William J. Brown Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Director, Center for the Mechanics and Engineering of Cellular Systems
Courtesy Appointments, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Computational Biology Department, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Philip LeDuc is the William J. Brown Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In his lab, he works at the intersection of mechanical engineering and biology by envisioning cells and molecules as systems that can be investigated with some of the same fundamental approaches used on machines such as planes and automobiles looking for unifying principles. These systems range from mammalian cells to microorganisms to developmental biology systems and apply principles from mechanical engineering fields to understand how these principles may apply across diverse nature-based systems.
In the energy domain, LeDuc is focused on algae and bacterial fuel cells. His lab conducts basic science and applied research in crossing over mechanical engineering approaches including solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, control theory, etc. with biological systems ranging from algae to artificial cells to developmental biology.
He has received the National Science Foundation CAREER award, George Tallman Ladd Research Award, Russell V. Trader Career Faculty Fellow, Benjamin Richard Teare Teaching Award, “Professor of the Year” as voted by the senior class, MARC Minority Faculty Mentor Award, and Beckman Foundation Young Investigator Award. He is a member of the National Research Council Roundtable on Biomedical Engineering Materials and Applications (BEMA), and a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering, and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE).
1999 Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
1995 MS, North Carolina State University
1993 BS, North Carolina State University
CMU Engineering
When faculty and students in the College of Engineering create intellectual property, our culture supports their efforts to form startups.
CMU Engineering
A CMU-led project team secured an award of up to $42M from ARPA-H to accelerate the development of implantable bioelectronic devices that deliver patient-specific therapy and monitor disease status.
CMU Engineering
Complex and sophisticated, a plant’s mechanical systems could be the key to more advanced biohybrid softbotic designs.
CMU Engineering
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University develop numerical models that enable precise control of the 3D ice printing process for biomedical and manufacturing applications.
CMU Engineering
Philip LeDuc has been named a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for 2023 due to his research in the mechanics of cellular and molecular systems.
PopSci
MechE’s Philip LeDuc and Carmel Majidi have developed a new soft robot inspired by a prehistoric sea creature, which was featured in Popular Science. Pleurocystitids, a precursor to the present-day invertebrates, had tail-like structures that allowed them to move underwater easily.
Interesting Engineering
MechE’s Philip LeDuc, Burak Ozdoganlar, and Feimo Yang have developed a new tissue engineering technique that may alleviate the organ transplantation crisis. The work was featured in Interesting Engineering.
CMU Engineering
New research identifies genetic effects of traumatic brain injury using an artificial brain.
CMU Engineering
Researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering used fossil evidence to engineer a soft robotic replica of pleurocystitids, a marine organism that existed nearly 450 million years ago and is believed to be one of the first echinoderms capable of movement using a muscular stem.
CMU Engineering
Carnegie Mellon researchers receive funding from the Manufacturing Futures Institute to continue work on 3D micro-ice printing for medical applications.
CMU Engineering
Cliff Brangwynne (MSE ’01) wins the 2023 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for discovering a cellular process with the potential to revolutionize treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like ALS.
CMU Engineering
Engineering students were back in the kitchen this semester to learn how the same mechanics that apply to airplanes and automobiles relate to the mechanics of cells in the foods we eat.