Bo Yang

Placeholder for headshot
Research Scientist II
Office
Petit 2108
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Shuman Xia

Shuman  Xia
shuman.xia@me.gatech.edu

Xia began at Georgia Tech in Fall 2011. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology (CALCIT).

Associate Professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Phone
404.385.4549
Office
MRDC 4103
Additional Research

micro and nanomechanics; Energy Conversion; Energy Storage; Ferroelectronic Materials; fracture and fatigue

University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Levi Wood

Levi Wood
levi.wood@me.gatech.edu

Dr. Wood completed his graduate training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While there he worked under the guidance of Drs. H. Harry Asada and Roger Kamm to develop and use microfluidics to identify mechanisms governing vascular geometry. 

During his postdoc, Dr. Wood worked under Dr. Kevin Haigis (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School) and Dr. Douglas Lauffenburger (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to use systems biology to identify novel signaling mechanisms driving neuronal death in Alzheimer's disease and epithelial cell death during intestinal inflammation.

Associate Professor
Phone
404-385-4465
Office
Petit Biotechnology Building, Office 3303
Additional Research
Our research focuses on applying systems analysis approaches and engineering tools to identify novel clinical therapeutic targets for complex diseases. It is challenging to develop new treatments for these diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease(AD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), because they do not have a single genetic cause and they simultaneously present broad physiologic changes. By combining novel engineeredin vitroplatforms, mouse models, and multivariate computational systems analysis, we will be able to 1) capture a holistic systems-level understanding of complex diseases, and 2) isolate specific mechanisms driving disease. The ultimate goal of our laboratory is to use these tools to identify new mechanisms driving disease onset and progression that will translate to effective therapeutic strategies.
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Yan Wang

Yan Wang
yan.wang@me.gatech.edu

Wang's research is in the areas of design, manufacturing, and Integrated computational materials engineering. He is interested in computer-aided design, geometric modeling and processing, computer-aided manufacturing, multiscale simulation, and uncertainty quantification.

Currently, Wang studies integrated product-materials design and manufacturing process design, where process-structure-property relationships are established with physics-based data-driven approaches for design optimization. The Multiscale Systems Engineering research group led by him develops new methodologies and computational schemes to solve the technical challenges of high dimensionality, high complexity, and uncertainty associated with product, process, and systems design at multiple length and time scales.

Computational design tools for multiscale systems with sizes ranging from nanometers to kilometers will be indispensable for engineers' daily work in the near future. The research mission of the Multiscale Systems Engineering group is to create new modeling and simulation mechanisms and tools with underlying scientific rigor that are suitable for multiscale systems engineering for better and faster product innovation. Our education mission is to train engineers of the future to gain necessary knowledge as well as analytical, computational, communication, and self-learning skills for future work in a collaborative environment as knowledge creators and integrators. 

Professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Phone
404.894.4714
Office
Callaway 472
Additional Research

Computer-aided engineering and design and manufacturing, modeling and simulation, nanoscale cad/cam/cae, product lifecycle management, applied algorithms, uncertainty modeling, multiscale modeling, materials design

IRI and Role
Manufacturing > Affiliated Faculty
Data Engineering and Science > Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
Manufacturing
Data Engineering and Science
Renewable Bioproducts
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Computing and Communication Technologies
  • Built Environment Technologies

Raymond P. Vito

Raymond P. Vito
rpvito@gatech.edu

Having retired as Vice Provost, Dr. Vito is a Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and currently works part-time. He was one of the founders of The InVenture Prize and has been pivotal in the creation, development, evolution and delivery of the CREATE-X program. His startup expertise is in the area of medical devices, an area where he has conducted research and holds several patents.

Dr. Vito began his research career in nonlinear vibrations but switched within two years of receiving his Ph.D. to biomechanics, especially soft tissue mechanics. He began at Tech in 1974 as an Assistant Professor. Prior, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at McMaster University, Canada.

Professor Emeritus
Phone
404-894-2792
Office
Petit Biotechnology Building, Office 2308
Additional Research
Dr. Vito's research interest is in the mechanical determinants of rupture of atherosclerotic plaque. Plaque rupture is important in stroke and heart attack because it precipitates the formation of a thrombus (blood clot) which then breaks away and causes an obstruction of flow. Experiments and modeling are used to determine what compositional factors predispose a plaque to rupture. Dr. Vito collaborates with people interested in detecting vulnerable plaque using magnetic resonance imaging and with others who want to intervene with drugs or genetic manipulation to reduce the likelihood of plaque rupture. His current research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Michael Varenberg

Michael Varenberg
varenberg@gatech.edu

Dr. Varenberg’s research area is Tribology – the science and technology of interacting surfaces that allow for game-changing advancements ranging from making fire and inventing wheel in the past, to enabling human joint replacement in the present. Dr. Varenberg’s main focus is on bionic tribology and green tribology, but, to enhance the public’s interest in tribology science, he also seeks to uncover tribology from daily life, with examples of works on safety razors and table tennis paddles.

Adjunct Assistant Professor
Phone
404-385-3787
Office
MRDC 4208
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Jun Ueda, Ph.D.

