O'Connell on UC Berkeley's campus

Research Bio

Grace O'Connell is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley and an adjunct professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UCSF.  Her research uses experimental and computational methods to understand the effect of injury and degeneration on soft tissues of the musculoskeletal system, such as cartilage and ligaments. Current NIH-funded research is using computational modeling to predict outcomes from surgical treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in collaboration with researchers in Arizona and Wisconsin. Research in collaboration with researchers at NASA AMES is focused on understanding how long duration spaceflight alters spine biomechanics and spine health. O’Connell also has ongoing research projects with colleagues at UCSF focused on modeling changes in biomechanical movement with osteoarthritis and low back pain. 

Research Expertise and Interest

biomechanics, tissue engineering, intervertebral disc, cartilage

In the News

CITRIS Invention Lab Opens to Produce COVID-19 Supplies

While UC Berkeley observes California’s shelter-in-place order, with most research labs shuttered, the CITRIS Invention Lab has received a rare exemption to operate the makerspace to fabricate products and prototypes designed to mitigate the COVID-19 crisis, including Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), ventilator adaptors, and materials needed by campus researchers. 

How to Grow Back the Back - Engineered Cartilage Surfaces

Researcher Grace O’Connell, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, is advancing ways to grow human disc tissue — the spongy, protective material between vertebrae — and other engineered cartilage surfaces in a lab.

Featured in the Media

Please note: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of UC Berkeley.
April 8, 2020

UC Berkeley engineers convert sleep apnea machines into ventilators for COVID-19 patients

San Francisco Chronicle
FullStory (*requires registration)

April 7, 2020

First Do No Harm: We Need More (And Better) Ventilators

Forbes
FullStory

Teaching

Courses taught during the three most recent semesters
2026 Fall 2026 Summer

  • Designing for the Human Body   [ENGIN 203]  [WBL 001]  [WBD 101]   

2026 Spring 2025 Fall

For additional information, please consult the UC Berkeley course schedule.