Integrating Data Analytics and Bioengineering to Enhance Lives
Isabella Ribeiro, E’25, bioengineering, MS’26, data analytics engineering, has always appreciated the analytical thinking and critical thinking skills that come with studying engineering. Her second co-op experience showed her how the analytical and critical thinking skills she values could be applied in the biotech industry, where she’s now passionate about using data and computation to enhance quality of life.
After taking industrial design and biology courses in high school, Isabella Ribeiro found a love for problem-solving, analytical thinking and biology. Looking to combine all her interests into one degree, studying bioengineering seemed like an obvious pursuit. She chose Northeastern University for its renowned co-op program. Ribeiro recognized the importance of gaining real-world experience before graduating and was eager to explore the bioengineering industry first-hand.
Ribeiro graduated with her bachelor’s degree in May 2025 and is now pursuing her master’s in data analytics engineering through Northeastern’s PlusOne program. She was inspired to study data analytics after her second co-op experience with a biotech company, which introduced her to the world of computational biology. To deepen her expertise in an industry she is passionate about, she has taken advantage of the unique courses offered in the data analytics engineering program.
Classroom Opportunities
Ribeiro says there are a few undergraduate and graduate-level courses she has taken that she found incredibly impactful. “Quantitative Physiology for Bioengineers” and “Bioengineering Measurement, Experimentation, and Statistics” are both introductory bioengineering courses that Ribeiro says influenced her career decisions and taught her a lot about the field. Ribeiro says the latter was an especially pivotal class for her career since it was her first introduction to coding. Ribeiro has only taken five graduate courses so far but said “Foundations for Data Analytics Engineering” gave her a great background in the subject, and she learned most of her knowledge of Python from the class.
When talking about professors Ribeiro had in class, there are two who stood out to her. Ribeiro says Assistant Teaching Professor Daniel Grindle helped her clearly understand complex topics. She said his teaching methods were helpful for her to easily process the materials in the course. Ribeiro said Assistant Professor Mona Minkara, who teaches the “Biomolecular Dynamics and Control” course, is an incredible and inspiring professor. Ribeiro was introduced to the computational field through Professor Minkara and her work.
Ribeiro is especially proud of her senior capstone project, claiming it as one of the most impactful projects of her career, so far. In her project, titled “StrollRunner,” Ribeiro and her group developed an attachment for strollers so individuals can jog hands-free with a stroller. The group sought to develop this attachment to solve the challenges associated with stroller running, including safety concerns for the child. In an effort to improve upon the current designs for stroller running, Ribeiro worked on modeling the prototypes of the device and analyzing the data to enhance the biomechanics and safety of the device. Ribeiro says her capstone project has taught her so much and she has been able to apply all of the skills she learned from it in all work that follows.
Co-op Experiences
Ribeiro completed two co-ops during her undergraduate studies. Her first co-op was at KSQ Therapeutics as a cellular process development co-op. KSQ Therapeutics is a biotech company that researches therapies for cancer and other diseases. In Ribeiro’s role, she worked mainly in the lab and built a strong foundation in lab techniques, as well as increased her knowledge of genomics. Ribeiro says all of the knowledge and skills she’s acquired through her first co-op experience immensely prepared her for her second co-op.
Ribeiro completed her second co-op at Tango Therapeutics on the functional genomics team. Ribeiro was able to grow her confidence in the lab and had the opportunity to create her own experiments while exploring various sectors of research she was interested in. Her work at Tango Therapeutics introduced her to the bioinformatics field, which inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in data analytics engineering.
One of Ribeiro’s most memorable projects at Tango Therapeutics was a project where she completed a CRISPR screen from beginning to end. She completed a CRISPR screen to analyze different combinations of treatments that were already on the market for cancer mutations. Since there was a treatment for a cancer mutation already on the market that was not functioning well, Ribeiro was looking into combination treatments to solve this issue. Ribeiro was able to independently lead the project with support from her supervisor and worked closely with the bioinformatics team. Ribeiro’s findings were validated by previous company research, which she said made her feel proud of her work.
Extracurriculars
On campus, Ribeiro is involved in the Jumpstart program, a program within the Code4Community club at Northeastern. The program lasts six months, and at the end of the program, Ribeiro will have developed a full-stack app. Ribeiro has found the program’s weekly app development workshops extremely helpful, allowing her to refine her skills and gain hands-on experience in creating apps.
Ribeiro is also a part of the Graduate Leadership Institute in the LEAD360 Program, which is a six-week program designed to develop students’ leadership abilities. She attends weekly workshops and has thoroughly enjoyed the program so far, describing it as incredibly informative and a valuable opportunity to learn about leadership and project management.
Future Perspectives
Before graduating in May, Ribeiro is planning on completing a third co-op in the spring. She aims to go into the biotech industry to improve people’s lives through data and computation. Ribeiro enjoys the biotech industry because of the enormous impact it has on medicine and society. She is excited to explore more real-world experience through another co-op and is ready to graduate and apply all the amazing and advanced skills gained during her time at Northeastern.