Regular biography
Grace D. O’Connell is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and serves as Chair of the department. Her research focuses on biomechanics of cartilage and intervertebral disc, tissue engineering, continuum modeling of soft tissues, intervertebral disc function, degeneration, and regeneration. She holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. O’Connell has conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University. Her work includes studies on mesenchymal stem cell mobilization, intervertebral disc cell matrix synthesis, and the effects of chondroitinase ABC on engineered cartilage. She is affiliated with the Berkeley Biomechanics Laboratory and teaches classes at UC Berkeley.