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factors. From an engineering perspective, our job is to
design the mechanics of the environment to encourage
the desired cell behavior or, alternatively, to apply me-
chanical forces that would get us the desired result. A
study like that could, for instance, enable us to design
a bandage that would encourage the type of wound clo-
sure where the cells work together."
At the end of her post-doc, Tzlil had
to decide where to head next. "I came to
the conclusion that the field of mechan-
ical engineering has the language and
tools to study the mechanics of how
materials behave, and I wanted to take
that research capability and apply it on
the cellular level." And so, in 2012, she
found herself at the Technion.
"The main study I worked on in re-
cent years was about heart cells. If you
take heart cells and spread them out
on a surface, each cell has its own fre-
quency. They beat spontaneously, each
with its own rhythm and phase. But
when they are close enough to sense
each other's deformations, if oriented
correctly, they synchronize. So we built
a device that mimics the mechanical
forces of a heart cell. Its deformations
affect the cells, and they synchronize
with it without touching it. How is that different from an
electrical pacemaker? With a mechanical pacemaker, it
takes the cells around fifteen minutes to sync up with
the pacemaker's deformations, but once the pacemaker
stops working, the cells maintain the rhythm we have
set for them for several hours. This means the mechan-
ics change the cell's biochemistry – its innate rhythm.
"We do basic science at our lab, but I certainly hope
we move on to practical applications and work with car-
diologists to take this further. We know there are heart
diseases where an electrical pacemaker doesn't solve
the problem. This could be because the problem isn't
electrical at all – it's mechanical. When an arrhythmia is
mechanical, adding mechanical parts to the pacemaker
may help treat it."
"All new science is interdisciplinary," she says:
"questions about development concern us in all fields
of study. After all, cells are affected by biology, chemis-
try, physics, and mechanics." Indeed, she already has
exceptional post-docs with mechanical engineering and
biology backgrounds. "I also have a lab manager with a
background in biology. She keeps us out of trouble on
everything biology-related," she smiles.
Post-doctoral fellow "I was captivated
by Richard Feynman,
so I became a
researcher"
Sumit Kumar, a post-doc who came to
Prof. Eyal Zussman's lab from IIT, studies
electrowetting and polymer liquids and dreams
of changing the world (and finding the time to
go trekking)
Let's start with some background. Where are you from?
Tell us a little bit about your journey through academia
and life in general.
"I'm from India. I have a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in
mechanical engineering. When I was working on my
Ph.D. thesis at IIT Kharagpur (The Indian Institute of
Technology), I mostly studied interface dynamics, and
specifically electrowetting."
What is your field of study?
"I study electrowetting and polymeric liquids. With
electrowetting, the shape of a droplet is regulated
using an electric field. This has many mechanical
applications, from optics to cooling electronic
components. This method has also been
used in medical diagnostic devices."
What led you to choose Prof. Zussman's
lab and come to Israel for your post-doc?
"Prof. Zussman is a great researcher
and a wonderful person. His exceptional
research profile made me choose to come
to his lab for my post-doc. He always
motivates me and takes the time to have
technical discussions with me.
He really cares about his
students too."
Who or what inspires you?
"The life of Caltech physicist and Nobel Laureate
Richard Feynman. His books, The Feynman Lectures
on Physics, are what drove me to a career in research.
Feynman's excellent teaching method was a huge
influence on my life."
What are your top tips for students making their first
steps in this field?
"If you're passionate about science and want your
research to make a difference, you should get into
mechanical engineering. You will find a different kind
of satisfaction too – you will take pleasure in your work
and in this life."
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering | MEgazine | 19
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