Ahmad Khalil started out studying how to build things like rocket engines and other mechanical systems as a mechanical engineering major in college. But, he added, he also took a liking to biology and the idea of applying engineering ideas to the study of living systems.

His PhD mentor, Angela Belcher at MIT, impressed upon him the reverse as well, that biological systems could also be used to engineer materials, and from her, he said, is where he got his "inspiration for bio-inspired engineering."

In his new lab at Boston University, Khalil is studying how cells respond to various environmental conditions and stressors.

"We develop engineering approaches and technologies to broadly study how cells behave, how they grow, how they develop, how they communicate," Khalil said, "and, in turn, to also re-direct those behaviors for useful applications for human health and energy and societal problems."

Link:
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