Dr. Andrea Porter spent more than a decade mentoring young women growing up in poverty—an experience that unexpectedly reshaped her career. Several of the women she mentored entered the military and shared how poorly fitting body armor damaged their bodies and hindered their performance. Motivated to find a solution, Dr. Porter focused her PhD research on a unique aspect of human factors engineering: the ergonomics of bras and their role in women’s comfort and performance. Her work gained national media attention and was recognized as one of Texas A&M University’s top news stories of 2025. During her studies, Dr. Porter earned multiple speaking accolades, including winning the prestigious Three Minute Thesis® competition and landing a spot on the TEDx stage. Today, she uses her expertise to educate women—from police officers to surgeons to athletes—on bra ergonomics, providing evidence-based guidance that reduces musculoskeletal discomfort and helps women optimize their comfort and performance through proper fit and garment selection.