Sofia Arevalo

Sofia Arevalo is a School of Engineering Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow whose research uses experimental and computational methods to assess and develop novel biomaterials for use in tissue engineering. Her doctoral research explored a family of polymers with useful attributes that could enhance function and longevity in the body. Sofia’s work demonstrated the validity of using nano-indentation for characterizing medical-grade polymers, and her insights into the nano-mechanical properties of these materials could improve the design and function of long-term structural applications and broaden our understanding of the mechanics of other bio-inspired systems. As a postdoctoral fellow, she is utilizing molecular dynamics and machine learning to gain insights into the binding affinity of metal-protein complexes for the development of novel self-healing materials for tissue engineering. Sofia’s goal is to develop nano-mechanical techniques to investigate the degeneration and progression of diseases, such as osteoarthritis and cancer, and to develop a technique to measure and model the interfacial bond strength of composites. Sofia’s innovative work has important implications in several fields, including engineering materials, polymer mechanics, materials characterization, and implant design. Her future work holds the potential to support exciting advances in materials science, biomechanical engineering, and clinical medicine.