Jeffrey W. Ruberti
COE Distinguished Professor,
Bioengineering
Affiliated Faculty,
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Contact
- j.ruberti@northeastern.edu
- 215 ISEC
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Office
- 617.373.3984
Research Focus
Tissue engineering of load-bearing matrix (bone, cornea); bioreactor design; multi-scale mechanobiochemistry; statistical mechanics; energetics microscopy; high-resolution imaging; biopolymer self-assembly
Education
- PhD (1998), Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University
Honors & Awards
- Distinguished Faculty Award (2024), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
- AIMBE Fellow (2022)
- Constantinos Mavroidis Translational Research Award (2021), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
- Soren Buus Outstanding Research Award (2008), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
- Dean’s Service Award (2011), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
Teaching Interests
- Capstone Design
- Biomechanics
- Principles of Bioengineering
Professional Affiliations
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers International
- Biomedical Engineering Society
Research Overview
Tissue engineering of load-bearing matrix (bone, cornea); bioreactor design; multi-scale mechanobiochemistry; statistical mechanics; energetics microscopy; high-resolution imaging; biopolymer self-assembly
My lab focuses on the role matrix molecules play in the transition of animals from a loosely-connected grouping of cells to a fully-connected, mechanically robust structure. The relevant disciplines are: Mechanochemistry, Mechanobiology, Mechanobioreactor Development, Cell Culture, Single Molecule Light Microscopy, High Resolution Electron Microscopy.
Selected Research Projects
- Exploring flow-induced crystallization as a critical mechanism driving corneal stromal lamellogenesis
- – Principal Investigator, NIH/NEI
- Acquisition of a Lumick’s SuperC-Trap correlative optical tweezers and Fluorescence Microscope (CTFM) system
- – Co-Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation, MRI: Division of Biological Infrastructure
- Biomimetic Bone: From Nano to Micro
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
- Mechanobiology of Matrix Production
- – Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health
Research Centers and Institutes
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Alexandra A. Silverman, Jason D. Olszewski, Seyed Mohammad Siadat, Jeffrey W. Ruberti, Tension in the ranks: Cooperative cell contractions drive force-dependent collagen assembly in human fibroblast culture, Matter, Volume 7, Issue 4, 2024, Pages 1533-1557, ISSN 2590-2385
- Alzola, Rodrigo P., Siadat, Seyed Mohammad, Gajjar, Anuj, Stureborg, Rickard, Ruberti, Jeffrey W., Delpiano, Jose, DiMarzio, Charles A. (2021). Method for measurement of collagen monomer orientation in fluorescence microscopy. Journal of Biomedical Optics, 26(07). 10.1117/1.JBO.26.7.076501
- Siadat SM, Susilo ME, Paten JA, Silverman AA, DiMarzio CA and JW Ruberti (2021). Development and validation of fluorescently labeled, functional type I collagen molecules. bioRxiv: doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.26.437209
- Siadat SM, Silverman AA, DiMarzio CA and JW Ruberti (2021) Measuring collagen fibril diameter with differential interference contrast microscopy. Journal of Structural Biology Mar; 213(1): 107697
- Jamieson RR, Stasiak SE, Polio SR, Ruberti JW and Parameswaran H. (2021). Stiffening of the extracellular matrix is a sufficient condition for airway hyperreactivity. Journal of Applied Physiology. J Appl Physiol (Chosen as “APS Select”)
- H. Hosseini, A. Rangchian, M.L. Prins, C.L. Giza, J.W. Ruberti, H.P. Kavehpour, Probing Flow-Induced Biomolecular Interactions with Micro-Extensional Rheology: Tau Protein Aggregation, J. Biomech Eng., 142(3), 2020
- M. Chaudhary, E.N. Ismail, P. Yao, F. Tayyari, R.A. Radu, S. Nusinowitz, M.E. Boulton, R.S. Apte, J.W. Ruberti, J.T. Handa, P. Tontonoz, G. Malek, LXRs Regulate Features of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and May be a Potential Therapeutic Target, JCI Insight, 5(1), 2020
- J.A. Paten, C.L. Martin, J.T. Wanis, S.M. Siadat, A.M. Figueroa-Navado, J.W. Ruberti, L.F. Deravi Molecular Interactions Between Collagen and Fibronectin: A Reciprocal Relationship that Regulates De Novo Fibrillogenesis, Chem, 5, 2019, 2126-2145
- B. Wingender, P. Bradley, N. Saxena, J.W. Ruberti, L. Gower, Biomimetic Organization of Collagen Matrices to Template Bone-Like Microstructures, Matrix Biology, 52-54, 2016, 384-396
- M. Susilo, J. Paten, E. Sander, T.D. Nguyen, J.W. Ruberti Collagen Network Strengthening Following Cyclic Tensile Loading, Interface Focus, 6(1), 2016
- J.A. Paten, S. Siadat, M.E. Susilo, I.N. Ebraheim, J.L. Stoner, J.P. Rothstein, J.W. Ruberti, Flow-Induced Crystallization of Collagen: A Potentially Critical Mechanism in Early Tissue Formation, ACS Nano, 10(5), 2016, 5027-5040
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.
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 08, 2024
2024 URF Scholars Recipients
Several engineering students received 2024 URF Scholars Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. URF Scholars are students who are graduating this year and who have earned a PEAK Experiences Award, applied for a distinguished fellowship, or participated in graduate school advising.
Feb 16, 2024
New Research Questions How Connective Tissues Are Formed
BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti’s new research, published in the journal Matter, suggests that connective tissues in the human body are more likely formed by cells pulling apart than coming together. Ruberti conducted the research with BioE Associate Research Scientist Seyed Mohammad Siadat; Alexandra Silverman, MS’21, bioengineering; and Jason Olszewski, E’24, bioengineering.
Feb 01, 2024
Faculty and Staff Awards 2024
The College of Engineering recognized faculty and staff at the annual faculty and staff awards event and thanked everyone for their hard work and dedication in support of our students, college, and university during the 2023-2024 academic year. View award recipients and photo gallery.
Feb 01, 2024
Celebrating Bioengineering at Northeastern: Visions for the Future
The Department of Bioengineering hosted a 10 year anniversary celebration to commemorate what the department has accomplished and showcase its plans for the future.
May 22, 2023
BioE Spinout BrilliantSprings Is Finalist in ARPA-H Competition
The spinoff company BrilliantStrings Therapeutics of BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti and mechanical engineering alum Jeff Paten, PhD’14, made it to the “final four” of the “ARPA-H Dash” competition to accelerate health outcomes.
Apr 18, 2023
Alumni Spotlight: Alex Silverman, MS’21
Like many, Alexandra Silverman was first introduced to science in middle school in the form of a frog dissection. However, instead of the impending nausea many experience at the sight of internal organs, Silverman became enraptured by the beauty and intricacy of science.
Oct 18, 2022
BioE Students Nominated for Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
Bioengineering students Amanda Dee, E’23, and Conor Messor, E’19, were nominated for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program that prepares graduate students at Stanford University to tackle critical global challenges of the 21st century.
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.