Elsje Pienaar

Elsje Pienaar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University's West Lafayette campus. She actively participates in the First-Year Engineering Committee and maintains a research focus on computational modeling of biological systems, particularly in infectious diseases and cellular signaling mechanisms. Her work spans tuberculosis immunology, Alzheimer's disease microglial dynamics, calcium signaling pathways, and educational pedagogy innovations in engineering training.

• Key affiliations: Purdue University College of Engineering
• Research areas: Multi-scale biological modeling, host-pathogen interactions, calcium signaling mechanisms
• Contact: epienaar@purdue.edu

Recent publications (2025-2023) demonstrate interdisciplinary expertise in:

• Tuberculosis granuloma dynamics using agent-based models
• Calcium signaling feedback in mechanobiology
• Educational interventions for computational skill development
• Alzheimer's disease microglial response mapping
• Ebola viral assembly inhibition strategies