Farid Alisafaei
Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engr
324B Mechanical Engineering Center (ME)
About Me
Dr. Farid Alisafaei came to NJIT from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was an NIH-T32 (National Institute of Health) postdoctoral fellow and member of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Engineering Mechanobiology.
His lab develops integrated computational and experimental tools to understand and harness the role of mechanics in physiological processes such as wound healing and stem cell migration as well as in pathological processes such as fibrosis and cancer progression. Physical changes in the extracellular environment, due to aging or diseases such as fibrosis, obesity, and diabetes, affect various cellular functions such as gene expression, proliferation, and differentiation. Understanding how cells sense and respond to physical changes can lead to novel therapeutic modalities and pathways against diseases.
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OPEN POSITION: If you are interested in MechanoBiology and would like to pursue your Ph.D. in a collaborative and supportive environment, we invite you to explore our research projects on our website (MBBM-Lab.com) and contact us at farid.alisafaei@njit.edu
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His lab develops integrated computational and experimental tools to understand and harness the role of mechanics in physiological processes such as wound healing and stem cell migration as well as in pathological processes such as fibrosis and cancer progression. Physical changes in the extracellular environment, due to aging or diseases such as fibrosis, obesity, and diabetes, affect various cellular functions such as gene expression, proliferation, and differentiation. Understanding how cells sense and respond to physical changes can lead to novel therapeutic modalities and pathways against diseases.
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
OPEN POSITION: If you are interested in MechanoBiology and would like to pursue your Ph.D. in a collaborative and supportive environment, we invite you to explore our research projects on our website (MBBM-Lab.com) and contact us at farid.alisafaei@njit.edu
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Education
Ph.D.
; University of Wyoming
; Mechanical Engineering
; 2015
M.S. ; University of Guilan ; Mechanical Engineering ; 2010
B.S. ; University of Guilan ; Mechanical Engineering ; 2007
M.S. ; University of Guilan ; Mechanical Engineering ; 2010
B.S. ; University of Guilan ; Mechanical Engineering ; 2007
Experience
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Asst. Professor,
September 2021 -
University of Pennsylvania
Postdoctoral Research Associate,
February 2016 -
August 2021
Awards & Honors
2018 NIH Ruth L. Kirschtein National Research Service Award (T32), National Institutes of Health / University of Pennsylvania (2018-2020)
2016 NSF Center for Engineering Mechanobiology Fellowship, National Science Foundation / University of Pennsylvania (2016-2018)
2013 NASA Space Grant Graduate Assistantship, University of Wyoming
Website
2025 Fall Courses
ME 490 - MECH ENGR PROJECT A
ME 304 - FLUID MECHANICS
ME 726 - INDEPENDENT STUDY II
ME 701B - MASTER'S THESIS
ME 790A - DOC DISSERTATION & RES
ME 700B - MASTER'S PROJECT
ME 725 - INDEPENDENT STUDY I
ME 792B - PRE-DOCTORAL RESEARCH
ME 701C - MASTER'S THESIS
ME 304 - FLUID MECHANICS
ME 726 - INDEPENDENT STUDY II
ME 701B - MASTER'S THESIS
ME 790A - DOC DISSERTATION & RES
ME 700B - MASTER'S PROJECT
ME 725 - INDEPENDENT STUDY I
ME 792B - PRE-DOCTORAL RESEARCH
ME 701C - MASTER'S THESIS
Past Courses
ME 304: FLUID MECHANICS
Research Interests
Mechanobiology
Cell and Tissue Mechanics
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Fibrocontractile Disease
Wound Healing
Skin Grafting
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Gene Expression
Cell Reprogramming
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Physics of Cancer
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Nano & Micro Mechanics of Bio-Related Polymers
Cell and Tissue Mechanics
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Fibrocontractile Disease
Wound Healing
Skin Grafting
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Gene Expression
Cell Reprogramming
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Physics of Cancer
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Nano & Micro Mechanics of Bio-Related Polymers
Journal Article
Y Hong*, X Peng*, H Yu, M Jafari, D Shakiba, J Sandler, KM Pryse, EL Elson, GM Genin, F Alisafaei.
2022. "Mechanobiology of Fibroblast Activation in Skin Grafting."
bioRxiv , pp. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.12.511903 (*Equal contribution).
AE Loneker, F Alisafaei, A Kant, PA Janmey, VB Shenoy, RG Wells. 2022. "Lipid droplets are intracellular mechanical stressors in fatty hepatocyte." bioRxiv , pp. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.27.505524.
F Alisafaei*, D Shakiba*, LE Iannucci, MD Davidson, KM Pryse, PG Chao, JA Burdick, SP Lake, EL Elson, VB Shenoy, GM Genin. 2022. "Tension anisotropy drives phenotypic transitions of cells via two-way cell-ECM feedback." bioRxiv , pp. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.13.484154 (*Equal contribution).
F Alisafaei, K Mandal, M Swoger, H Yang, M Guo, PA Janmey, AE Patteson, VB Shenoy. 2022. "Vimentin intermediate filaments can enhance or abate active cellular forces in a microenvironmental stiffness-dependent manner." bioRxiv , pp. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.04.02.486829.
S Jiang, F Alisafaei, YY Huang, Y Hong, X Peng, C Qu, P Puapatanakul, S Jain, JH Miner, GM Genin, HY Suleiman. 2022. "An ex vivo culture model of kidney podocyte injury reveals mechanosensitive, synaptopodin-templating, sarcomere-like structures." Science Advances , vol. 8 , no. 35 , pp. eabn6027.
AE Loneker, F Alisafaei, A Kant, PA Janmey, VB Shenoy, RG Wells. 2022. "Lipid droplets are intracellular mechanical stressors in fatty hepatocyte." bioRxiv , pp. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.27.505524.
F Alisafaei*, D Shakiba*, LE Iannucci, MD Davidson, KM Pryse, PG Chao, JA Burdick, SP Lake, EL Elson, VB Shenoy, GM Genin. 2022. "Tension anisotropy drives phenotypic transitions of cells via two-way cell-ECM feedback." bioRxiv , pp. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.13.484154 (*Equal contribution).
F Alisafaei, K Mandal, M Swoger, H Yang, M Guo, PA Janmey, AE Patteson, VB Shenoy. 2022. "Vimentin intermediate filaments can enhance or abate active cellular forces in a microenvironmental stiffness-dependent manner." bioRxiv , pp. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.04.02.486829.
S Jiang, F Alisafaei, YY Huang, Y Hong, X Peng, C Qu, P Puapatanakul, S Jain, JH Miner, GM Genin, HY Suleiman. 2022. "An ex vivo culture model of kidney podocyte injury reveals mechanosensitive, synaptopodin-templating, sarcomere-like structures." Science Advances , vol. 8 , no. 35 , pp. eabn6027.
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Professional
Society of Engineering Science (SES); Symposium: Cell and Tissue Mechanics in Health and Disease
, 2022
, 2022