Paula is a BME PhD candidate starting in Fall 2020. She is working on how T-cell activation is influenced by substrate rigidity, with a specific focus on the interplay between mechanosensing and the cellular metabolism. Previously, Paula completed a B.Sc. in Molecular and Applied Biotechnology at RWTH Aachen University in Germany in 2017. Afterwards, she received her M.Eng. in Bioengineering from University of California, Berkeley in 2019. For the program's capstone project, she and her team developed a novel, non-invasive therapy solution based on electromagnetic fields (EMF) for reducing the infarct growth post-stroke. In 2020, she completed her M.Sc. in Molecular and Applied Biotechnology. For her master thesis, she developed endothelialized channels for the advancement of a cardiac microphysiological system.