Yu-li Wang

Dr. Yu-li Wang is the Mehrabian Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering. His research focuses on cellular mechanical activities, particularly how cells interact with their environment through mechanical means, including migration, division, and mechanosensing. He has pioneered techniques like traction force microscopy and developed elastic polyacrylamide substrates for studying cellular mechanics.

Education: B.S. in Physics from National Taiwan University (1973) and Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard University (1980).

Research Interests: Mechanical interactions between cells and their environment, mechanisms of cell migration and division, synthetic polymeric materials for biomedical applications, and mechanotransduction. Recent studies explore collective cell migration, dimensionality effects on cell behavior, and centrosome-mediated rear retraction.

Awards:

• Member, Academia Sinica
• Fellow, American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering
• NIH MERIT Award (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
• NIH Advisory Council Member (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)

Grants & Collaborations: Active NIH grants and collaborations with medical institutions to advance tissue engineering and medical device development. His lab integrates computational methods (e.g., deep learning for microscopy) and novel materials (e.g., 3D-printed polyacrylamide constructs).

Labs/Teams: Leads a multidisciplinary lab at Carnegie Mellon, focusing on cell-material interactions, mechanobiology, and biomedical innovation. Collaborations include Mayo Clinic and industry partnerships for medical device prototyping.