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Sarah Johnson

Bioengineering. Wearables. Female Health.


Experience

Broad experience spanning wet-lab and computational biology, data analysis, machine learning, and software development, culminating in designing wearable-based studies to gain biological insights for performance optimization.



Doctoral Student - Imperial College London

2014 - 2019

3 First Author Publications International Collaborations MRes, PhD
Clinical Research

Lead researcher on gene expression analysis in lymphatic vessels of cancer patients through a multi-institutional collaboration between Texas A&M, Imperial College London and Imperial College Medicine. Gained extensive wet-lab experience, collaborative and clinical research insights.

Computational Modeling

Developed immune cell response models in lymph nodes using Java and MATLAB. Gained expertise in high-performance computing and advanced statistical analysis techniques.

Publications

Co-authored a comprehensive review paper on modelling aspects of the lymphatic system including the use of microfluidic devices and compuational models. I published original research on a) the expression of miRNA and the inflammatory state of lymphatic vessels compared to patient prognosis and b) an Agent Based Model of a lymph node incorporating lymph node swelling and chemotaxic influence on immune cell movement and proliferative response.


Technical Achievements:
  • Developed novel non-tumorous lymphatic vessel gene expression and immunohistochemical analysis pipeline
  • Microscale dissection under time pressure
  • RNA extractions, qPCR, miRNA anaysis, crosectioning, immunohistochemistry, gene expression analysis
  • Use of repast simphony to develop model of a lymph node written in Java. Data analysis and sensitivity analysis using MATLAB
  • Lymphatic Education Research Network (LE&RN) Best Scientific Early Stage Researcher Poster Award. Lymphatics Forum. Chicago

Researcher - Dynamic Metrics (Start-up)

2019 - 2021 | Internship → Full-time

Product development Musculoskeletal modelling Company Website
Product Development

Developed vGym - a virtual rehabilitation platform combining IMU-based gait analysis with musculoskeletal modeling to identify underused muscles and prescribe targeted exercises for post-surgical patients.

Technical Implementation

Adapted and compiled C++ OpenSim plugins for ground reaction force estimation, improving muscle activation predictions. Built company website during rebranding, leveraging web development skills.

Multi-disciplinary Role

In a lean startup environment (<30 employees), contributed across biomechanical modeling, data analysis, software development, social media, and outreach, especially during 2020 restructuring.


Technologies Used:
  • C++/OpenSim for biomechanical modeling
  • Python for data analysis and machine learning implementation (classification)
  • Html/CSS/Java for web platform development
  • SQL database use
  • Working with data from IMU sensors and signal processing

Postdoctoral Researcher - Stanford University

2021 - Present

Hormonal health research Injury prediction Web App Development
Research & Study Design

Lead researcher on female athlete health study investigating menstrual cycle impacts on performance and injury risk. Designed comprehensive data collection protocols combining wearable technology with physiological monitoring for 200+ females. Injury data for 60 males was also collected enabling comparison.

Lead researcher on training load and injury prediction using the same particpants with retrospective high resolution training data over 2.5 years.

Joint project using a dataset provided by WHOOP assessing correlations between behaviour, biometrics and hormone-driven events such as the menstrual cycle and the menopausal transition.

Technology & Development

Developed web application integrating with Garmin Connect API for automated training data collection. Created interactive data labeling tools and survey platforms for longitudinal study management. The core framework of this tool has also been developed for use in other studies i collaborate in.

Collaborations

Active collaborator in Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance projects, including testosterone therapy monitoring, return-to-sport after stress fracture protocol, T3 levels and ultramarathon training. Organized 2023 Stanford conference trainee meeting.


Current Focus Areas:
  • Wearable data analysis for performance optimization
  • Machine learning for injury prediction
  • Hormonal cycle impact quantification
  • Collaborative research platform development