Prof. Wong engineers new technologies to study cancer cell invasion, phenotypic plasticity and therapeutic resistance. He received his A.B. magna cum laude in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University in 2003. He did his graduate work on the directed self-assembly of biomolecular materials with Nick Melosh, receiving a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University in 2010. His postdoctoral training in BioMEMS and cancer cell migration was with Mehmet Toner and Daniel Irimia at the Center for Engineering in Medicine of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School from 2010-2013. He joined Brown University as assistant professor of engineering in July 2013. He has been recognized with an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fellowship, the 2015 Brown University CareerLAB Pierrepont Prize for Advising, and the 2025 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring in Engineering. He was also an Associate Scientific Advisor for Science Translational Medicine and serves on the Editorial Board of the Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering.
| Kim, Jiwon, Jeong, Hyuntae, Falco, Carles, Hruska, Alex M, Martinson, William Duncan, Marzoratti, Alejandro, Araiza, Mauricio, Yang, Haiqian, Fonseca, Vera, Adam, Stephen A, Franck, Christian, Carrillo, Jose A., Guo, Ming, Wong, Ian Y. "Collective transitions from orbiting to matrix invasion in three-dimensional multicellular spheroids." Nature Physics, vol. 22, 2026, pp. 275–286. |
| Rodriguez, Camille, Jeong, Hyuntae, Kim, Jiwon, Cordner, Lily A., Cao, Paul, Sivagurunathan, Suganya, Adam, Stephen A., Goldman, Robert D., Wong, Ian Y., Guo, Ming. "Expression of vimentin intermediate filaments in epithelial cells promotes cell migration and cell matrix interaction in 3D." Biophysical Journal, 2026. |
| Jeong, Hyuntae, Joshi, Pushkaraj S, Hu, Yinshi, Kim, Jiwon, Vu, Anh Hoang, Rosenstein, Jacob K, Wong, Ian Y. "Label-Free All-Electrical Tracking of Individual and Collective Cell Migration on a Megapixel CMOS Capacitance Sensor." bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. |
| Jeong, Hyuntae, Kim, Jiwon, Sim, Jea-Yun, Leggett, Susan E, Wong, Ian Y. "Partial EMT Drives Persistent Collective Migration via Collision Guidance in Heterogeneous Populations." bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. |
| Cordner, Lily A., Cruz-Bonilla, Alexxa C., Jeong, Hyeontae, Kim, Jiwon, Vu, Anh Hoang, Wong, Ian Y. "Profiling Collective and Individual Cell Migration Using Biomaterial and Microfluidic Technologies." Microfluidic Technologies for Cell Analysis and Beyond, 2026, pp. 140-167. |
| Shin, Euichul, Han, Jihun, Jung, Ara, Khan, Jahangir, Wong, Ian Y., Gweon, Bomi. "Profiling extracellular matrix-driven heterogeneity of single cell migration and morphology." Scientific Reports, 2026. |
| Jeong, Hyuntae, Kim, Jiwon, Wong, Ian Y. "Sensing forces that shape tumours." Nature Nanotechnology, 2026. |
| Kim, Jiwon, Jeong, Hyuntae, Jeon, Young-woo, Min, Chanhong, Wong, Ian Y., Shin, Jennifer H. "Collective Mechanical Memory Encoded by Long-Lasting Supracellular Cytoskeletal Structures in Multicellular Spheroids." ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, vol. 17, no. 46, 2025, pp. 63089–63102. |
