Nandan Nerurkar

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Tel(212) 854-2068
Fax(212) 854-8725

Nandan Nerurkar investigates how tissues and organs form in the developing embryo through an integration of genetic, molecular, and biophysical cues. Ultimately, he seeks to establish design principles of embryonic tissue formation, and to repurpose them for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications.

Research Interests

Morphogenesis, mechanobiology, biomechanics, birth defects, developmental biology, stem cells

Using live in vivo imaging, gene misexpression, and biomechanical approaches in the developing chick embryo, Nerurkar focuses on understanding how forces that shape the embryo are specified by developmental signals, how these forces in turn influence tissue growth and stem cell differentiation, and how birth defects arise when these processes go awry.

He received a BS in Biological Engineering from University of Maryland College Park in 2003, an MS in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2005, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania 2010. Nerurkar completed his training as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School before joining Columbia as an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering in January 2018. Nerurkar also holds a secondary appointment at Columbia University Medical Center in Department of Genetics & Development.

Research Experience

  • Postdoctoral fellow, Harvard Medical School, 2011-2017

Professional Experience

  • Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 2018–Present
  • Department of Genetics & Development (Secondary), Columbia University, 2018-Present

Professional Affiliations

  • Society for Developmental Biology
  • Biomedical Engineering Society
  • International Society of Differentiation
  • Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport, Conference Foundation

Honors & Awards

  • Keegan’s Hope Research Award, Avery’s Angels Gastroschisis Foundation
  • NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award

Selected Publications

  • Nerurkar NL, Mahadevan L, Tabin CJ. BMP signaling controls buckling forces to modulate looping morphogenesis of the gut. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 114(9), 2017.
  • Heo SJ, Driscoll TP, Thorpe SD, Nerurkar NL, Baker BM, Yang MT, Chen CS, Lee DA, Mauck RL. Differentiation alters stem cell nuclear architecture, mechanics, and mechano-sensitivity. eLife, 5:e18207, 2016.
  • Shah RS+, Nerurkar NL+#, Wang C, Galloway JL#. Tensile properties of craniofacial tendons in the mature and aged zebrafish. Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 33(6), 2015. +authors contributed equally, #co-corresponding authors.
  • Shyer AE, Tallinen T, Nerurkar NL, Wei Z, Gil E, Kaplan DL, Tabin CJ, Mahadevan L. Villification: How the gut gets its villi. Science, 342(6155), 2013.
  • Han WJ, Nerurkar NL, Jacobs NT, Smith LJ, Mauck RL, Elliott DM. Multi-scale structural and tensile mechanical response of annulus fibrosus to osmotic loading. Annals of Biomedical Eng, 40(7), 2012.
  • Smith LJ, Chiaro JA, Nerurkar NL, Cortes DH, Horava S, Hebela N, Mauck RL, Dodge GR, Elliott DM. Nucleus pulposus cells synthesize a functional extracellular matrix and respond to inflammatory cytokine challenge following long term agarose culture. European Cells & Materials, 20(22), 2011.
  • Heo SC, Nerurkar NL, Baker BM, Mauck RL. Microstructure dictates stretch-induced cell and nucleus reorganization on aligned nanofibrous scaffolds. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 39(11), 2011. Cover article.
  • Driscoll TP, Nerurkar NL, Jacobs NT, Elliott DM, Mauck RL. Fiber angle and aspect ratio influence the shear mechanics of oriented electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 4(8), 2011.
  • Nerurkar NL, Mauck RL, Elliott DM. Modeling inter-lamellar interactions in angle-ply biologic laminates for annulus fibrosus tissue engineering. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 10(6), 2011.
  • Smith LJ, Nerurkar NL, Harfe BD, Elliott DM. Degeneration and regeneration of the intervertebral disc: lessons from development. Disease Models and Mechanisms, 4(1), 2011.