Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Drexel University, 2012
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Drexel University, 2009
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Widener University, 2006
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, Delaware, #21997
  • Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Traffic Crash Reconstruction for Engineers
Academic Appointments
  • Visiting Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, Widener University, 2013-2015
  • Post-doctoral Appointment, Mechanical Engineering Department, Tel Aviv University, 2012-2013
Professional Honors
  • ASME Nominee New Faces of Engineering, 2015
  • Fulbright Scholar, Tel Aviv University, 2012-2013
  • United States Department of Education GAANN Fellow, 2007-2011
  • Widener University's Service and Leadership Award, 2006
  • Tau Beta Pi Honor Society
Professional Affiliations
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (member)
  • ASTM International, F-27 Snow and Water Sports (member)
  • Biomedical Engineering Society (member)

Dr. Isaacs is a biomechanical engineer who specializes in injury causation, occupant kinematics, and product performance across transportation, consumer products, and recreational activities. 

At Exponent, she applies a multidisciplinary background in biomechanics, materials science, and mechanical engineering to evaluate injury mechanisms and risk in motor vehicle and transit bus collisions, construction and occupational incidents, and product-related and recreational scenarios, including snow sports. Her expertise spans low-energy injury analysis through full-scale crash and rollover events, and includes the biomechanical evaluation of product design and performance, with particular experience in occupant protection systems, head impact assessment, and helmet testing. She integrates experimental testing, advanced measurement techniques such as photogrammetry, and engineering analysis to assess human motion, loading, and injury potential across a wide range of real-world conditions. 

Dr. Isaacs has extensive experience designing and executing experimental testing to evaluate human and surrogate response, including full-scale automotive crash testing, sled testing, dolly rollover testing, handling testing, and component- and system-level evaluations using anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs). She has conducted research and testing involving passenger vehicles, transit buses, rail vehicles, trucks, and pedestrians to assess occupant kinematics, restraint system performance, and injury potential. Her work includes specialized biomechanical evaluations such as head impact testing and helmet performance, and she is well-versed in Injury Assessment Reference Values (IARVs) and their application to real-world scenarios.

Her expertise includes advanced measurement and analysis techniques, including photogrammetry, which she has applied for more than a decade to obtain precise and reliable measurements from photographs and video across a wide range of testing and accident reconstruction scenarios. She has designed and conducted laboratory-based and field-based experiments, including human subject testing and testing with ATDs, for both fundamental research and case-specific investigations. Through this work, she has provided scientific consultation on injury mechanisms and tolerance, experimental design, data collection and analysis, regulatory compliance (including Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards), and product and prototype evaluation.

 Dr. Isaacs has published and presented research on occupational and automotive injuries, spine biomechanics, and sports-related trauma. Her prior research focused on spine biomechanics, particularly the effects of degeneration and aging on the intervertebral disc, as well as the development of injectable hydrogels. As a Fulbright Fellow at Tel Aviv University, she investigated computational biomechanical models for the diagnosis and management of lumbar spine pathologies and studied fiber-reinforced bio-composite materials.

Before joining Exponent, Dr. Isaacs served as a visiting assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department at Widener University. There, she taught undergraduate engineering courses, advised student chapters of the Society of Automotive Engineers and Engineers without Borders, and participated in numerous STEM outreach initiatives. She was featured on the CBS television program Mission Unstoppable (Season 7, Episode 14), demonstrating biomechanical principles of helmet design and injury mitigation using ATDs.  In recognition of her contributions to biomechanics and the application of STEM in sports and safety, Dr. Isaacs was selected as a 2026 "Game Changer" as part of the IF/THEN® Initiative's #IfThenSheCan — The Exhibit: Game Changers, a national public exhibit debuting during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival in Dallas. The exhibit highlights leaders whose work demonstrates the critical role of science and engineering in advancing athletic performance, safety, and the broader sports industry.

She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Widener University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics from Drexel University, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Delaware.

Recent Projects