| Guo M, Wong IY, Moore AS, Medalia O, Lippincott-Schwartz J, Weitz DA, Goldman RD. "Vimentin intermediate filaments as structural and mechanical coordinators of mesenchymal cells." Nature Cell Biology, vol. 27, no. 8, 2025, pp. 1210-1218. |
| Winn-Nuñez ET, Witt H, Bhaskar D, Huang RY, Reichner JS, Wong IY, Crawford L. "Generative modeling of biological shapes and images using a probabilistic α-shape sampler." bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2024. |
| Markoski, Alex, Wong, Ian Y., Borenstein, Jeffrey T. "Dynamic Tumor Perfusion and Real-Time Monitoring in a Multiplexed 3D Printed Microdevice." Microfluidic Systems for Cancer Diagnosis, edited by Garcia-Cordero, J.L., Revzin, A., New York, Humana, 2023, pp. 287-304. |
| "Engineering and Physical Approaches to Cancer." Current Cancer Research, 2023. |
| Machnicki, Catherine E., DuBois, Eric M., Fay, Meg, Shrestha, Snehi, Saleeba, Zachary S. S. L., Hruska, Alex M., Ahmed, Zahra, Srivastava, Vikas, Chen, Po-Yen, Wong, Ian Y. "Graphene oxide nanosheets augment silk fibroin aerogels for enhanced water stability and oil adsorption." Nanoscale Advances, vol. 5, no. 22, 2023, pp. 6078-6092. |
| Hruska, Alex M., Yang, Haiqian, Leggett, Susan E., Guo, Ming, Wong, Ian Y. "Mechanobiology of Collective Cell Migration in 3D Microenvironments." Engineering and Physical Approaches to Cancer, edited by Wong, Ian Y. and Dawson, M.R., Springer, 2023, pp. 1-32. |
| Bhaskar D, Zhang WY, Volkening A, Sandstede B, Wong IY. "Topological data analysis of spatial patterning in heterogeneous cell populations: clustering and sorting with varying cell-cell adhesion." NPJ systems biology and applications, vol. 9, no. 1, 2023, pp. 43. |
| Li Y, Wong IY, Guo M. "Reciprocity of Cell Mechanics with Extracellular Stimuli: Emerging Opportunities for Translational Medicine." Small, 2022, pp. e2107305. |
| Brodsky, Alexander S., Khurana, Jay, Guo, Kevin S., Wu, Elizabeth Y., Yang, Dongfang, Siddique, Ayesha S., Wong, Ian Y., Gamsiz Uzun, Ece D., Resnick, Murray B. "Somatic mutations in collagens are associated with a distinct tumor environment and overall survival in gastric cancer." BMC Cancer, vol. 22, no. 1, 2022, pp. 139. |
| Lakis NS, Brodsky AS, Karashchuk G, Audesse AJ, Yang D, Sturtevant A, Lombardo K, Wong IY, Webb AE, Anthony DC. "Stem cell phenotype predicts therapeutic response in glioblastomas with MGMT promoter methylation." Acta Neuropathologica Communications, vol. 10, no. 1, 2022, pp. 159. |
| Bhaskar D, Hruska AM, Wong IY. "The need for speed: Migratory cells in tight spaces boost their molecular clock." Cell Systems, vol. 13, no. 7, 2022, pp. 509-511. |
| Markoski, Alex, Wong, Ian Y., Borenstein, Jeffrey T. "3D Printed Monolithic Device for the Microfluidic Capture, Perfusion, and Analysis of Multicellular Spheroids." Frontiers in Medical Technology, vol. 3, 2021, pp. 646441. |
| Leggett, Susan E., Hruska, Alex M., Guo, Ming, Wong, Ian Y. "The epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the cytoskeleton in bioengineered systems." Cell Communication and Signaling, vol. 19, no. 1, 2021, pp. 32. |
| Bhaskar, Dhananjay, Zhang, William Y., Wong, Ian Y. "Topological data analysis of collective and individual epithelial cells using persistent homology of loops." Soft Matter, vol. 17, 2021, pp. 4653 - 4664. |
| Leggett SE, Patel M, Valentin TM, Gamboa L, Khoo AS, Williams EK, Franck C, Wong IY. "Mechanophenotyping of 3D multicellular clusters using displacement arrays of rendered tractions." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2020, pp. 201918296. |
