Sonika Kohli
MIT Department: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ritu Raman
Research Supervisor: Brandon Rios and Nicolas Castro
Undergraduate Institution: Pennsylvania State University
Hometown: Tolland, CT
Website: LinkedIn
Biography
Sonika is a rising senior at Penn State studying Biomedical Engineering with minors in Engineering Entrepreneurship and Civic and Community Engagement. At Penn State, Sonika works on the Human Biome Re-Engineering Project in the Precision Therapeutic Lab under Dr. Scott Medina. At MIT, Sonika has had the privilege to work under Dr. Ritu Raman– investigating the feasibility of 3D bioprinting as a mechanism to create robust extracellular actuators that can be used in robotics or in regenerative medicine contexts. Outside of the lab, Sonika is part of the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program and is the chair of the Gender Equity Coalition on campus. Through these experiences, she has realized the importance of intersectionality and collaboration when addressing pressing societal issues. After graduation, Sonika wants to pursue a PhD to continue using engineering and research to create equitable solutions.
