Hi. I’m Grace – I’m a systems engineer, collaborative builder, and design strategist. I build to prove concepts, ask the what ifs and why nots, and am always drawn to people-driven work. I like to discover where design and engineering can drive experiences and reimagine systems, and I’ve spent 8+ years in health and biotech fields to do so. With over 15 years working in shop and lab environments, I love working with teams to realize design intent, then prove conditions for implementation.  ​ I’ve worked as an individual contributor engineer doing technical design and development. I joined a biotech startup right out of my engineering degree from Olin College, and I was asked to build out the program’s engineering platform for organ-chips-in-space research. Over my 4.5 years there, we sent three payloads to the International Space Station (ISS) and ran countless terrestrial experiments, resulting in patented microfluidics technology that reimagined and streamlined media pumping and recirculation. My team managed this project scope to meet government contract milestones and NASA rocket launch timetables. I then took part in the Systems Design and Management (SDM) Master’s program at MIT, where I completed a joint degree in Engineering and Management. I studied system architecture, systems engineering and management as they relate to sociotechnical projects at the School of Engineering. Our capstone project was industry sponsored by MITRE where we took a systemic approach to the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes in the USA. I’m currently working for a global design and strategy firm to bring design engineering into big Life Science. My role is to push for holistic frameworks where business, engineering, and marketing decisions are synthesized for transformative, user-championing solutions. My experience in consulting has equipped me with the commercial skills to move ideas from concept to launch.  In addition to large-scale design and engineering, I also take up bespoke customization projects related to assistive technology and prosthetics. I had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with the late Judy Heumann – a mother of the disability rights movements and trailblazer of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). Charged to help her find relief while sleeping, I built a dynamic setup that propped and relieved her legs for sleep. It was a design-for-one project that illuminated key insights for scaling sociotechnical systems within caregiving services and available medical technology. This high-contrast work — from aerospace environments to domestic life — is a mix of practices and skillsets that I enjoy. ​ I’d love to connect with like-minded individuals and communities investigating socio-technical questions within the interconnected systems of technology, ethnographic design and commercialization.