Helen H. Lu

Helen H. Lu’s research focuses on tissue interfaces, particularly how to reestablish the body’s natural synchrony between tissues, a hallmark of the musculoskeletal system and the nexus of human mobility. The body of fundamental knowledge she has uncovered regarding interfaces and interface scaffold design has provided blueprints for building organs-on-a-chip as well as total limb regeneration. Her group is also active in the design of composite biomaterials for orthopaedic and dental applications, with a particular interest in the mechanism of cell-matrix interactions and its application to multi-functional scaffold design. 

Lu is a leader in regenerative materials research and innovation for health and beyond health.  From sustainable fabrication of biomedical devices by establishing eco-manufacturing with benign chemicals for expediting FDA-approval, to harnessing the ability of cells to make materials, the Lu group and collaborators have developed a biomaterial platform informed by a green chemistry framework, a breakthrough that shows industries how to explore sustainable manufacturing to engineer regenerative materials.

At Columbia, Lu is the Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Professor of Dental and Craniofacial Engineering (in Dental Medicine).  She is the Director of the Biomaterials and Interface Tissue Engineering Laboratory. She currently serves as the Senior Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and Advancement, as well as the Chair of Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee at Columbia Engineering.  Prof. Lu has published over 100 original research articles and invited reviews in biomaterials and tissue engineering. The inventor and co-inventor of more than 30 patents and patent applications in biomaterials, her research has led to the formation of several start-ups for medical devices and sustainable textiles. Her many accolades include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and the Wallace Coulter Foundation Career Award. She is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) and more recently, a member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). She was honored as a Provost Leadership Fellow and also named a Provost’s Senior Faculty Teaching Scholar at Columbia.  Prof. Lu serves on the editorial board of leading journals of the fields, including recently, Journal of Biomedical Material Research A, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Regenerative Biomaterials, Regenerative Engineering, Tissue Engineering, eLife (review editor) and Science Advances (Associated Editor).  Lu received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.