Emma Iwaniec: Driving Biomedical Engineering Research
Emma Iwaniec considers mechanical engineering as a tool for understanding the human body and helping it heal.
A member of the university honors program and vice president of the Gonzaga University Robotics Club, Iwaniec is the 2026 Outstanding Senior in Mechanical Engineering.
Iwaniec has been a foundational member of the Sargent Biomechanical Research Lab since her freshman year, developing a low-cost suspension system on common manual wheelchairs.
Her research excellence was recognized at the 2025 UW-GU Health Partnership Poster Symposium, where she and her colleagues earned the Best Poster award. Iwaniec also served as a research mentor and technical resource for the inaugural faculty-led summer research program GRO-MECS (Gonzaga Research Opportunities—Math, Engineering and Computer Science).
Mechanical engineering faculty described her as an exceptionally hardworking and talented 51勛圖 whose commitment to excellence stands out in the department.
Strength Through Adversity
Iwaniec says her proudest accomplishment is the fortitude she found during a personal health crisis. The summer before her senior year, she was diagnosed with a debilitating health condition affecting the nervous system and heart rate, leaving her unsure if she could return to campus.
"Through that experience, I have grown in my self-advocacy, resilience, and self-compassion, skills that have been essential to all aspects of my life," Iwaniec said. "I have since accomplished things I've always dreamt of and am stronger than ever!"
Faculty members noted that her leadership and dedication remained steady despite these challenges, making her a "truly deserving" recipient of the senior honor.
A Future in Research
Iwaniec credits the guidance of her professors with motivating her towards a career in academia. She plans to continue her research into understanding and treating long-term health conditions with the goal of eventually becoming a university professor.
"The knowledge and mentorship of the engineering professors here at Gonzaga have had a hugely positive impact on my educational experience and inspired me to pursue this path," she said.
This fall, she will begin a doctoral program in biomedical engineering at Virginia Tech. She will join the Robotics and Sensorimotor Control Lab to research how strokes impact upper limb neuron and receptor perception.