Rate My Professor Shane Hutson

Hutson's research in Physics focuses on biological physics, particularly biophotonics for probing and manipulating biological systems with light, biomechanics investigating how cellular forces drive tissue morphogenesis, and systems biology of developmental toxicology examining environmental disruptions to embryonic development. His lab utilizes techniques such as laser microsurgery on Drosophila embryos, finite-element modeling, Video Force Microscopy, confocal microscopy, and organs-on-a-chip technologies to explore epithelial wound healing, cell detection of wounds via calcium signals, and forces in embryogenesis. His work has been supported by grants from the NIH, NSF, EPA, Department of Defense, and Human Frontier Science Program. Hutson has received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award in 2006, Society of Toxicology Bridging Award in 2013, Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2007, and Coblentz Society Outstanding Student Award in Vibrational Spectroscopy in 2000. Among his over 47 refereed journal articles are “Elongated cells drive morphogenesis in a surface-wrapped finite element model of germband retraction” (Biophysical Journal, 2019), “Multiple Mechanisms Drive Calcium Signal Dynamics around Laser-Induced Epithelial Wounds” (Biophysical Journal, 2017), “Computational model of secondary palate fusion and disruption” (Chemical Research in Toxicology, 2017), “Amnioserosa development and function in Drosophila embryogenesis” (Developmental Dynamics, 2016), and an earlier seminal paper “Forces for Morphogenesis Investigated with Laser Microsurgery and Quantitative Analysis” (Science, 2003).