Gabriela Villalpando Torres

Gabby is a fourth year graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department, advised by Prof. Beth Pruitt. Her research aims to understand how the non-sarcomeric cytoskeleton of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes undergoes remodeling in the presence of disease mutations and in response to changes in mechanical properties of the surrounding microenvironment. Before UCSB, she received her B.S. in Bioengineering at UC Merced in 2020 where she studied the effects of rock dust particles used in the coal mining industry on airway mucin viscosity. As a first-generation student, she is passionate about promoting the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM. In her free time Gabby enjoys baking, hiking, running, and lifting heavy at the gym.