Jacopo Di Russo

Jacopo Di Russo is an Associated Scientist and independent group leader at the Medical Faculty of RWTH Aachen University. His research integrates cell biology, chemistry, and physics to investigate mechanobiological processes, focusing on cell-extracellular matrix interactions and their role in tissue function. Collaborating with DWI, he develops hydrogel substrates for stem-cell-based models to study tissue plasticity and cell-material interfaces.

He holds a cell biology background from the University of Florence, followed by a Marie Curie Fellowship at the University of Münster and postdoctoral work at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. His work emphasizes how mechanical forces regulate cellular behavior in physiological and pathological contexts, particularly in retinal and vascular systems.

Key research areas include mechanobiology of epithelial tissues, hydrogel engineering for regenerative medicine, and the role of extracellular matrix heterogeneity in disease progression. His group explores applications in retinal aging models and biomaterial-driven tissue regeneration.