| Ding, M., Jing, L., Yang, H., Machnicki, C.E., Fu, X., Li, K., Wong, I.Y., Chen, P.-Y. "Multifunctional soft machines based on stimuli-responsive hydrogels: from freestanding hydrogels to smart integrated systems." Materials Today Advances, vol. 8, 2020, pp. 100088. |
| Valentin TM, DuBois EM, Machnicki CE, Bhaskar D, Cui FR, Wong IY. "3D Printed Self-Adhesive PEGDA-PAA Hydrogels as Modular Components for Soft Actuators and Microfluidics." Polymer Chemistry, vol. 10, 2019, pp. 2015-2028. |
| Valentin, Thomas M., Landauer, Alexander K., Morales, Luke C., DuBois, Eric M., Shukla, Shashank, Liu, Muchun, Stephens, Lauren H., Franck, Christian, Chen, Po-Yen, Wong, Ian Y. "Alginate-graphene oxide hydrogels with enhanced ionic tunability and chemomechanical stability for light-directed 3D printing." Carbon, vol. 143, 2019, pp. 447-456. |
| Khoo AS, Valentin TM, Leggett SE, Bhaskar D, Bye EM, Benmelech S, Ip BC, Wong IY. "Breast Cancer Cells Transition from Mesenchymal to Amoeboid Migration in Tunable Three-Dimensional Silk-Collagen Hydrogels." ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, vol. 5, no. 9, 2019, pp. 4341-4354. |
| Machnicki, Catherine E., Fu, Fanfan, Jing, Lin, Chen, Po-Yen, Wong, Ian Y. "Mechanochemical Engineering of 2D Materials for Multiscale Biointerfaces." Journal of Materials Chemistry B, vol. 7, 2019, pp. 6293-6309. |
| Leggett SE, Neronha ZJ, Bhaskar D, Sim JY, Perdikari TM, Wong IY. "Motility-limited aggregation of mammary epithelial cells into fractal-like clusters." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116, no. 35, 2019, pp. 17298-17306. |
| Patel, Mohak, Leggett, Susan E., Landauer, Alexander K., Wong, Ian Y., Franck, Christian. "Rapid, topology-based particle tracking for high-resolution measurements of large complex 3D motion fields." Scientific Reports, vol. 8, 2018, pp. 5581. |
| Chen, Po-Yen, Zhang, Mengke, Liu, Muchun, Wong, Ian Y, Hurt, Robert H. "Ultrastretchable Graphene-Based Molecular Barriers for Chemical Protection, Detection, and Actuation." ACS Nano, vol. 12, no. 1, 2018, pp. 234-244. |
| Chen, Po-Yen, Liu, Muchun, Wang, Zhongying, Hurt, Robert H., Wong, Ian Y. "From Flatland to Spaceland: Higher Dimensional Patterning with Two-Dimensional Materials." Advanced Materials, vol. 29, no. 23, 2017, pp. 1605096. |
| Leggett SE, Khoo AS, Wong IY. "Multicellular Tumor Invasion and Plasticity in Biomimetic Materials." Biomater. Sci., vol. 5, 2017, pp. 1460-1479. |
| Leggett, Susan E., Wong, Ian Y. "Nanomedicine: Catching tumour cells in the zone." Nature Nanotechnology, vol. 12, no. 3, 2017, pp. 191-193. |
| Valentin TM, Leggett SE, Chen PY, Sodhi JK, Stephens LH, McClintock HD, Sim JY, Wong IY. "Stereolithographic Printing of Ionically-Crosslinked Alginate Hydrogels for Degradable Biomaterials and Microfluidics." Lab Chip, vol. 3474-3488, 2017, pp. 17. |
| Gamboa Castro M, Leggett SE, Wong IY. "Clustering and Jamming in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Co-Cultures." Soft Matter, vol. 12, no. 40, 2016, pp. 8327-8337. |
| Chen, Po-Yen, Liu, Muchun, Valentin, Thomas M., Wang, Zhongying, Spitz Steinberg, Ruben, Sodhi, Jaskiranjeet, Wong, Ian Y., Hurt, Robert H. "Hierarchical Metal Oxide Topographies Replicated from Highly Textured Graphene Oxide by Intercalation Templating." ACS Nano, vol. 10, no. 12, 2016, pp. 10869-10879. |
