Academic Credentials
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 2025
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 2025
  • B.S., Human Biology, University of Southern California, 2013
Additional Education & Training
  • Late-Entry Accelerated Program in Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 2019 – 2021
  • Data Science, General Assembly, 2017 – 2018
Academic Appointments
  • Co-Instructor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 2022
  • Teaching Assistant, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 2020 – 2021
Professional Honors
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fellowship: Health-Related Research through the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, 2022 – 2024
  • Distinguished Mechanical Engineering Fellowship, Boston University, 2021 – 2022
  • College of Engineering Scholarship (Full Award), Boston University, 2020 – 2021
  • Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, University of Southern California
Professional Affiliations
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (2021 – Present)
  • Massachusetts Association for Women in Science (2021 – Present)

Dr. Leah Gaeta is an expert in Biomechanics, specializing in the intersection of wearable devices and soft robotics. Her interdisciplinary background bridges mechanical engineering and human biology to research and develop responsive, adaptable wearable systems that are biologically integrated and valuable to the end-user. 

With a Ph.D. from Boston University, Dr. Gaeta focuses on technologies that augment human performance and enhance how individuals experience the world, particularly within the health, fitness, medical rehabilitation, and athletics industries. She leverages her expertise to provide clients with innovative solutions for complex biomechanical challenges, ensuring that wearable systems are both functionally robust and user-centric. By blending rigorous engineering principles with a deep understanding of human movement and physiology, she helps develop next-generation technologies that optimize physical capability and improve quality of life across diverse applications.

As a doctoral researcher in the Morphable Biorobotics Lab, Dr. Gaeta engineered and published soft robotic technologies that adapt to the human body and she is an expert in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Her research focused on stiffness localization for targeted force transmission and magnetic-based stiffness modulation for low energy consumption. While supported by the NIH, she led cross-functional experimental research, mentored engineering students, and collaborated with clinical partners. She possesses advanced technical proficiency in prototyping (CAD, UV/CO2 lasers, 3D printing, textile-based fabrication), mechanical testing (Instron, robot arms), image/video processing, and data science/machine learning techniques in Python. Furthermore, she has extensive experience instructing hundreds of students in MATLAB and C programming.

Dr. Gaeta's diverse professional history includes UX Research at ADP, human subjects research in the USC Biomechanics Lab, and medicinal chemistry research at Gilead Sciences. Additionally, her background as a fitness instructor for professional athletes and celebrities provides her with a unique, practical perspective on human performance and user-centered design in high-stakes environments.