Rebecca Willits
Professor and Chairperson,
Chemical Engineering
Affiliated Faculty,
Bioengineering
Office
- 201F Cullinane
- 617.373.2989
Lab
- 216 Egan
Research Focus
Mechanobiology of neural systems; Systems for nerve regeneration; Diversity and equity in engineering
Education
- PhD, Cornell University, Chemical Engineering, 1999
- MS, The Johns Hopkins University, Chemical Engineering, 1996
Honors & Awards
- 2023 Diversity Recognition Award
- AIMBE Fellow
- BMES Fellow
- ELATE Fellow (2017-18)
Professional Affiliations
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- Biomedical Engineering Society
- Golden Key Honor Society
- National Center for Regenerative Medicine
- WEPAN
- Society for Biomaterials
Research Overview
Mechanobiology of neural systems; Systems for nerve regeneration; Diversity and equity in engineering
The overarching goal of my research team is to understand how mechanical, chemical, and electrical factors of three dimensional environments alter cell behavior. To this end, a focus has been to enhance neural cell response in 2D and 3D after biochemical and mechanical manipulations.
Selected Research Projects
- Toward a Mechanotransduction Mimic of the Neural Stem Cell Niche
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
- Collaborative Research: Professional Preparation of Underrepresented Minority PhD’s and Post-Docs for a Career in Engineering Academia
- – Co-Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
Research Centers and Institutes
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Wayne, E., Boyle, P., Chow, L., Maisel, K., Peyton, S., Stabenfeldt, S., Stevens, K., Winter, J., Willits, R., Framework for department-level accountability to diversify engineering. Nat Rev Bioeng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00183-4
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Stevens KR, Masters KS, Imoukhuede PI, Haynes KA, Setton LA, Cosgriff-Hernandez E, Lediju Bell MA, Rangamani P, Sakiyama-Elbert SE, Finley SD, Willits RK, Koppes AN, Chesler NC, Christman KL, Allen JB, Wong JY, El-Samad H, Desai TA, Eniola-Adefeso O. Fund Black scientists. Cell. 2021;184(3):561-5. Epub 2021/01/28. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.01.011. PubMed PMID: 33503447.
- Jassim, A.H., Cavanaugh, M., Shah, J.S. et al. Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation Reduces Neurodegenerative Process in a Mouse Model of Glaucoma. Ann Biomed Eng 49, 858–870 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-020-02608-8
- Pylypiv, G., C. Fouad, W. Lanzinger, R. K. Willits. Effect of Intraoperative Electrical Stimulation on Recovery after Rat Sciatic Nerve Isograft Repair. Neurotrauma Reports, November 2020. https://doi.org/10.1089/neur.2020.0049
- Silantyeva, E., R.K. Willits, M.L. Becker. Post-fabrication Tethering of Molecular Gradients on Aligned Nanofibers of Functional Poly(ԑ-caprolactone)s. Biomacromolecules. 20(12):4494-4501, 2019. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01264
- Motta, Cecilia M.M., K.J. Endres, C. Wesdemiotis, R.K. Willits and M.L. Becker. Enhancing Schwann Cell Migration Using Concentration Gradients of Laminin Derived-peptides. Biomaterials. 218:119335, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.119335
- Cavanaugh M, Silantyeva E, Pylypiv Koh G, Malekzadeh E, Lanzinger WD, Willits RK, Becker ML. RGD-Modified Nanofibers Enhance Outcomes in Rats after Sciatic Nerve Injury. J Funct Biomater. 2019 May 29;10(2) PubMed PMID: 31146396; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6637389.
- Philip, D.#, Silantyeva, E.#, Becker, M.L., and R.K. Willits. RGD-functionalized nanofibers increase early GFAP expression during neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. Biomacromolecules, #co-first authors. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.9b00018
Sep 25, 2024
Fall 2024 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several COE, COS, and Khoury students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Fall 2024 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
May 20, 2024
Enhancing Diversity in Engineering Departments
ChE Professor and Chair Rebecca Willits’ research on “Framework for Department-Level Accountability To Diversify Engineering” was published in Nature Reviews Bioengineering.
Mar 26, 2024
Willits Elected to AIMBE Board of Directors
ChE Professor and Chair Rebecca Willits was elected to serve as the secretary/treasurer on the board of directors for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) for 2024-2026. Willits is also a Fellow of AMBIE and the Biomedical Engineering Society.
Oct 10, 2023
PhD Spotlight: Caterina Bartomeu Garcia, PhD’22, Chemical Engineering
Caterina Bartomeu Garcia, PhD’22, chemical engineering, focused her research on the development of novel drug delivery systems for the treatment of brain infections such as bacterial meningitis. She had a publication in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, and five peer-review publications. She is now a scientist at Repertoire Immune Medicines.
Aug 07, 2023
Young Scholars Program for Local High School Students Finishes Strong
High school seniors engage in diverse engineering research during Northeastern’s Young Scholars Program, mentored by COE faculty and students.
Jan 24, 2023
Faculty and Staff Awards 2023
Faculty and staff in the College of Engineering were recognized at the annual awards event in a variety of categories for their contributions during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Oct 14, 2022
PhD Spotlight: Ada Vernet-Crua, PhD’22 – Chemical Engineering
Ada Vernet-Crua joined Northeastern in 2018 to complete her master’s thesis in nanoscience and nanotechnology in collaboration with Rovira and Virgili University in Spain, where she also completed her bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2017. During those brief six months, she fell in love with the city and the research and decided to join the […]
Jul 06, 2022
Announcing the new MS in Pharmaceutical Engineering at Northeastern University
The College of Engineering and Bouve College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University are offering a new Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Engineering. Both colleges began to recognize the growing need in the pharmaceutical sector for people that have both an engineering background as well as understand the regulatory environment of the pharmaceutical industry. “The […]
May 18, 2022
Summer 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Summer 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Oct 12, 2021
Fall 2021 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Fall 2021 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.