| Leggett SE, Sim JY, Rubins JE, Neronha ZJ, Williams EK, Wong IY. "Morphological single cell profiling of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition." Integrative Biology, vol. 8, 2016, pp. 1133-1144. |
| Chen PY, Sodhi J, Qiu Y, Valentin TM, Steinberg RS, Wang Z, Hurt RH, Wong IY. "Multiscale Graphene Topographies Programmed by Sequential Mechanical Deformation." Adv. Mater., vol. 28, no. 18, 2016, pp. 3564-3571. |
| Wong, I. Y. "Use the force." Science Translational Medicine, vol. 8, no. 325, 2016, pp. 325ec25-325ec25. |
| Wong, I. Y. "A graphene security blanket." Science Translational Medicine, vol. 7, no. 289, 2015, pp. 289ec89-289ec89. |
| Wong, I. Y. "Cells choose the path less potholed." Science Translational Medicine, vol. 7, no. 301, 2015, pp. 301ec144-301ec144. |
| Wong, I. Y. "Electronics, freshly squeezed." Science Translational Medicine, vol. 7, no. 295, 2015, pp. 295ec117-295ec117. |
| Wong, I. Y. "Neutrophils: Harbingers of metastasis?." Science Translational Medicine, vol. 7, no. 319, 2015, pp. 319ec220-319ec220. |
| Wong, I. Y. "Platelet impersonation." Science Translational Medicine, vol. 7, no. 307, 2015, pp. 307ec169-307ec169. |
| Wong, I. Y. "Singled out: Exploring epigenetics." Science Translational Medicine, vol. 7, no. 313, 2015, pp. 313ec195-313ec195. |
| Wong, I. Y. "Singled out: Profiling metabolic and proteomic heterogeneity." Science Translational Medicine, vol. 7, no. 283, 2015, pp. 283ec64-283ec64. |
| Wang, Zhongying, Tonderys, Daniel, Leggett, Susan E., Williams, Evelyn Kendall, Kiani, Mehrdad T., Spitz Steinberg, Ruben, Qiu, Yang, Wong, Ian Y., Hurt, Robert H. "Wrinkled, wavelength-tunable graphene-based surface topographies for directing cell alignment and morphology." Carbon, vol. 97, 2015, pp. 14-24. |
| Wong IY, Javaid S, Wong EA, Perk S, Haber DA, Toner M, Irimia D. "Collective and individual migration following the epithelial-mesenchymal transition." Nature Materials, vol. 13, no. 11, 2014, pp. 1063-71. |
| Mittal, Sukant, Wong, Ian Y., Yanik, Ahmet Ali, Deen, William M., Toner, Mehmet. "Discontinuous Nanoporous Membranes Reduce Non-Specific Fouling for Immunoaffinity Cell Capture." Small, vol. 9, no. 24, 2013, pp. 4207-4214. |
| Wong, I. Y., Bhatia, S. N., Toner, M. "Nanotechnology: emerging tools for biology and medicine." Genes & Development, vol. 27, no. 22, 2013, pp. 2397-2408. |
| Mittal, Sukant, Wong, Ian Y., Deen, William M., Toner, Mehmet. "Antibody-Functionalized Fluid-Permeable Surfaces for Rolling Cell Capture at High Flow Rates." Biophysical Journal, vol. 102, no. 4, 2012, pp. 721-730. |
| Hoerning, André, Koss, Kerith, Datta, Dipak, Boneschansker, Leonard, Jones, Caroline N., Wong, Ian Y., Irimia, Daniel, Calzadilla, Katiana, Benitez, Fanny, Hoyer, Peter F., Harmon, William E., Briscoe, David M. "Subsets of human CD4+ regulatory T cells express the peripheral homing receptor CXCR3." European Journal of Immunology, vol. 41, no. 8, 2011, pp. 2291-2302. |
| Wong, Ian Y., Melosh, Nicholas A. "An Electrostatic Model for DNA Surface Hybridization." Biophysical Journal, vol. 98, no. 12, 2010, pp. 2954-2963. |
| Verma, Piyush, Wong, Ian Y., Melosh, Nicholas A. "Continuum model of mechanical interactions between biological cells and artificial nanostructures." Biointerphases, vol. 5, no. 2, 2010, pp. 37. |
