Zahra Soltani, PhD

Dr. Zahra Soltani is an interdisciplinary engineer and scientist whose work bridges Aerospace engineering, computational biomechanics, and cancer research. She is currently a Research Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and an affiliate collaborator with the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her academic and research journey spans Sharif University of Technology, ETH Zurich, and Imperial College London.Trained as an Aerospace engineer (BSc, MSc, PhD), Dr. Soltani established herself as a leader in nonlinear structural mechanics and adaptive computational modeling through the development of advanced nonlinear finite element formulations for morphing composite wings and deployable space structures. Driven by a desire to translate her expertise toward patient-centered impact, she transitioned into biomedical engineering, where she now integrates clinical imaging, patient-specific computational modeling, mechanobiology, and topology optimization to predict fracture risk and to improve spinal stability in cancer patients. She has co-developed a validated CT-based finite element framework for predicting vertebral strength and stiffness and is extending this work to model tumor-altered bone remodeling and to design next-generation therapeutic spinal implants.Dr. Soltani’s long-term goal is to build an academic research program at the intersection of engineering, biomechanics, and cancer mechanobiology, advancing mechanotherapy and mechanodiagnosis as transformative strategies for skeletal health.