Current Yale graduate and undergraduate students
If you are interested in conducting research in the area of microscopy, image analysis, microfluidics prototyping, cell-material interaction, rheology, please contact me <yimin.luo@yale.edu> directly.
Yale students are also encouraged to check out the list of fellowships announced through the Yale Undergraduate Research website. Note in particular, the Yale College First-Year Summer Research Fellowship in the Sciences & Engineering, and the Science, Technology and Research Scholars (STARS) Program.
10hr/week time commitment is expected for undergraduate research assistant.
Prospective graduate students
Please apply to the Yale Ph.D. program in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS), and be sure to select to be part of the Yale’s Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology (PEB) on your application. We accept students outside of MEMS who are affiliated with PEB.
Please also send me an email <yimin.luo@yale.edu> with your CV to let me know you are applying. If you are interested in joining my group, experiences in one or more of the following: active colloids, phase behavior, biophysics, liquid crystals and liquid crystal elastomers, are encouraged. Knowledge of CAD design, prototyping, cell culture, tracking, rheology, microscopy, statistical analysis, MATLAB, Python, and R, will be highly beneficial.
Please note that application fee can be waived.
For outstanding foreign students, Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a Gruber Science Fellowship is open to both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens.
You will develop expertise in statistical mechanics, mechanobiology, optics, image analysis, statistics, cell biology, etc. But taking classes in all of them is distracting and unnecessary.
Prospective postdoctoral researchers
Yale has a very comprehensive website listing compensations, resources, and benefits for postdocs.
Candidates with a strong background in soft matter, biophysics, tissue engineering, and machine learning should email me <yimin.luo@yale.edu> a CV and brief (~1 page) statement of research interests. At the moment, we strongly seek candidates interested in biophysics, with experience in traction force microscopy, cell culture, lentiviral transduction, knockout mutation, and live cell staining and tracking.
The postdoctoral position will be fully funded. However, I also encourage you to apply to postdoctoral fellowships. If you reach out to me early enough (~1-2 months), I will be happy to offer inputs and advice to draft proposals and help you refine your ideas. Harvard University has an excellent list of external fundings, among them, Arnold Beckman, Burroughs, Human Frontier, Life Science Research Foundation, Schmidt, Damon Runyon Fellowship, fund work at the interface of biology and engineering, which is what we do. Yale also has internal fellowships including the Mossman Fellowship. Please be sure to check out Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MPS-Ascend) Program. Endowed fellowships may also be available.
Visitors and Post-Bacs
Undergraduate students from outside of Yale are welcome to participate in summer research through Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU), Yale Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), and Yale BioMed Amgen Scholars Program. Recent college graduates who wish to pursue a research career are welcome to participate in the Post-baccalaureate Research Education Programs. Please get in touch <yimin.luo@yale.edu>, and I might be able to point you to the appropriate fellowships or opportunities.
For visitors from overseas: Please contact the Office of International Student & Scholars for guidance.