The J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering is proud to announce that Jai Raccioppi, a Ph.D. student in the Williams lab, has been awarded the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship (MDF). This prestigious fellowship, allocated by the Florida Education Fund (FEF) to fifty incoming Ph.D. students each year, aims to increase academic diversity.
Raccioppi’s research focuses on the intersection of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRDs). By applying an engineering approach to understanding tau pathology, his work seeks to uncover the underlying causes and potential solutions for these debilitating neurodegenerative conditions.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Lakiesha Williams, Raccioppi will conduct his research in The Tissue Mechanics, Microstructure, and Modeling Laboratory (TM3). The lab utilizes modern imaging techniques, advanced mechanical characterization tools, and computational visualization/modeling techniques to reveal structural and functional relationships of tissues at various hierarchical length scales. This research is vital for:
- Better understanding injury mechanisms,
- Optimizing computational simulations of human tissues and organs, and
- Developing injury protective systems.
In addition to the McKnight Fellowship, Raccioppi is also participating in the Board of Education (BOE) Fellowship at the University of Florida this summer, which will give him an early start on his graduate and research journey.