Jessica Oakes

Jessica Oakes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.12 Her research focuses on pulmonary physiology, biofluids and transport phenomena, computational biomechanics, magnetic resonance imaging, and multi-scale modeling.2

Academic Background

Dr. Oakes received her PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, San Diego in 2013 and her MS in Mechanical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2008.2

Research and Expertise

Professor Oakes leads the Respiratory Innovation and Simulation Team (RESIST) at Northeastern University.4 Her research combines experimental and numerical methods to:

1. Quantify the health impacts of inhaled toxins (e.g., e-cigarettes)
2. Optimize inhaled therapeutics

Some of her notable research projects include:

• Studying cardiopulmonary outcomes of dual cigarette and e-cigarette use
• Assessing cardiopulmonary risks from smoke exposure at the wildland-urban interface
• Investigating health consequences of firefighter exposure to wildland fire smoke
• Examining pulmonary health consequences following e-cigarette exposure2

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Oakes has received several honors for her work, including:

• The 2023 Y.C. Fung Early Career Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for her outstanding work in respiratory mechanics2
• Being named on ASME's Watch List of top 25 early career professionals2

Personal Interests

Outside of her professional work, Dr. Oakes enjoys playing with her German Shepherd Dog (GSD) named Zoey, art, reading, mountain biking, and exploring the world.3