Aja Anh Phan (she/they) is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering. Her research interests lie in mechanobiology, with a focus on how mechanical forces contribute to disease progression, including cancer and fibrosis.
She graduated with honors from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. As an undergraduate, she conducted research in solid tumor mechanobiology, rehabilitation engineering, and neural tissue mechanics, earning recognition as a Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher.
Aja’s academic and advocacy work is informed by her lived experiences with cancer, disability, and her first-generation, bi-ethnic Vietnamese-Malaysian identity. While at UIUC, she also collaborated with the engineering college and disability services to develop resources to improve accessibility and inclusion in engineering education and served full-time as Senior Resident Advisor. For her contributions to service, academics, and student support, she was awarded the senior mechanical engineering Oscar A. Leutwiler Award.
Career-wise, Aja seeks to develop mechanics-based solutions for health challenges while fostering inclusive research and learning environments and advocating for accessibility and equity in STEM, making meaningful contributions that extend far beyond the lab.
Outside of research, Aja enjoys drag art, Southeast Asian culture, and playing piano.