Research

We are interested in how living matter emerges from collections of molecules to control physiology of cells and tissues. 

• What are the properties of macromolecular machines within cells that control their shape, adhesion, contractility and motion? 
• How do cells process mechanical information to control their physiology?
• How do we describe materials with distributed force sensors and actuation?
• What are force sensing mechanisms used in cell mechanotransduction? 
• How do mechanical properties of cells control tissue-scale mechanics and physiology? 

These design principles control form and function of life across scales, from sub-cellular organelles to multi-cellular tissue. When perturbed, they result myriad of human diseases including cancer metastasis and atherosclerosis. 

We are an interdisciplinary team and use approaches from physics, engineering, cell biology and biochemistry.  Students join the lab from graduate programs across campus, including Physics, Biophysical Sciences, Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, Developmental Biology and Molecular Engineering. Many students and postdocs are advised jointly and all projects benefit from collaborators from UChicago and beyond.

Cytoskeleton Assembly & Mechanics

Mechanotransduction