Sara Keller

Biomedical Engineer

I always knew I wanted to be an engineer but it wasn’t until an undergraduate research experience at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN using MR imaging datasets and computational simulations that I was convinced to go into medical imaging research. A separate engineering design class brought my attention to ultrasound – a medical imaging modality that can be used for both diagnosis and therapy. I thought this was cool enough to convince me to pursue a PhD at the University of Washington in Seattle, where I explored ultrasound image-guided treatment of cancer. I came to Oxford in 2021 to work with Profs. Constantin Coussios, Eleanor Stride, and Robin Cleveland at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering developing similar ultrasound-mediated therapies but for a completely new application: breaking up bacterial infections.

Alongside my research, I also really enjoy science communication! I have given public talks about the work I have been doing both during my PhD and during my postdoc. I really enjoy the process of distilling complex topics into understandable language and think that engagement between the scientific community and the general public is critical to developing and implementing effective new technologies.

Find out more about my work in this YouTube video: UW Engage Science: HIV Antibodies, Microbubbles, Laser Light