Elisa Wasson
About Elisa Wasson
Elisa Wasson is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Bioengineering and Advanced Fabrication Group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she leads a team focused on bioreactor platform development. She holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech and has extensive experience in research and engineering roles across various institutions.
Work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Elisa Wasson currently serves as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Bioengineering and Advanced Fabrication Group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She has held this position since 2020. In her role, she leads a team of eight engineers and scientists focused on redesigning and testing a bioreactor platform to study tumor cell behavior under various conditions. Her responsibilities include coordinating meetings and preparing presentations for a project team of 21 members, which includes principal investigators. Additionally, she performs computational modeling of nutrient transport in bioreactor platforms.
Education and Expertise
Elisa Wasson holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, where she studied from 2013 to 2019. Prior to that, she earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mechanical Engineering from The University of New Mexico, completing her degree in 2012. Her educational background provides a strong foundation for her research in bioengineering and advanced fabrication. She has developed expertise in bioreactor design, testing, and computational modeling, which she applies in her current research.
Previous Experience at Virginia Tech
Before her current role, Elisa Wasson worked at Virginia Tech as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow from 2013 to 2019. During her six years in Blacksburg, VA, she engaged in various research projects that contributed to her development as a researcher in mechanical engineering. This experience helped her build a solid understanding of advanced engineering principles and research methodologies.
Professional Background in Engineering
Elisa Wasson's professional background includes diverse engineering roles. She worked as a Facilities Engineer Co-op at Ethicon Endo-Surgery in 2010 for seven months in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Additionally, she interned as a Process Engineer at Intel Corporation in 2013 for two months in Rio Rancho, NM. Her experience also includes a Graduate Student Internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2017 for six months and various undergraduate research positions at the University of New Mexico and UC Berkeley.
Research and Leadership Contributions
In her current role, Elisa Wasson has conceived original research ideas and successfully pitched them to engineering management, resulting in several internal research proposals for funding. She has developed and executed testing plans for bioreactor platforms, focusing on key design requirements and engineering targets. Her leadership in coordinating a multidisciplinary team and her ability to communicate complex ideas effectively are critical to her research initiatives.