| Ambravaneswaran, Vijayakrishnan, Wong, Ian Y, Aranyosi, Alexander J, Toner, Mehmet, Irimia, Daniel. "Directional decisions during neutrophil chemotaxis inside bifurcating channels." Integrative Biology, vol. 2, no. 11-12, 2010, pp. 639. |
| Wong, Ian Y., Almquist, Benjamin D., Melosh, Nicholas A. "Dynamic actuation using nano-bio interfaces." Materials Today, vol. 13, no. 6, 2010, pp. 14-22. |
| Wong, Ian Y., Melosh, Nicholas A. "Directed Hybridization and Melting of DNA Linkers using Counterion-Screened Electric Fields." Nano Letters, vol. 9, no. 10, 2009, pp. 3521-3526. |
| Wong, Ian Y., Footer, Matthew J., Melosh, Nicholas A. "Electronically Activated Actin Protein Polymerization and Alignment." J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 130, no. 25, 2008, pp. 7908-7915. |
| Wong, Ian Y., Footer, Matthew J., Melosh, Nicholas A. "Dynamic control of biomolecular activity using electrical interfaces." Soft Matter, vol. 3, no. 3, 2007, pp. 267. |
| Dinsmore, A., Prasad, V., Wong, I., Weitz, D. "Microscopic Structure and Elasticity of Weakly Aggregated Colloidal Gels." Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 96, no. 18, 2006. |
| Wong, I., Gardel, M., Reichman, D., Weeks, Eric, Valentine, M., Bausch, A., Weitz, D. "Anomalous Diffusion Probes Microstructure Dynamics of Entangled F-Actin Networks." Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 92, no. 17, 2004. |
Prof. Wong engineers new technologies to study cancer cell invasion, phenotypic plasticity and therapeutic resistance. Physically, he explores how materials and mechanical aspects of the tumor microenvironment regulate malignant behavior. Biologically, he seeks new insights into single cell heterogeneity and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This approach will have translational applications, enabling personalized medicine and high-throughput screening of new therapeutic compounds.
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | PhD | Stanford University |
| 2006 | MS | Stanford University |
| 2003 | AB | Harvard University |
| Postdoctoral Fellow | Massachusetts General Hospital, Biomedical Engineering | 2010-2013 |
Editorial Board, Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering (2026 - present)
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring in Engineering, Brown University (2025)
NAE Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (2021)
Lab on a Chip Emerging Investigator (2017)
Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator (2017)
Brown University CareerLAB Nathalie Rutherfurd Pierrepont '07 Prize for Advising (2015)
Associate Scientific Advisor, Science Translational Medicine (2015 - 2016)
Merck Fellowship of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (2010-2013)
ASME Congress on Nano Engineering for Medicine and Biology Outstanding Paper Award (2013)
Massachusetts General Hospital Postdoctoral Career Day Poster Award (2010)
Materials Research Society Graduate Student Silver Award (2008)
Stanford University Bio-X Conference Travel Award (2007)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2004-2007)
Stanford University School of Engineering Fellowship (2004)
Harvard College Research Fellowship (2000-2003)
| ENGN 1110 - Transport and Biotransport Processes |
| ENGN 2910S - Cancer Nanotechnology |
