He has nearly 30 years of experience studying musculoskeletal biology, using both in vitro and in vivo models. His research focuses on understanding the mechanism by which bone and muscle adapt to their mechanical environment; examining the effects of space flight on musculoskeletal tissues and exploiting biophysical signals, including shear stress and nanotopography, to develop innovative strategies to regenerate musculoskeletal tissue lost to disease, injury or ageing. His research has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 30 years and he has also had funding from the Department of Defense, NASA/National Space Biology Research Institute, private foundations and industry. In 2017 he received the Orthopaedic Research Society Outstanding Achievement in Mentoring Award. Dr. Donahue is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the Orthopaedic Research Society.