News

Recent papers, preprints, funding, talks, and other news from the lab.

September 2026Funding

New NIGMS R35 (MIRA) award

The lab has received a Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) from NIH/NIGMS, “Biological processes driven by interactions between cells and extracellular matrices” ($2,145,119; 2026–2030). The MIRA mechanism provides stable, flexible support for the lab's core research program, including its growing use of machine learning to accelerate multiscale modeling.

2026Publication

New paper in Science Advances

"Reconstitution of actomyosin networks in cell-sized liposomes dissects distinct mechanisms of membrane blebbing and symmetry breaking," with the Miyazaki lab (Kyoto University), is now out in Science Advances.

2026Publication

New paper in npj Biological Physics and Mechanics

"Computational modeling of motor-driven extension of microtubule bundles in axons" is now published, offering a mechanistic basis for axonal microtubule organization during neuronal growth.

2026Publication

New paper in Cytoskeleton

"Agent-based computational modeling of the stochastic dynamic behavior of actin filaments recapitulates the homeostatic cortical array in plant epidermal cells," with Christopher Staiger's lab, is now out.

July 6–9, 2026Invited talk

Invited talk at SIAM Conference on the Life Sciences

Taeyoon Kim gave an invited talk at the SIAM Conference on the Life Sciences in Cleveland, OH.

June 16, 2026Preprint

New preprint on bioRxiv

"Mechanical checkpoint for cell division in three-dimensional microenvironments," with the Chaudhuri lab (Stanford), is posted to bioRxiv and currently under review.

May 19, 2026Preprint

New preprint on bioRxiv

"Durotactic migration driven by anisotropic stiffening and mechanical feedback" is posted to bioRxiv.

May 16, 2026Milestone

Congratulations, Dr. Donghyun Yim

Donghyun Yim successfully defended his dissertation and graduated with a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. During his time in the lab, Donghyun was a driving force behind our work on cytoskeletal mechanics and cell migration, co-authoring multiple papers and preprints, including this year's studies on axonal microtubule bundles and durotactic migration. Congratulations, Dr. Yim — we're excited to see what's next!

February 21–25, 2026Conference

Lab at the Biophysical Society 2026 Annual Meeting

Taeyoon Kim and all four PhD students in the lab — Jeffery Coulter, Fahmida Sultana Laboni, Laura Maria Pulido, and Md Foysal Rabbi — attended the Biophysical Society's 70th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, presenting the lab's latest work and connecting with the broader biophysics community.

February 8, 2026Preprint

New preprint on bioRxiv

"Kinetic control of out-of-equilibrium dynamics in the RhoA signaling cascade shapes actomyosin contractility," with the Robin lab (CADMO), is posted to bioRxiv.

See the full publication list →