Multiphysical interactions in complex microbial and biopolymeric systems
Our lab advances the computational engineering of multifunctional materials and bio-inspired systems through agent-based modeling, molecular dynamics, machine learning, and data-driven design. Our vision is to advance fundamental understanding of how biological systems can be rationally engineered to address challenges spanning biomedical, environmental, and infrastructure domains. We have established comprehensive computational toolkits that bridges molecular-scale interactions with system-level behaviors, enabling design of materials with unprecedented life-like properties, including self-healing and ultrafast ionic conduction. This talk covers three main topics: (1) multiphysical agent-based models that predict and control biofilm growth, microbial-induced carbonate precipitation, and bacterial invasion mechanisms with quantifiable improvements; (2) machine learning-enabled design to automate inverse optimization of surface topologies and architected pores to tune microbial growth and adhesion; (3) nanoscale transport characterization that reveal how nanoparticle properties and chemical heterogeneity in human gut mucus govern transport across biological barriers. Beyond scientific contributions, mentorship anchors our research mission. We have advised over one hundred undergraduates in industrial and academic research, developed refined educational curricula for broader impact, and trained the next generation of engineers to design with living systems. Ultimately, we reshape what adaptive, sustainable infrastructure and biodevices can become.
Bio: Jingjie Yeo is an assistant professor in Cornell University’s Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He is the principal investigator at the Jò Lab for Engineering Living Materials. The overarching goal of his research program is to lead advances in computationally designing and characterizing environmentally sustainable materials, with a focus on bacteria-based engineered living materials (ELMs) and the biopolymers that they produce. He is also a co-instructor in Station1, a social nonprofit organization dedicated to building the foundations of the university of the future through educational opportunity and socially-directed frontier STEM education, research, and internships.
Yeo is the recipient of multiple awards, including the NSF’s most prestigious award, the NSF CAREER award in 2024, and the highest teaching award in Cornell’s College of Engineering, the Dennis G. Shepherd Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023.
Before joining Cornell University in 2020, Yeo has prior experience as a research scientist in the Institute of High Performance Computing, Singapore and as a postdoc at both Tufts University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received both his Ph.D. and his B.Eng. degrees from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in Nanyang Technological University Singapore.