I developed a market-entry business model for a Mercury EV charging network, including demand forecasting, pricing strategy, and grid-integration considerations. Presenting the final model to Mercury's strategy team was a valuable lesson in translating technical analysis into business language.

At Honda Cars India's manufacturing plant, I joined the production engineering team to identify and reduce MUDA (non-value-adding waste) across assembly line stations.

Using lean manufacturing principles and time-motion studies, I mapped workflows on three sub-assembly lines and proposed process changes that reduced idle time and improved material flow. Seeing a car go from stamped panels to a finished vehicle — and having a small part in making that process more efficient — remains one of the most tangible engineering experiences of my career.

During my undergraduate studies I spent the summer at IIT BHU working with the fluid mechanics group on CFD simulations of internal flows.

I used ANSYS Fluent to model pressure-driven flow through complex geometries, validated results against analytical benchmarks, and explored how mesh refinement strategies affect convergence. It was an early lesson in the discipline required for numerical work — and sparked a lasting interest in multi-physics simulation.