Mingyang Lu
Assistant Professor,
Bioengineering
Office
- 177 Huntington Ave, # 1319
Research Focus
Computational systems biology, an integration of mathematical modeling and bioinformatics for studying gene regulatory networks, single cell genomics, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, coarse-graining, reverse engineering, machine learning, stochasticity and heterogeneity in gene expression
About
Mingyang Lu received his BS degree in Physics at Fudan University in 2003 and obtained his PhD degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine in 2010. Since 2016, he has established his independent research lab as an Assistant Professor at The Jackson Laboratory before joining the Bioengineering department at Northeastern. Dr. Lu’s research interests include methodology development in computational systems biology and applications to model gene regulatory networks driving cellular state transitions by integrating genomics data analysis and mathematical modeling. Lu has received a five-year Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
Education
- PhD, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biophysics Track, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX 2010
Teaching Interests
Physical Bioengineering
Research Overview
Computational systems biology, an integration of mathematical modeling and bioinformatics for studying gene regulatory networks, single cell genomics, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, coarse-graining, reverse engineering, machine learning, stochasticity and heterogeneity in gene expression
Selected Research Projects
- Genome Editing Approaches to Unravel microRNA Roles in Stochastic Multistable Networks
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
- New Computational Systems Biology Methods for Modeling Gene Regulatory Circuits
- – Principle Investigator, National Institutes of Health
- Collaborative Research: Genome editing approaches to unravel microRNA roles in stochastic multistable networks
- – Principle Investigator, National Sciences Foundation
Research Centers and Institutes
Center for Theoretical Biological Physics
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- A. Katebi, D. Ramirez, and M. Lu. Computational systems-biology approaches for modeling gene networks driving epithelial–mesenchymal transitions. Comput. Syst. Oncol. 1(2), 2021, e1021
- V. Kohar, D. Gordin, A. Ketabi and M. Lu. Gene Circuit Explorer (GeneEx): an interactive web-app and database for visualizing, simulating and analyzing gene regulatory circuits. Bioinformatics. 37(9), 2021, 1327-29
- A. Katebi, V. Kohar, M. Lu, Random Parametric Perturbations of Gene Regulatory Circuit Uncover State Transitions in Cell Cycle, iScience, 23(6), 2020, 101150
- D. Ramirez, V. Kohar, M. Lu, Toward Modeling Context-Specific EMT Regulatory Networks Using Temporal Single Cell RNA-Seq Data, Front Mol Biosci, 7, 2020, 54
- D. Jia, M. Lu, K.H. Jung, J.H. Park, L. Yu, J. Onuchic, B.A. Kaipparettu, H. Levine, Elucidating Cancer Metabolic Plasticity by Coupling Gene Regulation with Metabolic Pathways, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(9), 2019, 3909-18
- V. Kohar, M. Lu., Role of Noise and Parametric Variation in the Dynamics of Gene Regulatory Circuits, NPJ Systems Biology and Applications, 4(40), 2018
- B. Huang, M. Lu, D. Jia, E. Ben-Jacob, H. Levine, J. Onuchic, Interrogating the Topological Robustness of Gene Regulatory Circuits by Randomization, PLOS Computational Biology, 13(3), 2017, e1005456
- L. Yu, M. Lu, D. Jia, J. Ma, E. Ben-Jacob, H. Levine, B.A. Kaipparettu, J. Onuchic, Modeling the Genetic Regulation of Cancer Metabolism: Interplay Between Glycolysis and Oxidative Phosphorylation, Cancer Research, 77(7), 2017, 1564
Feb 07, 2025
Spring 2025 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several COE, COS, and Khoury students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Spring 2025 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Nov 15, 2024
Northeastern Nominates 6 COE Students for Prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholarship
Alex Bender, E’20, MS’20, Matthew Coughlin, E’25, Maya De Los Santos, E’25, Jose Meza Llamosas, E’25, Dominic Pizzarella, E’25, and Daniel Sneyers Pont, E’21, MS’21, were six of eight nominated by Northeastern for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, which develops a community of future global leaders to address complex challenges through collaboration and innovation.
Apr 29, 2024
Goldwater Scholar Shares Her Research Experiences
Kaitlyn Ramesh, E’25, bioengineering, received the prestigious 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarship for her undergraduate research in the Lu Lab and the Prigozhin Lab. She is involved with the Women’s Research Engagement Network and received other awards such as the AJC Merit Research Scholarship.
Apr 02, 2024
2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarship
Kaitlyn Ramesh, E’25, bioengineering, received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious, merit-based awards for undergraduate students who plan to pursue research careers in natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.
Jan 30, 2024
2024 Goldwater Scholarship Nominees
Maya De Los Santos, electrical and computer engineering, Kaitlyn Ramesh, bioengineering, and Madeline Szoo, chemical engineering and biochemistry, were nominated for the 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarship—a highly competitive, merit-based award for outstanding students in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering who are interested in pursuing careers in research.
Apr 27, 2023
Summer 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Summer 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Dec 22, 2022
Inaugural AJC Merit Research Scholars for Research Co-ops at Northeastern
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the inaugural AJC Merit Research Scholars from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. It provides exceptional students with the opportunity to pursue STEM research co-ops in the laboratories of Northeastern University faculty.
Oct 07, 2022
Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Jul 15, 2021
Understanding microRNA Roles in Stochastic Multistable Networks
BioE Assistant Professor Mingyang Lu and Physics/BioE University Distinguished Professor Herbert Levine, in collaboration with Leonidas Bleris from the University of Texas at Dallas, were awarded a $1.4M NSF grant for “Genome Editing Approaches to Unravel microRNA Roles in Stochastic Multistable Networks.”
Oct 16, 2020
COE Faculty Awarded Seed Funding in Collaboration with University of Maine
BioE Assistant Professors Jiahe Li and Mingyang Lu, ECE Professor & Chair Srinivas Tadigadapa, ECE Assistant Professors Sarah Ostadabbas and Xue “Shelley” Lin, and ECE Associate Research Scientist Ataur Katebi were among the faculty chosen for five competitive collaborative research projects with the University of Maine in the areas of artificial intelligence, earth and climate sciences, health and life sciences, manufacturing, and marine sciences.