Esther Winter Gomez

Esther Winter Gomez is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Penn State University, with affiliations at the Penn State Cancer Institute under its Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis program. Her research focuses on the mechanobiology of cellular transitions in cancer and plant systems.

• NSF Grant: Elucidating the Impact of Matrix Viscoelasticity on Growth Factor Regulated Cell Fate (2024–2027)
• Active REU Site: Integration of Biology and Materials in Chemical Engineering (2020–2025)

Her work explores how physical properties of extracellular matrices influence cell fate decisions, including epithelial-mesenchymal transitions and epigenetic heterogeneity. Recent publications examine thermally responsive polymer systems and plant cell wall dynamics under mechanical strain.

Key collaborations include projects with researchers such as Colby, Hasegawa, and Cosgrove, with international partnerships implied by network data. She has received multiple NSF grants throughout her career, including a CAREER award for mechanobiology research (2018–2024) and previous REU site leadership roles.