Margaret Gardel has been named the Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Physics and Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the College.
Gardel is director of the James Franck Institute and the Center for Living Systems, a National Sciences Foundation Physics Frontier Center. She is a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator and a member of the Institute of Biophysical Dynamics and James Franck Institute.
Her research investigates how living matter emerges from collections of molecules to control physiology of cells and tissues. Her laboratory applies this understanding to design and build new types of active and adaptive soft materials, and engineer the shape and dynamics of cells and tissue.
Gardel's awards include the Tel Aviv University International Prize in Biophysics, as well as the Packard Fellowship, Sloan Fellowship and NIH Pioneer Award. She is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Gardel was one of thirty-two members of the University of Chicago faculty who recently received distinguished service professorships or named professorships, effective Jan. 1.
—Article adapted from an original release on the UChicago News website