Wang Named Member of NIH Review Panel

Professor Ning Wang has been named as a member of the Cell Structure Function Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH). Study sections review grant applications submitted to the NIH, make recommendations on these applications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in their scientific fields. They are section members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements, and honors.

In his own research, Wang uses advanced research techniques to gain a fundamental understanding of cell mechanics, including cytoskeletal biomechanics and control of cell form and function; bio-imaging of cytoskeletal structures and stress distribution in living cells; mechanotransduction, nuclear deformation and gene expression; and mechanical biotechnologies and their applications to cells, tissues, and organisms.

Wang uses advanced research techniques to gain a fundamental understanding of cell mechanics, including cytoskeletal biomechanics and control of cell form and function; bio-imaging of cytoskeletal structures and stress distribution in living cells; mechanotransduction, nuclear deformation and gene expression; and mechanical biotechnologies and their applications to cells, tissues, and organisms. He was the first researcher to provide direct evidence that transmembrane adhesion molecule integrins mediate the transmission of force across the cell surface to the cytoskeleton.

Prior to joining the Illinois faculty in 2006, Wang served on the faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health. His research group currently has active collaborations with five different laboratories on campus, including the Department of Bioengineering, Beckman Institute, the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Illinois.