Portia graduated from the University of Alberta (UofA) with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering. During her time at UofA, she was a research assistant working on soft robotic logic and kirigami projects. She was involved in several healthcare engineering projects and engineering education advocacy through clubs and competitions. Portia also graduated from McGill University with an MSc in Mechanical Engineering as a McCall MacBain Scholar. Her thesis focussed on the applications of hydrogel adhesives in developing modular soft robots. She later worked at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems as a research engineer.

Portia has been involved in a number of sports including team handball, basketball, and taekwondo. Most recently, she has taken up triathlon and rowing.

Research Project

Portia is developing a data-driven inverse design framework for protective equipment. She is exploring how metamaterial structures can stiffen and absorb energy during injury-risk loading while staying compliant during normal movement. The aim is to establish design principles that transfer across sports and produce protective equipment that is both effective and comfortable.

Supervisor: Professor Liang He