Claire Acevedo

Claire Acevedo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), affiliated with the Jacobs School of Engineering. Her lab, the Fracture and Fatigue of Skeletal Tissues Laboratory (F² Lab), focuses on understanding mechanisms of deformation, fracture, and biological responses in skeletal tissues and biomaterials across molecular to macro scales. She holds a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and completed postdoctoral research at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Dr. Acevedo’s research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Advanced Light Source. Her work bridges biomechanics, materials science, and high-energy X-ray physics to address bone fragility in aging and diabetes. Key projects include investigating collagen cross-linking effects on bone mechanics and developing novel imaging techniques like deep learning-enhanced synchrotron micro-CT.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL)
  • Postdoctoral Research: UC San Francisco & UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
  • Previous Faculty Position: University of Utah (Mechanical Engineering)

Recent contributions include the NSF CAREER Award for studying fracture mechanisms in fragile bones and an NIH R21 grant to explore collagen-level diabetes impacts. Her lab collaborates with the University of Utah Tanner Dance Program to develop K-12 educational initiatives linking dance with biomechanics.

Publications span topics like synchrotron imaging innovations, diabetes-induced bone fragility, and collagen nanomechanics. Students in her lab have contributed to advancements in fatigue testing, cross-link analysis, and imaging algorithms.

• Awards:
  • NSF CAREER Award (2024)
  • NIH R21 Grant (2023)
  • Alice L. Jee Award (2022)
  • Nikon Small World Image of Distinction (2024)

The F² Lab hosts a dynamic team with ongoing projects on glycemic effects, synchrotron techniques, and biomaterial design. Future work emphasizes translating findings into clinical fracture prevention strategies and educational outreach.