Rebecca Willits
Professor and Chairperson,
Chemical Engineering
Affiliated Faculty,
Bioengineering
Contact
- r.willits@northeastern.edu
- Northeastern University
360 Huntington Ave - Chemical Engineering
Boston, MA 02115-5000
Social Media
Office
- 201F Cullinane
- 617.373.2989
Lab
- 216 Egan
Research Focus
Mechanobiology of neural systems; Systems for nerve regeneration; Inclusive workforce development
Education
- PhD, Cornell University, Chemical Engineering, 1999
- MS, The Johns Hopkins University, Chemical Engineering, 1996
Honors & Awards
- AIChE Fellow
- 2024 Excellence in Mentoring Award, Chemical Engineering
- 2023 Diversity Recognition Award, College of Engineering
- 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; Inclusive workforce development
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
- BPE Track 3: Engineering Academic Mentoring Collective
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
- 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
2020-present
- Yang Hu#, Yin Mei Chan#, Nicola G. Judge, Matthew L. Becker, Rebecca K. Willits. Sex-based Differences in Schwann Cell Migration on Aligned Polycaprolactone Nanofibers. Scientific Reports, 2025. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-13450-0 #co-first authors
- Yin Mei Chan; Judge, Nicola; Hu, Yang; Willits, Rebecca; Li, Neill; Becker, Matthew. Review of Gaps in the Clinical Indications and Use of Neural Conduits and Artificial Grafts for Nerve Repair and Reconstruction. Biomacromolecules, 2025. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.biomac.5c00558
- Gomez-Maldonado, D., Shovmer, R., Inman, D.M., Willits, R. K. Brain activation following flexible stimulation paradigms of transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) in a murine model of glaucoma. Volume 255, June 2025, 110326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exer.2025.110326
- Cavanaugh, M., R.K. Willits. Mechanotransductive N-Cadherin Binding Induces Differentiation in Human Neural Stem Cells. Mechanobiology in Medicine, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mbm.2024.100099
- Jacqueline C. Linnes, Erika Moore, Ana Maria Porras, Elizabeth Wayne, Patrick M. Boyle, Lesley W. Chow, Katharina Maisel, Shelly R. Peyton, Sarah E. Stabenfeldt, Kelly R. Stevens, Jessica O. Winter, Rebecca Kuntz Willits. Framework for department-level accountability to diversify engineering. Nat Rev Bioeng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00183-4
- Yang Hu, Matthew L. Becker, and Rebecca Kuntz Willits. Quantification of Cell Migration: Metrics Selection to Model Application. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology – Cell Adhesion and Migration, May 2023.
- Narges Yazdani and Rebecca Kuntz Willits. Mimicking the neural stem cell niche: An engineer’s view of cell:material interactions. Frontiers in Chemical Engineering, Jan 2023.
- McKay Cavanaugh, Darya Asheghali, Cecilia M. Motta, Elena Silantyeva, Shantanu P. Nikam, Matthew L. Becker, and Rebecca K. Willits. Influence of Touch-Spun Nanofiber Diameter on Contact Guidance during Peripheral Nerve Repair. Biomacromolecules2022, 23, 6, 2635–2646. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00379
- Emily Mulvany, Sara McMahan, Jiazhu Xu, Narges Yazdani, Rebecca Willits, Jun Liao, Ge Zhang, Yi Hong, In vitro comparison of harvesting site effects on cardiac extracellular matrix hydrogels. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm.a.37184
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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
Jan 23, 2026
Spring 2026 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several COE, Bouvé, COS, DMSB, and Khoury students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Spring 2026 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. This group of students from across the university will explore a wide variety of topics and questions from developing brain-computer interfaces, to analyzing air quiality data to inform future legislation, Socioeconomic Factors impact on twin infants, and more.
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Narges Yazdani, PhD’24, Bioengineering
Narges Yazdani, PhD’24, bioengineering, focused her research on integrin-mediated mechanotransduction and its effects on neural stem cell behavior. Her work contributed to peer-reviewed publications and presentations at conferences and had a co-op at AbbVie Bioresearch Center.
Mar 06, 2025
Neural Stem Cell Research Discovery Could Counteract Brain Aging
ChE Professor and Chair Rebecca Willits’ research on “Mechanotransductive N-Cadherin Binding Induces Differentiation in Human Neural Stem Cells” was published in Mechanobiology in Medicine. The research discovered that a protein in the human brain could potentially be used to grow new neurons in the lab and enhance brain processes affected by aging or neurodegenerative diseases.
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 20, 2024
Inclusive Engineering Mentoring Initiative
ChE Professor and Chair Rebecca Willits was awarded, in collaboration with the University of Akron (PI), an $800,000 NSF award for “BPE Track 3: Engineering Academic Mentoring Collective,” which is designed to help build supportive networks of underrepresented groups in engineering, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals and women.
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.