Biomechanics and Biomaterials

From how mechanics influence the formation of multicellular tissue structures to the beautiful colors produced by the nanoscale photonic waveguides in a butterfly wing, studying biomechanics and biomaterials can reveal not only more about how living systems function, but also how we can better control these systems. This kind of research not only crosses length scales, from nanoscale protein interactions to the large-scale mechanics of bird flocking, but also disciplinary boundaries. Current research topics in the department includes: the mechanics of bacterial biofilm formation and invasion processes, tissue and organ engineering, collective biological behaviors from cell migration to the control of multi-agent systems, drug delivery, the mechanics of embryonic development, the complex material properties of the cell membrane, and applications of soft matter theory to describing sub-cellular processes.