People

Miranda (she/her) graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Washington University in St Louis. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Miranda is deeply interested in women’s healthcare technology and hopes to pursue a career in medicine after completing her undergraduate degree. Outside of academics, Miranda is the a member of APO, a hospice volunteer and a member of the prehealth honor society.

Gabriel is a 2nd Year Electrical Engineering and Data Science Student. His research interests include signal analysis, statistical machine learning, biomedical informatics, and circuit design. He is a recipient of the McKelvey Undergraduate Research Scholarship, and a student member of AMIA. In the O’Brien lab, he is currently working on developing firmware and software for a wearable postpartum hemorrhage sensor utilizing laser speckle contrast imaging and improving quality of data captured from cameras. Outside of research, he enjoys swimming and playing the viola.

Francesca (she/her) completed her Bachelor’s degree at WashU in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. She is now continuing her studies at WashU to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Francesca is a 2023 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP) Awardee and is working on the development of a wearable blood perfusion sensor to be used for diagnosis of various pregnancy-related complications. She is interested in medical device development for global health problems. Outside of research, Francesca is passionate about STEM education and is involved in volunteer tutoring and student outreach. She is the co-president of SPECTRA at WashU.

Elizabeth (she/her) is a second year dual degree student studying Biomedical Engineering at WashU. Previously, she received an undergraduate degree in Physics from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Her love of research began at Rollins in a biomedical optics lab, studying the potential applications of angular light scattering. She was born in central Florida and grew up in the area. Since starting at WashU a little over a year ago, Elizabeth has become increasingly interested in pursuing a career in women’s health. She is very excited to start this journey in Dr. O’Brien’s lab, looking into the differences in viscoelastic properties of cervical mucus for women at risk of preterm birth.

Mike (he/him) is a sophomore undergraduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in Electrical Engineering. He is a member of CSICE and the THUR Formula Racing Team. In the lab, Mike contributes to the development of software for a wearable hemorrhage sensor that utilizes laser speckle contrast imaging. His work focuses on video data transfer and laser speckle contrast processing on a Raspberry Pi computer, encompassing both software and hardware aspects. Outside of his research, Mike is passionate about basketball and electronic music.

Shilpita (she/her) completed her Bachelor’s degree at Columbia University in Electrical Engineering. She is now continuing her studies at WashU to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Shilpita is a 2024 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP) Awardee and is working on a wearable hemodilution sensor to be used for diagnosis of various pregnancy-related complications. She is interested in medical and engineering developments to increase global health accessibility. Outside of research, Shilpita is passionate about reproductive justice.

Folaoluwashewa (she/her) completed her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at University of Missouri, Columbia. She is now continuing to pursue her passion for research as a Research Technician in the O’Brien lab. Folaoluwashewa will be working to build a library of spectra for biological absorbers spanning the near-infrared and short-wave infrared ranges. She is interested in improving women’s health globally and creating equitable and accessible technologies. Beyond research Folaoluwashewa enjoys reading, cooking, and dancing.