Dr. Sparrey is an Associate Professor in the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering at Simon Fraser University. She obtained her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Sparrey’s research focus is on applying mechanical engineering principles to understanding, diagnosing, preventing and treating human injury. She leads SFU’s Neurospine Lab, working closely with surgeons and biologists at ICORD and the California Spinal Cord Injury Consortium. Her work characterizing the mechanical behaviour of spinal cord tissues and developing computational and physical models of spinal cord injury provide the foundation for experimental models of SCI. Dr. Sparrey has focused her career on applying engineering methods to novel collaborations and engaging all stakeholders in the research process.