معرفی
Maria de Boef Miara is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Brandeis University, holding a Ph.D. and B.S. from McGill University. Her career bridges paleontological fieldwork in Canada's Arctic, laboratory-based biomechanics research, and innovative teaching in evolutionary biology and physiology.
Her educational background includes:
- Ph.D. from McGill University, Canada
- B.S. from McGill University, Canada
Dr. de Boef Miara's research explores structure-function relationships across species through comparative morphology, integrating evolution, anatomy, and physiology. She pioneered experimental studies on bone microstructure in dinosaurs/birds and muscle physiology in locomotion, later establishing the Brandeis Human Performance Lab (BHPL) to apply these principles to human athletic performance. Her work demonstrates consistent progression from fossil analysis to live-animal biomechanics and translational human applications.
Her publication trends reveal dual expertise in paleontological histology (dinosaur bone vasculature, growth patterns) and neuromuscular biomechanics (motor unit recruitment, muscle force modeling), with increasing focus on human physiology since founding BHPL.
Her teaching excellence is recognized by:
- Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University (2014)
As Master's Advising Head for Molecular/Cell Biology and Neuroscience M.S. programs, she mentors graduate students while teaching core courses including Physiology (BIOL42A) and Evolutionary Developmental Biology (BIOL112B). Her pedagogy combines traditional lectures with experiential learning through the Justice Brandeis Semester Bio-Inspired Design program, where students collaborate with engineers and artists to develop nature-inspired solutions.
The Brandeis Human Performance Lab serves as a tripartite hub: providing undergraduate research opportunities in human physiology, supporting student-athletes with performance analytics, and fulfilling prerequisites for allied health graduate programs through hands-on laboratory experiences.
