{"id":1043,"date":"2026-08-10T15:36:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T19:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/?page_id=1043"},"modified":"2026-08-10T15:53:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T19:53:51","slug":"weiyi-qian","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/faculty\/weiyi-qian\/","title":{"rendered":"Weiyi Qian"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading alignwide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\">Weiyi Qian<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"alignwide has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0\"><em><em>Assistant Professor<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-style-columns-reverse alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-002ffff5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading orange-mark\">Biography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2026-Present<\/strong><br><em>Assistant Professor<br><\/em>Department of Biomedical Engineering<br>University of Tennessee, Knoxville<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2020-2026<br><\/strong><em>Postdoctoral Fellow<br><\/em>Department of Cell Biology<br>NYU Grossman School of Medicine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2014-2019<\/strong><br><em>Graduate Research Assistant<br><\/em>Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering<br>NYU Tandon School of Engineering<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PhD, Mechanical Engineering, New York University, 2019<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BS, Material Physics, Wuhan University, 2014\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Qian Lab investigates the multiscale mechanobiology of tissue morphogenesis. We seek to understand how cells and tissues generate, sense, and respond to chemical and mechanical signals; how these signals integrate with molecular and genetic programs to build functional organs; and how their disruption contributes to disease. A central goal of our research is to connect mechanics across scales\u2014from cytoskeletal dynamics and cell adhesion to tissue-level forces and organ architecture. We use zebrafish as a primary model system because its optical accessibility and genetic tractability enable quantitative imaging, biophysical measurements, and precise manipulation of mechanical processes in living embryos. Our interdisciplinary approach integrates zebrafish genetics, live imaging, targeted protein perturbations, optogenetics, and quantitative biophysical measurements. Current work focuses on the cellular, molecular, and physical mechanisms that govern the formation of sensory organ and the brain. Our long-term goal is to establish fundamental principles of how mechanical forces shape functional organ architecture and apply these insights to developmental disorders, human disease, and regenerative medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Areas of Expertise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tissue Morphogenesis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mechanobiology<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Biomechanics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quantitative Live Imaging<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Awards and Recognitions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>NIH K99\/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, NICHD, 2023\u2013Present<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2022\u20132023<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>New York State Stem Cell Science (NYSTEM) Training Grant, 2021\u20132022<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outstanding Graduating Student Award, Wuhan University, 2014<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>National Scholarship of China, Wuhan University, 2013\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Publications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a complete list of recent publications, see\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=ug_B9BIAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">Google Scholar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column pull-right is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull utkwds-stack-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-390953e2 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-002ffff5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column utkwds-stack has-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-container-core-column-is-layout-1e559e63 wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-top-style:none;border-top-width:0px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small)\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1176\" height=\"1176\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/Qian-Weiyi-edited.jpg\" alt=\"Headshot of Weiyi Qian\" class=\"wp-image-1038\" style=\"border-bottom-color:var(--wp--preset--color--orange);border-bottom-width:5px;aspect-ratio:2\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/Qian-Weiyi-edited.jpg 1176w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/Qian-Weiyi-edited-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/Qian-Weiyi-edited-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/Qian-Weiyi-edited-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/Qian-Weiyi-edited-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1176px) 100vw, 1176px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5f1e30ea wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:0;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Contact Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">321 Perkins Hall<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Email<br><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:wqian3@utk.edu\">wqian3@utk.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Weiyi Qian Assistant Professor Biography 2026-PresentAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville 2020-2026Postdoctoral FellowDepartment of Cell BiologyNYU Grossman School of Medicine 2014-2019Graduate Research AssistantDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringNYU Tandon School of Engineering Education Research The Qian Lab investigates the multiscale mechanobiology of tissue morphogenesis. We seek to understand how cells and tissues generate, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"parent":60,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"no-title","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1043","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Weiyi Qian - Department of Biomedical Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/faculty\/weiyi-qian\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weiyi Qian - Department of Biomedical Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Weiyi Qian Assistant Professor Biography 2026-PresentAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville 2020-2026Postdoctoral FellowDepartment of Cell BiologyNYU Grossman School of Medicine 2014-2019Graduate Research AssistantDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringNYU Tandon School of Engineering Education Research The Qian Lab investigates the multiscale mechanobiology of tissue morphogenesis. 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