Professor Wen is an experimental biophysicist who is interested in applying physical methods to understand biological phenomena. By measuring the mechanical properties of living cells and the mechanical interaction between cells and ECM, he aims to understand how cells convert external mechanical signals to internal biochemical signals that govern cellular function, including cell morphology, migration, and differentiation. His research will help to design novel materials for wound healing, tissue engineering, and tumor treatment.
Professor Wen is leading a research group with students from both Physics and Biomedical Engineering. He enjoys interacting with students and teaches physics classes both on the freshman and advanced graduate levels. Through research advising and classroom lectures, Professor Wen tries to excite the interests of students in learning the physics that is not only required to understand our universe, but is also essential for their careers as engineers.
Research Interests
Mechanobiology
Cell mechanics
Cell-ECM interactions
Biomaterials
Atomic Force Microscopy
Scholarly Work
Reliable and mobile all-fiber modular optical tweezers.
Heterogeneity Profoundly Alters Emergent Stress Fields in Constrained Multicellular Systems.
The Worcester Business Journal is the latest to report on research by Kristen Billiar, professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, who hopes to close an important gap in the understanding of physical factors that help regulate the life and death of cells in our bodies, and the important roles they play in the development of a wide range of disorders. Co-principle investigators include Nima Rahbar, associate professor of civil & environmental engineering, and Qi Wen, associate professor of physics.
