Rouzbeh Amini
Associate Professor,
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Associate Professor,
Bioengineering
Contact
- r.amini@northeastern.edu
- 334 Snell Engineering
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Office
- 320 ISEC
- 617.373.7688
Lab
- Mugar 132A
Research Focus
Biomechanics, mechanobiology, biotransport
Education
- PhD in Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 2010
Honors & Awards
- 2022 College of Engineering Faculty Fellow
- National Science Foundation CAREER Award
Professional Affiliations
- International Society for Eye Research (ISER)
- American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
- American Heart Association (AHA)
- Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
Research Overview
Biomechanics, mechanobiology, biotransport
Laboratory for Soft Tissue Biomechanics
The Laboratory for Soft Tissue Biomechanics at Northeastern University conducts studies to understand how mechanical loading and structural properties at different scales (i.e. organ, tissue, extracellular matrix, and cellular/sub-cellular levels) affect the normal responses of soft tissues. We aim to determine how deviating from such native states may induce pathophysiological responses. Our group has been extending the scope of experimental techniques to quantify the mechanical and microstructural properties of soft tissues. We have also been developing multi-scale computational models of tissue biomechanics and mechanobiology based on the experimentally quantified responses at the cellular, extracellular matrix, and tissue levels.
Selected Research Projects
- In-vivo Assessment of Human Iris Mechanical Properties
- – Principal Investigator, BrightFocus Foundation
- Multi-scale Assessment of Biomechanical Alterations in Tricuspid Valves Following Pregnancy
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
Research Centers and Institutes
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Nwotchouang, Blaise Simplice Talla, Eppelheimer, Maggie S., Pahlavian, Soroush Heidari, Barrow, Jack W., Barrow, Daniel L., Qiu, Deqiang, Allen, Philip A., Oshinski, John N., Amini, Rouzbeh, Loth, Francis (2021). Regional Brain Tissue Displacement and Strain is Elevated in Subjects with Chiari Malformation Type I Compared to Healthy Controls: A Study Using DENSE MRI. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, . 10.1007/S10439-020-02695-7
- Nwotchouang, Blaise Simplice Talla, Eppelheimer, Maggie S., Biswas, Dipankar, Pahlavian, Soroush Heidari, Zhong, Xiaodong, Oshinski, John N., Barrow, Daniel L., Amini, Rouzbeh, Loth, Francis (2021). Accuracy of cardiac‐induced brain motion measurement using displacement‐encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A phantom study. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 85(3),1237-1247. 10.1002/MRM.28490
- Rashidi, Neda, Pant, Anup D., Salinas, Samuel D., Shah, Mickey, Thomas, Vineet S., Zhang, Ge, Dorairaj, Syril, Amini, Rouzbeh (2021). Iris stromal cell nuclei deform to more elongated shapes during pharmacologically-induced miosis and mydriasis. Experimental Eye Research, 202,108373. 10.1016/J.EXER.2020.108373
- Amini, Rouzbeh, Cyrus Rezvanifar, S. (2020). Self-Efficacy Versus Gender: Project-Based Active Learning Techniques in Biomedical Engineering Introductory Computer Programming Courses. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 142(11). 10.1115/1.4047924
- S.D. Salinas, M.M. Clark, R. Amini, The Effects of− 80° C Short-Term Storage on the Mechanical Response of Tricuspid Valve Leaflets, Journal of Biomechanics, 98, 2020, 109462
- V.S. Thomas, V. Lai, R. Amini, A Computational Multi-Scale Approach to Investigate Mechanically-Induced Changes in Tricuspid Valve Anterior Leaflet Microstructure, Acta Biomaterialia, 94, 2019, 524-535
- K. Amini Khoiy, K.T. Asgarian, F. Loth, R. Amini, Dilation of Tricuspid Valve Annulus Immediately After Rupture of Chordae Tendineae in Ex-Vivo Porcine Hearts, PLOS One, 13(11), 2018, e0206744
- A.D. Pant, P. Gogte, V. Pathak-Ray, S.K. Dorairaj, R. Amini Increased Iris Stiffness in Patients with a History of Angle-Closure Glaucoma: An Image-Based Inverse Modeling Analysis, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 59(10), 2018, 4134-4142
- S.H. Pahlavian, J. Oshinski, X. Zhong, F. Loth, R. Amini Regional Quantification of Brain Tissue Strain Using Displacement-Encoding with Stimulated Echoes Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 140(8), 2018
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Turner Jennings, PhD’25, Mechanical Engineering
Turner Jennings, PhD’25, mechanical engineering, authored a dissertation on improving helmet impact response that focused on using granular materials instead of polymeric foams to absorb impact energy. Following graduation, Jennings joined Northeastern as a postdoctoral research associate.
Jun 09, 2025
Skalak Award Honorable Mention for Paper on Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy
Ana I. Vargas, PhD’25, bioengineering, BioE Associate Professor Chiara Bellini and MIE Associate Professor Rouzbeh Amini received an Honorable Mention for the 2025 Skalak Award for their paper on “Vascular Remodeling During Late-Gestation Pregnancy: An In-Vitro Assessment of the Murine Ascending Thoracic Aorta.”
Oct 17, 2024
Engineering for Women’s Health Conference 2024 Focuses on Interdisciplinary Solutions
Seeking to highlight the need for interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to women’s health, a group of bioengineering and mechanical engineering PhD students organized the inaugural Engineering for Women’s Health Conference 2024.
Aug 28, 2024
Research on Experiential Learning in Norway
MIE Associate Teaching Professor Yustianto Tjiptowidjojo and MIE/BioE Associate Professor Rouzbeh Amini published research from a Dialogue of Civilizations on “An Experiential Learning Opportunity in Norway: Computation for Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering Students” in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering.
Jan 31, 2024
BioE PhD Student Receives 2024 AHA Predoctoral Fellowship
BioE PhD candidate Ana Vargas, who works in the labs of both MIE Associate Professor Rouzbeh Amini and BioE Associate Professor Chiara Bellini, was selected by the American Heart Association to receive a Predoctoral Fellowship for her project “Pregnancy Induced Mechanobiological Remodeling in Maternal Vasculature in Health and Disease.”
Jan 11, 2024
Spring 2024 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
A record number of engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Spring 2024 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
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.
Jul 12, 2023
Selected as Runner-Up in SB3C Student Paper Competition
Ana I. Vargas, PhD’24, bioengineering, was chosen as the runner-up in the Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, & Biotransport Conference (SB3C) Student Paper Competition for the “Morphogenesis, Maternal/Abdominal Health” competition category.
May 01, 2023
Discovering a Passion for Robotics Through Research
Serena Lin, computer engineering, participated in the UPLIFT (Undergraduate Program for Leaders in Future Transformation Program) where she started research in her first semester as an undergraduate. With a variety of hands-on research experiences, including an NSF REU and working at the Institute for Experiential Robotics, Lin found her passion in robotics.
Apr 15, 2022
Faculty and Staff Awards 2022
Congratulations to all the winners of the faculty and staff awards, and to everyone for their hard work and dedication during the 2021-2022 academic school year.