Join Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and the Mechanobiology Hub on Thursday January 22, 2026 for our spring seminar featuring Dr. Larry Bonassar, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Engineering & Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University and Dr. John Zimmerman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. Dr. Larry Bonassar, Ph.D.: Leveraging mechanical heterogeneity to understand chondrocyte mechanobiology in situ The Bonassar Group focuses on the regeneration and analysis of musculoskeletal tissues, including bone, cartilage, and meniscus. The approach involves a multidisciplinary strategy using techniques in biomechanics, biomaterials, cell biology, and biochemistry. Dr. John Zimmerman, Ph.D.: Stroke volume analogs on a chip – using muscular thin films to replicate clinical measurements of the heart Dr. Zimmerman joined the Meinig School in the fall semester 2025. He came to Cornell from Harvard University, where he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Disease Biophysics group in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. There, he developed models of the heart, using simulation software and machine learning to study how cardiac tissues deform and then building tissue-engineered systems to test these predictions. For more information about the Mechanobiology Hub, upcoming seminars and events, or to connect with a Mechanobiology researcher, see our website: https://mechanobiology.wicmb.cornell.edu.

Join Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and the Mechanobiology Hub on Thursday, March 19, 4:00pm in G10 Biotech featuring: Nikolaos Bouklas, Director of Graduate Studies for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and Associate Professor Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering “Extreme deformation modes of collagen: from the formation and evolution of tendon crimp, to phase transitions and densification of ECM” Adrienne Roeder, Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Biology Section at CALS and the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology “Mechanobiology of plant cells: from the cell wall to differential stiffness and growth shaping flowers”