Lucas Alexis
Biomedical + Mechanical Engineering @ Duke — designing medical devices and surgical training models.
About
I design medical technology to expand my skillset and address needs in my community and abroad.
My current work includes creating surgical training models, biomaterials research, and designing devices to address gaps in Ugandan healthcare.
I strive to create practical, elegant solutions to problems I think are most worth solving.
Surgical education models · Medical device design · Global health
Selected projects
Peripheral Arterial Line Model
Mold for silicone forearm model with anatomically accurate arterial and venous channels
June – Sept 2026 · Completed
- Created a mold for accurate and inexpensive simulation of the forearm to address the need for peripheral arterial line placement, identified by leadership at Duke hospital.
- Designed a mold that can be 3D printed, secured with M8 screws, and cast silicone.
- Suspended the vessels in the mold and printed them out of water-soluble filament so that they could be dissolved after casting, leaving behind empty channels.
CAD · Mold-making · Surgical Education · Anatomical modeling
Organ Model Mold Design Software
Automated mold generation for patient-specific organ models
June 2026 – Present · Ongoing
- Building automated software that creates molds for any organ isolated from a CT or MRI scan, so hospitals can produce physical, patient-specific organ models for surgical practice.
- The software works end to end: TotalSegmentator isolates the selected organ from the DICOM files provided, and its slices are assembled into a 3D model.
- While that model is being built, the user can adjust the isolation threshold, edit the bounds of each slice by hand, or use a “Wand” tool to add or remove tissue segments across the whole object.
- The finished object is then used to construct a mold around it — splitting it into pieces that separate without interference, adding a channel for filling the mold with silicone, and incorporating air vents that keep bubbles out of the final model.
- Flanges with holes for M8 bolts hold the mold together, positioned by an algorithm that keeps the bolts from interfering with one another so the molds are practical to use.
Software · CAD Automation · Surgical Education · Anatomical modeling
Pre-eclampsia Detection Wearable
Wrist-worn pulse-wave-velocity monitor for low-resource antenatal care
June 2026 – Present · Ongoing
- Designing a wearable device for at-home pre-eclampsia risk stratification and monitoring.
- Chose to address this problem as it represented a distinct gap in Ugandan healthcare, and addressing it would have a significant impact on maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
- Uses two PPG sensors along the arm to calculate Pulse Wave Velocity, and informs users and their healthcare provider of their risk of developing pre-eclampsia and how it changes over time.
- Addresses several needs in Ugandan maternal healthcare:
- At-home monitoring to inform early intervention
- Extensive patient history for more informed pre-eclampsia diagnosis
- Outpatient monitoring between visits to reduce overcrowding in hospitals and clinics
Wearable Device · Diagnostic Technology · Low-Resource Innovation
Erga: Productivity App
iOS app that keeps habits, tasks and calendar in one place
May 2026 – Present · Ongoing
- Created an iOS app to meet my need for an app that tracks my habits, reminds me of my tasks throughout the day, and displays my calendar so I can plan my work accordingly.
- In creating this app, I explored many features to turn to track and improve my productivity over time. I’ve done so by incorporating a statistics page, which shows my consistency in my habits and work completion, and a goals page which allows me to set long-term goals that are composed of series of tasks.
- I’m currently testing the app and am always open to feedback on what additional features people would like to see and how to improve the UI and appearance, so please click the link above to try out the app!
iOS · App design · Productivity
Child-Delivery Bed Attachments
Kawempe National Referral Hospital — Uganda
Aug – Dec 2025 · Completed
- Kawempe National Referral Hospital in Uganda delivers babies on bare tables with no stirrups, backrests or IV stands, which compromises mothers’ comfort and safety and limits the care staff can give during delivery and surgery.
- Designed three attachments for the tables the hospital already owns: an adjustable backrest for safe position changes during natural and C-section births, hooks that hold IV bags instead of a staff member holding them, and leg stirrups that improve access and visibility.
- The client set the constraints: under $10 of materials per set of attachments, everything available in Kampala, and washable up to 200 times. The team added its own — attachable and detachable without tools, adjustable for patients 1.44–1.72 m tall, and able to hold at least 77.2 kg.
- Built almost entirely from PVC: a PVC frame topped with plywood, foam and fabric for the backrest, with an adjustable angle mechanism and poles that hook to the foot of the table; a PVC pole with a metal hook, held by a hose clamp, for the IV bags; and a cut PVC barrel padded with foam and fabric for the stirrups.
- Tested with participants for ease of installation, ease of adjustment and comfort, and the finished system came in under the $10 budget.
CAD · Rapid Prototyping · Low-Resource Innovation
Experience
Research & Industry Experience
Student Researcher — Matthew L. Becker Research Group — Duke University
Durham, NC · Sept 2026 – Present
- Characterizing mechanical and electrical properties of synthetic polymers for soft robotics and sensor applications
- Fabricating biocompatible polymer mesh prototypes intended for vaginal prolapse repair
Student Researcher — Bass Connections — Duke University
Durham, NC · June 2026 – Present
- Designing 3D printed molds incorporating dissolvable components to create hollow organ models for robotic surgery training
- Created multi-part mold for silicone forearm model to improve peripheral arterial line placement training
Research Assistant — Texas A&M Qatar
Doha, Qatar · June – Aug 2024
- Investigated the effect of 3D printer parameters on part strength (tensile/compressive), dimensional accuracy, and print reliability
- Presented experimental findings and statistical analysis to the department head, informing ongoing research on the 3D printing of sustainable polymer blends
- Redesigned test geometries to dramatically improve print success rates for test prints of experimental polymer blends, accelerating graduate research
Leadership & Team Projects
Engineer — Duke Engage Uganda — Duke University
June – July 2026
- Creating wearable device for early screening of pre-eclampsia for women in rural Uganda
- Conducted virtual needs-finding with clinical partners in Uganda, driving multiple design iterations and validating device performance against custom phantom models, developed due to restrictions on human testing
Outreach Director — Med Design — Duke University
Durham, NC · April 2026 – Present
- Cultivating relationships with medtech alumni to secure speaker events and inform club project selection
- Leading Engineering Sprint for 50 new members, training them in CAD and electronics fundamentals
CAD Team Engineer — Medication Adherence Alarm — Duke University
Durham, NC · Jan – Apr 2026
- Designed the plastic casing for a device that reminds adults with ADHD to take their medicine, taking into account internal electrical components and the communication of necessary stimuli to the user
Iterations Subgroup Engineer — Enable — Duke University
Durham, NC · Sept 2025 – Present
- Engineered a custom prosthetic attachment in Onshape to allow the user to hold their phone at multiple angles, successfully integrating into an existing attachment mechanism
Design Engineer — Kawempe National Referral Hospital
Uganda · Aug – Dec 2025
- Designed three hospital bed attachments to improve delivery ward safety and efficiency
- Conducted materials and needs research with clinical staff to identify the highest-utility attachments given budget constraints and existing practices
Skills
Technical
- Fusion 360
- SolidWorks
- Onshape
- 3D Printing
- Soldering
Research
- ANOVA
- Power Analysis
- Cell Culture
- PCR
- Hemocytometry
- Gel Electrophoresis
Languages
- French (native)
- Spanish (fluent)
Contact
