Anna Tarakanova

Anna Tarakanova is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. She holds a B.S. from Cornell University and M.S./Ph.D. from MIT, followed by postdoctoral training at MIT. Her research group focuses on advancing molecular and multiscale modeling methods to study biological materials and disease mechanisms.

Research Focus

Prof. Tarakanova's research integrates computational approaches to understand structure-function relationships in biological systems. Key areas include:

• Molecular dynamics of proteins and biomaterials
• Mechanobiology of aging tissues
• Computational design of bioinspired materials
• Disease mechanism modeling at multiple scales

Publications

Her research output demonstrates strong interdisciplinary focus combining mechanics, materials science, and biology. Recent publications show increasing emphasis on medical applications including cancer diagnosis, cardiovascular mechanics, and viral protein dynamics. Methodological innovations consistently integrate machine learning with multiscale modeling approaches.

Research Group

Leads an active laboratory with multiple PhD students and postdoctoral researchers working on biomolecular simulations and computational materials design. The group develops frameworks for predictive materials design and disease mechanism investigation.