PhD Student
University of Washington Seattle
Seattle, Washington, United States
Ava is a 5th year PhD student in the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Washington. She studies platelet biomechanics in the Cell Biomechanics Lab, led by Prof. Nathan Sniadecki. Her clinically-motivated research focuses on the biomechanics of platelets and how they become activated and aggregated in regions of high shear flow. This phenomenon is essential to forming hemostatic plugs that prevent bleeding when blood vessels are punctured or injured, but it can be a pernicious event when plugs are formed by flow disturbances caused by heart valves, stents, or blood pumps. Specifically, she designs and uses microfluidic devices and bioengineering tools to analyze the process of platelet-plug formation with control over the conditions of the fluid flow, platelet mechanobiology, and blood composition. Prior to starting her PhD, Ava earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a ME in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Outside of research, Ava enjoys running, swimming, skiing, climbing, and hiking.
Elevated VWF Levels Drive Thrombus Instability
Thursday, October 12, 2023
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM PDT