Valentina Graci, PhD

One element of my training experience that equally complemented my education and fueled my passion for the field was the opportunity I had to present on the startle reflex research at The Ohio State University’s Injury Biomechanics Symposium.

Graduate Research Assistant (2018-2020)

Upon joining Center for Injury Research and Prevention’s (CIRP) Biomechanical Engineering Training Program in 2018, I primarily worked in data collection on the Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies (CChIPS)-funded project, “Can the Startle Reflex be Manipulated to Reduce Take-over Time in Pre-crash Scenarios for Autonomous Driving?” During Year 2 of the project, I was able to take on more responsibility and build on many of the technical skills I was learning at the University of Pennsylvania. I worked on creating modifications to prepare for further data collection and fixing electronics on the sled device – the structure designed to safely provide acceleration to the human volunteers.

One element of my training experience that equally complemented my education and fueled my passion for the field was the opportunity I had to present on the startle reflex research at The Ohio State University’s Injury Biomechanics Symposium in 2019. Another aspect of my training experience that I found to be helpful in shaping my career was the level of inclusivity and mentorship that’s built into CIRP’s culture.

In my new role as a Research Project Engineer at CIRP, I’m working on a few projects aimed at understanding how vehicle warning systems affect the biomechanics of drivers, how passenger biomechanics are influenced by automated and manual pre-crash maneuvers, and how child passenger kinematics vary in different seating arrangements. I’m so thrilled to continue to work in the research areas for which I've developed such a passion alongside a fantastic team.