Rebecca Willits
Professor and Chairperson,
Chemical Engineering
Affiliated Faculty,
Bioengineering
Office
- 201F Cullinane
- 617.373.2989
Lab
- 216 Egan
Research Focus
Mechanobiology of neural systems; Systems for nerve regeneration; Diversity and equity in engineering
Education
- PhD, Cornell University, Chemical Engineering, 1999
- MS, The Johns Hopkins University, Chemical Engineering, 1996
Honors & Awards
- 2023 Diversity Recognition Award
- 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; Diversity and equity in engineering
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
Selected Publications
- Wayne, E., Boyle, P., Chow, L., Maisel, K., Peyton, S., Stabenfeldt, S., Stevens, K., Winter, J., Willits, R., Framework for department-level accountability to diversify engineering. Nat Rev Bioeng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00183-4
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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
- Silantyeva, E., R.K. Willits, M.L. Becker. Post-fabrication Tethering of Molecular Gradients on Aligned Nanofibers of Functional Poly(ԑ-caprolactone)s. Biomacromolecules. 20(12):4494-4501, 2019. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01264
- Motta, Cecilia M.M., K.J. Endres, C. Wesdemiotis, R.K. Willits and M.L. Becker. Enhancing Schwann Cell Migration Using Concentration Gradients of Laminin Derived-peptides. Biomaterials. 218:119335, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.119335
- Cavanaugh M, Silantyeva E, Pylypiv Koh G, Malekzadeh E, Lanzinger WD, Willits RK, Becker ML. RGD-Modified Nanofibers Enhance Outcomes in Rats after Sciatic Nerve Injury. J Funct Biomater. 2019 May 29;10(2) PubMed PMID: 31146396; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6637389.
- Philip, D.#, Silantyeva, E.#, Becker, M.L., and R.K. Willits. RGD-functionalized nanofibers increase early GFAP expression during neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. Biomacromolecules, #co-first authors. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.9b00018
Mar 06, 2025
Developing New Tools To Study and Control Brain Cell Growth
ChE Professor and Chair Rebecca Willits published her research on “Mechanotransductive N-Cadherin Binding Induces Differentiation in Human Neural Stem Cells” in Mechanobiology in Medicine.
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.
Jan 24, 2023
Faculty and Staff Awards 2023
Faculty and staff in the College of Engineering were recognized at the annual awards event in a variety of categories for their contributions during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Oct 14, 2022
PhD Spotlight: Ada Vernet-Crua, PhD’22 – Chemical Engineering
Ada Vernet-Crua joined Northeastern in 2018 to complete her master’s thesis in nanoscience and nanotechnology in collaboration with Rovira and Virgili University in Spain, where she also completed her bachelor’s […]