Stephan Stansfield

Stephan Stansfield is a first-gen, low-income graduate student from Lowell, Massachusetts. He was the first in his family to graduate from college, completing a combined BA/BS program in neuroscience and mechanical engineering from Wesleyan University and Columbia University. After getting some experience in the “real world” working for the Walt Disney Company and Jarvik Heart, Stephan returned to graduate school at MIT to pursue the MS and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering. His research focuses on developing wearable devices to physically assist older adults. He is driven to do work that benefits those with physical disabilities, neurological disorders, and others from disadvantaged backgrounds