Sara Checa Esteban is a W2 professor and a group leader at the Berlin Institute of Health  (Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin), where she leads the research group Computational Mechanobiology at the Julius Wolff Institute – Center for Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Regeneration. 

She graduated in Industrial Engineering at the University of Malaga, Spain, and earned her Ph.D. in Biomechanics at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom. Following postdoctoral training at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, she joined the Julius Wolff Institute as a group leader in 2009. 

Her research interests are in the field of Computational Biomechanics, with a focus on understanding the interaction between mechanical signals and biological responses during tissue adaptation and regeneration. Using computer modeling techniques, her group seeks to determine the mechanical behavior of tissues of the musculoskeletal system, and how they adapt their structure and regenerate in response to mechanical stimuli. Her goal is to investigate how external forces generate mechanical stimuli within tissues, and how cells perceive these stimuli and then transmit signals that trigger a cascade of biochemical reactions, ultimately stimulating cells to either form new tissue or adapt to existing ones. The ultimate aim is to apply the basic knowledge about the behavior of healthy/injured, and adapted/regenerated tissue to clinical settings. This has implications for developing fixation devices (e.g. for bone fracture healing), prostheses (e.g. total knee and hip replacements) or pharmaceutical treatment (e.g. for osteoporosis). 

She is a principal investigator in the DFG Collaborative Research Centre CRC 1444 “Directed Cellular Self-Organisation to Advance Bone Regeneration and in the Research Unit FOR 5177 “The dynamics of the spine: Mechanics, Morphology and Movement Towards a Comprehensive Understanding of low Back Pain”.

She was a Council member of the European Society of Biomechanics from 2014 until 2020. Currently, she acts as a mentor in the Leibniz Mentoring Program for young women scientists.

Keywords: Computational Mechanobiology, mechanical regulation, bone adaptation, mechano-biological optimization, bone remodeling, cellular self-organization, bone healing, skeletal regeneration.

Berlin – December 7th, 2023

How did you decide to become a scientist?

Since I was a child, I always loved math and physics, so it was clear to me that I wanted to study something related to these subjects. I was also very passionate about understanding how things work, so I thought that engineering was a good choice. I studied industrial engineering in Spain for five years. There, I found out about biomechanics and, despite it being just one single course, I was so fascinated by the subject that I knew it was what I wanted to do. After finishing my studies, I was sure I wanted to make a career in biomechanics. To pursue this, I moved to the UK and earned my Ph.D. in Biomechanics at Southampton University. That was the beginning of my journey. My fascination for this topic was my driving force. 

What is your drive and excitement in science and in doing what you do now? 

My drive comes from enjoying what I do. I come to work very happy. I love research. I like science. I like understanding and trying to discover new things. I also really like the educational side of it, so I like to share my knowledge with the younger generations through the teaching activities. 

Would you have one word to give as a gift to other women and, more generally, to young aspiring scientists, women or men? 

The thing that drove me was to do something that I liked, so my advice is to try to find something you’re passionate about. You don’t have to be a superwoman. I have a normal life, I have a family, I have kids, and I try to have fun in my free time. I believe that if you enjoy your life and your work, it should be possible to achieve your goals.