
Hi, I'm Grace.
I'm a systems engineer, collaborative builder, and design strategist. ​​
I enjoy building to prove concepts, ask the what ifs and why nots, and am 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 enjoy 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.
BESPOKE BUILD
How can bespoke builds illuminate scaling systems?
​A collaboration of builds, craft and documentation of a design for one sleeping setup for the late Judy Heumann. Read more
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH BUILD
What if we made a hand out of soft polymers instead of traditional hard materials?​
A mechanical hand made of soft polymers to pick up a variety of objects with one motor. Read more
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH BUILD
Education
MIT
M.S. Engineering & Management
August 2021 - June 2023
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Joint degree from School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management.
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Selected to teach systems architecture, systems engineering, and project management. Awarded full tuition. Thesis focused on sociotechnical and systemic factors in designing for disability.
Olin College of Engineering
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
August 2012 - June 2016
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Awarded half-tuition merit-based Olin scholarship.
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Research engineer with focused studies in soft robotic propulsion.
Experience
Native Design
Head of Strategic Partnerships, Life Sciences
Business & Strategy Manager
MIT Sponsored Design Strategy Intern
June 2023 - October 2025
Led client life-science programs to accelerate product design from concept to launch.
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Led product development proposals and go-to-market strategy for Fortune 500 life-science companies and biotech startups; won 25% of work worth $2.3M in potential revenue.
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Managed all US-based client relationships including executive team, engineering, and customers as related to strategy, market research, and product development.
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Developed product roadmaps with executive buy-in and customer insights; conducted 40+ in-person and virtual interviews within tight 3-month timeframes.
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Established company’s life science network leading to $4M worth of new business opportunities in genomics, point-of-care diagnostics, and laboratory automation.
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Developed company’s business strategy focused on life-science clients developing diagnostic instrumentation. ​
Emulate Bio
Engineer 3 - R&D Discovery Team Lead
Engineer 1
September 2016 - February 2021
Served as product lead for two multimillion-dollar NCATS/CASIS grants in organ-chips-in-space microgravity research using Emulate’s Organ-Chip platform. Completed missions include SpaceX CRS-16 in December 2018, SpaceX CRS-17 in May 2019, and SpaceX CRS-20 in March 2020.
Product Management
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Managed cross-functional team of 8 biologists and engineers allocated across two NIH grants.
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Collaborated with external groups in aerospace and manufacturing to develop payload features and debug hardware and software issues.
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Developed and managed aggressive development and verification schedule from concept to rocket launch
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Reported monthly experiment updates and data findings to NIH-NCATS and CASIS grant executives.
Individual Contribution
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Developed microfluidics hardware and programmed experiment software to autonomously run bioengineering experiments for launch, travel, and station on the International Space Station.
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Led monthly Engineering Verification Tests in a BL2+ lab verifying nominal flow and pressure, experiment programming, sensing suite validation and bioengineering sterility.
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Responsible for making technical tradeoffs pertaining to biology requirements.
Walt Disney Imagineering
Ride Mechanical Engineer
Summer 2015
Developed mock ride test for upcoming Tokyo Disney e-ticket attraction.
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Modeled and simulated ride vehicle motion by constructing 1:1 vehicle prototype and analyzing the guest experience using on-board sensing suite.
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Coordinated with Creative and Ride department directors to meet design and technical specifications.
Barrett Technology
Mechanical Engineer
Summer 2014
Assisted in designing engineering parts for rehabilitation robot arm for patient use.
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Designed hand webbing to safely ensure patient grip during physical therapy.
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Explored material and design improvements for BarrettHand robot to be IP44 rating.





