Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 2018
  • B.S., Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 2011
Professional Honors
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, University of Pennsylvania, 2013 - 2016
  • National Institutes of Health Rheumatology T32 Training Grant, University of Pennsylvania, 2016 - 2018
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers Student Leadership Committee, 2013-2015
  • FDA Research Experiences for Undergraduates Fellowship, University of Maryland, 2010
Professional Affiliations
  • Orthopaedic Research Society
  • Orthopaedic Research Society Tendon Section Member

Dr. Riggin's expertise focuses on the mechanical evaluation of biomedical devices, products, and explanted tissues. She has extensive experience conducting MRI compatibility testing, both in clinical scanner environments as well as RF heating simulation models. 

Dr. Riggin's expertise also includes the analysis of women's health products, including designing and implementing fixtures, test methods, and validation procedures. She also has experience with cadaveric testing for both mechanical and MRI evaluation of implanted medical devices.

Dr. Riggin obtained her Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied soft tissue biomechanics, with a focus on assessing the healing or degeneration of tendons and ligaments. Her work involved soft tissue dissection, preparation, and testing to acquire viscoelastic, dynamic, and quasi-static mechanical properties. She has expertise in live animal ultrasound image acquisition and analysis, specifically color Doppler ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the quantification of vascular perfusion. She is proficient in histological and immunohistochemical methods for evaluating tissue cellular and compositional properties. She has experience with biomaterial scaffold fabrication techniques, such as electrospinning polymer nanofibers, as well as in vitro cell culture and microscopy techniques.