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Nandan Nerurkar

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Nandan Nerurkar investigates how cells organize themselves into tissues and organs during embryonic development through an integration of biochemical and biomechanical processes.

Using live in vivo imaging, gene misexpression, and a combination of computational and experimental mechanics in the developing chick embryo, Nerurkar's research group focuses on understanding how forces that shape the embryo are specified by developmental signals, how these forces in turn influence tissue growth and stem cell differentiation, and how birth defects arise when these processes go awry.

Nerurkar joined Columbia University as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in 2018 after completing his postdoctoral training in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. He received a BS in Biological Engineering from University of Maryland College Park in 2003, an MS in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2005, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania 2010.

Research Areas

  • Mechanobiology
  • Biomechanics
  • Cell and Tissue Biomechanics
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology
  • Morphogenesis
  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolution

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 2018–Present
    • Department of Genetics & Development (Secondary), Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 2018-Present
    • NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 2011-2017
  • Professional Affiliations
    • Society for Developmental Biology
    • Avian Research Network
    • Biomedical Engineering Society
    • Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology
    • International Society of Differentiation
    • Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference Foundation
  • Honor & Awards
    • ASME Grood Interdisciplinary Team Science Medal, 2023
    • Research Initiatives in Science & Engineering (RISE), Columbia University, 2022
    • SEAS Research Equipment Assistant Program Award, Columbia University, 2021
    • National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, 2020
    • National Institutes of Health (NIH) Early Career Reviewer, 2020
    • SEAS Research Equipment Assistant Program Award, Columbia University, 2019
    • Travel Award, Society for Developmental Biology 75th Annual Meeting, 2016
    • Best Short Talk, Gordon Research Conference: FGFs in Development and Disease, 2014
    • Awardee, AAAS/Science Program for Excellence in Science, 2012
  • Education
    • PhD, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania
    • MS, Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis
    • BS, Biological Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park