Abigail Plummer

Abigail Plummer is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) at Boston University. Her primary appointment is in Mechanical Engineering, with affiliations in MSE. She holds a PhD from Harvard University. Her research focuses on soft materials mechanics across scales, integrating theory, experiments, and simulations to understand material behavior in complex environments.

Research interests include soft materials, instabilities, metamaterials, biomaterials, and geophysics, with applications bridging biology, materials science, and earth science. Her group develops models to predict and control physical phenomena, combining computational/theoretical approaches with experimental validation.

Recent achievements include the Haythornthwaite Research Initiation Grant (2024). Her lab actively mentors students through programs like UROP and STARS, with notable milestones such as Rishabh's qualifying exam and Angela/Mankrit's research awards. The group organizes workshops like 'Fracture across fields' and collaborates on initiatives like the Boston FEniCS meetup.

Key lab activities involve designing experiments to validate computational models, exploring topics like hydrogel swelling, metamaterials, and fluid-structure interactions. The Plummer Research Group maintains a strong focus on interdisciplinary applications in both academic and industrial contexts.