Marni Boppart obtained her bachelor degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. She obtained her master degree in Cell Biology from Creighton University, Omaha, NE, while serving as an officer and Aerospace Physiologist in the U.S. Air Force. She received her Sc.D. in Applied Anatomy and Physiology from Boston University and completed research for her degree at the Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School. Her postdoctoral work was completed in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health and is full-time faculty at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include cellular biomechanics, cell signaling, and the role of extracellular matrix proteins in the protection of skeletal muscle from injury, disease, and aging.