Biosketch
Margaret L. Gardel is the Horace B. Horton Professor of Physics, Molecular Engineering, and Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology at the University of Chicago. She directs the James Franck Institute and the Center for Living Systems, an NSF Physics Frontier Center, and is a Chan Zuckerberg Investigator. She earned her B.S. in Physics and B.A. in Mathematics from Brown University and Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University. She joined the faculty at UChicago after completing postdoctoral research at MIT and Scripps Research Institute. She is a fellow of the American Physical Society. Awards include the Raymond & Beverly Sackler International Prize in Biophysics, NIH Pioneer Award, Packard and Sloan Fellowships.
Research Interests
Gardel’s research explores how living matter emerges from collections of molecules to control physiology of cells and tissues. Her interdisciplinary research bridges physics, cell biology, and materials science to understand how biological molecules form soft materials that drive cellular processes such as adhesion, migration, and shape change. She is particularly interested in how cells respond to mechanical stimuli and how these responses influence morphogenesis and disease. Her work also extends to engineering active materials inspired by cellular mechanics, including biopolymer-based liquid crystals and adaptive biomaterials.
Membership Type
Member
Election Year
2025
Primary Section
Section 13: Physics
Secondary Section
Section 29: Biophysics and Computational Biology