Hi! I'm Rachel, a first-generation scholar, applied AI researcher, materials scientist, and mechanical engineer. I'm currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at MIT where I'm supported by the MIT Presidential Fellowship and NSF GRFP. My research combines experimental methods with finetuned generative AI tools to accelerate materials discovery, focusing on the mechanics of biological and bioinspired materials.
Born and raised in San Diego, I earned my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCSD in 2022 (Mechanics of Materials). I attended UCSD on full ride supported by the Chancellor's Scholarship, ACES Program, TRELS Program, Ronald E. McNair Program, and UC Blue and Gold. I was incredibly honored to have been selected for the Department Award for Excellence in Mechanical Engineering upon graduation.
I'm currently seeking full‑time roles in AI for science/engineering based in the Boston, MA area, starting Fall 2026.
💻 GitHub · 🤗 Hugging Face · 💼 LinkedIn · 📚 Google Scholar