Lieutenant Commander Niki Kruger graduated with high honors from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2017, earning a Bachelor of Science in Marine and Environmental Sciences. She began her Coast Guard career aboard USCGC ASPEN (WLB-208) in San Francisco, CA, serving as a Deck Watch Officer responsible for maintaining aids to navigation and conducting maritime law enforcement missions. LCDR Kruger then served as an Apprentice Marine Inspector at Sector San Francisco, where she conducted domestic and foreign vessel compliance inspections and examinations. LCDR Kruger next served at Sector Southeast Alaska in Juneau, AK, first as a Journeyman Marine Inspector and later as Chief, Inspections Division. In these roles, she coordinated and conducted regulatory oversight of more than 120 commercial vessels, ensuring compliance with safety, security, and environmental regulations. Following her operational assignments, LCDR Kruger earned a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California, Davis. Her graduate research investigated the use of human mesenchymal stromal cell-derived decellularized extracellular matrices as biomaterials to modulate cellular senescence and improve the bone regeneration potential of aged stem cells. LCDR Kruger currently resides in Groton, CT with her husband, Thomas, their two sons, and their dog and cat.

Education

• M.S. Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, 2026
• B.S. Marine and Environmental Sciences, United States Coast Guard Academy, 2017

Courses Taught

• Chemistry I
• Chemistry II

Selected Publications and Presentations

• Revised manuscript under review as: Dorais, C.J. †, Kruger, N.M. †, Ramos-Rodriguez, D.H., Lee, M.A., and Leach, J.K. Decellularized extracellular matrix mitigates the senescent phenotype and restores osteogenic potential in human mesenchymal stromal cells. J Orthop Res. 2026 Jul.
  †denotes shared first authorship.
• Thesis: Extracellular Matrix-Based Biomaterial Approaches for Modulating Cellular Senescence and Restoring Osteogenic Potential of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells