From the lab to the mat: PhD student excels at jiu jitsu
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The martial art jiu jitsu, which emphasizes leverage and technique over strength, involves constant thinking and planning—much like a PhD.
For Alexandra Vorobyeva, a Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering PhD student, both jiu jitsu and her PhD involve thinking both creatively and intellectually while knowing that you can be successful even if you aren’t the strongest or tallest person.
That’s why she has been practicing the sport since her undergraduate days—and even competes at the highest levels. In December 2025, Vorobyeva placed eighth at the World International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada. More recently, she won a superfight at the Jeff Curran Invitational in January.
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“Jiu jitsu, like any sport, or martial art, really helps develop a discipline and a healthier attitude to failure,” she said. “I think of it similar to a loss in a competition; you can always go out there again, better and sharper.”
In December, she competed against some of the world’s best competitors. “It was insane to be part of such a high-level competition and show some decent results considering it was my first time even competing,” she said. “It’s amazing and nerve-wracking at the same time, but I had a great team, a lot of whom also competed, so I think that’s what made it way easier for me—the team aspects of the competitions. I have my eye set on a medal, and I want to be a world champion in the adult division at some point.”
Vorobyeva was promoted to purple belt last July and will continue to work toward her black belt, the highest rank to achieve. Similar to a PhD, where a student can work and do research efficiently and effectively to get their degree, in a jiu jitsu match, the length of a match depends on a person’s skill level and competition.
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“In jiu jitsu matches, you get caught in a position that you don’t know, but the other person does, so it’s more of strategic-type situations that can still get you on top,” she said.
Vorobyeva is originally from Russia but came to the United States to pursue education. She received her bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from UIC and is in the third year of her PhD. She works in Biomedical Engineering Department Head and Professor Tom Royston’s Acoustics and Vibrations Laboratory. In the lab, her research involves analyzing wave motion in isotropic and transverse isotropic materials and material properties estimation using inversion strategies.
After her PhD, she hopes to work as a postdoc at an institution before entering industry to do elastography work while continuing her jiu jitsu training.