Jun Ueda, Ph.D.
jun.ueda@me.gatech.edu

Jun Ueda received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Kyoto University, Japan, in 1994, 1996, and 2002 all in Mechanical Engineering. From 1996 to 2000, he was a Research Engineer at the Advanced Technology Research and Development Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Japan. He was an Assistant Professor of Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, from 2002 to 2008. During 2005-2008, he was a visiting scholar and lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the G. W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor in 2008 where he is currently a Professor. He received Fanuc FA Robot Foundation Best Paper Award in 2005, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Academic Career Award in 2009, Advanced Robotics Best Paper Award in 2015, and Nagamori Award in 2021. 

Professor
Phone
404.385.3900
Office
Love 219
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Robotics
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Jun Ueda

Jun Ueda
jun.ueda@me.gatech.edu

Jun Ueda joined Georgia Tech in May 2008 as Assistant Professor. Before Georgia Tech, he was a Visiting Scholar and Lecturer at MIT, where he worked on the development and control of cellular actuators inspired by biological muscle. He developed compliant, large strain piezoelectric actuators and a robust control method called stochastic broadcast feedback. From 2002-2008 he was Assistant Professor at Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, where he led a research group dedicated to dynamics and control in robotics, such as robot hand manipulation, tactile sensing, and power-assisting. From 1996 to 2002 and prior to obtaining his Ph.D, he worked at the Advanced Technology R&D Center of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in Japan. Here he was involved in a variety of activities including disk drives, machine tools, and satellite tracking antennas. His Ph.D. work at Kyoto University was on the end-point control of a robot manipulator mounted on a non-rigid base. He studied feedback control robustness in terms of the coupling of the arm and base dynamics.

Professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Director, Biorobotics & Human Modeling Lab
Phone
404.385.3900
Office
Love 219
Additional Research

Automation & Mechatronics; Bioengineering

IRI and Role
Robotics > Core Faculty
Robotics
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Maegan Tucker

Maegan Tucker
mtucker@gatech.edu

Maegan received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (ME) from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in May 2023. Prior, she also received a M.S. in ME from Caltech in 2019 and a B.S. in ME from Georgia Tech in 2017. After graduating with her Ph.D., Maegan conducted a brief postdoc at Caltech (May–August 2023), followed by a brief research position at Disney Research (September–December 2023). Generally speaking, her research interests lie at the intersection of control theory and human-robot interaction, with specific applications towards lower-limb assistive devices. Much of her research is centered around the question: “What is the right way to walk?”. In her free time, Maegan enjoys puzzles, playing video games, and the piano.

Maegan Tucker joined Georgia Tech as an assistant professor with joint appointments in the School of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the School of Mechanical Engineering in January 2024.

Assistant Professor
Additional Research

Lower-Body Assistive Devices Bipedal Locomotion Nonlinear Control Theory Human-Robot Interaction Preference-Based Learning Human Biomechanics

IRI and Role
Robotics > Core
Robotics
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Susan Thomas

Susan Thomas
susan.thomas@gatech.edu

Susan Napier Thomas holds the Woodruff Professorship and is a Professor (full) with tenure of Mechanical Engineering in the Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology where she holds adjunct appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Biological Science and is a member of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Prior to this appointment, she was a Whitaker postdoctoral scholar at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (one of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology) and received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Bioengineering cum laude from the University of California Los Angeles and her Ph.D. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow from The Johns Hopkins University. For her contributions to the emerging field of immunoengineering, she has been honored with the 2022 Award for Young Investigator from Elsevier's journal Biomaterials for "outstanding contributions to the field" of biomaterials science, the 2018 Young Investigator Award from the Society for Biomaterials for "outstanding achievements in the field of biomaterials research" and the 2013 Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society "in recognition of high level of originality and ingenuity in a scientific work in biomedical engineering." Her interdisciplinary research program is supported by multiple awards on which she serves as PI from the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, amongst others.

Professor
Associate Director, Integrated Cancer Research Center
Co-Director, Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Research Center
Phone
404-385-1126
Office
Petit Biotechnology Building, Office 2315
Additional Research
Thomas's research focuses on the role of biological transport phenomena in physiological and pathophysiological processes. Her laboratory specializes in incorporating mechanics with cell engineering, biochemistry, biomaterials, and immunology in order to 1) elucidate the role mechanical forces play in regulating seemingly unrelated aspects of tumor progression such as metastasis and immune suppression as well as 2) develop novel immunotherapeutics to treat cancer. Cancer progression is tightly linked to the ability of malignant cells to exploit the immune system to promote survival. Insight into immune function can therefore be gained from understanding how tumors exploit immunity. Conversely, this interplay makes the concept of harnessing the immune system to combat cancer an intriguing approach. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we aim to develop a novel systems-oriented framework to quantitatively analyze immune function in cancer. This multifaceted methodology to study tumor immunity will not only contribute to fundamental questions regarding how to harness immune response, but will also pave the way for novel engineering approaches to treat cancer such as with vaccines and cell- or molecular-based therapies.
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering