Margaret Byron

I received my PhD in 2015 from the University of California Berkeley, in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. My dissertation focused on the transport and kinematics of particles in environmental turbulence-- a hugely important topic that's related to sediment transport, marine biology and ecology, and even climate change. While at Berkeley, I spent a summer at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Labs, where I studied the biomechanics of fish swimming. I was also a fellow of the Center for Integrative Biomechanics in Education and Research (CiBER). In 2010, I got my B.S. from Princeton University, in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. For my undergraduate thesis, I designed and built a robotic manta ray! This project paved the way for my later interest in aquatic biomechanics and its intersection with fluid dynamics. Right now I am an assistant professor at Penn State University in the Mechanical Engineering department. My research focuses on environmental particle transport, with applications for large ocean-borne particles like marine snow and microplastic debris. I also study the locomotion of small aquatic animals with interesting swimming methods (right now, comb jellies and water boatmen, two very cool animals). Outside of the lab, I enjoy travel, music, and spending time outdoors with my husband (also an engineer) and two children.