Biological function is governed by highly integrated networks that exhibit nonlinear dynamics at all biochemical/molecular, cellular, and organismal levels. We believe that engineering principles can be employed to better understand, predict, and control complex biological functions, and that these principles need to be informed by biology.
The Modeling Dynamic Life Systems (MODYLS) Lab operates at the evolving interface between engineering and biology, promoting a diverse, creative research environment consisting of engineers and basic scientists that share the common mission of advancing medicine and biology. Through this collective effort, we aim to identify design principles that underlie complex biological function, and modulate extrinsic factors to optimize therapeutic interventions.
Interested in joining the lab? Click here for more information.
Announcements
Patrick Feng graduates and will begin his undergraduate studies at the California Institute of Technology this fall.
June 2026
Sophia Jannetty is selected to be the graduate student speaker at the UW Biology department graduation ceremony.
June 2026
Allison Li is selected to present a research poster at the Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution, and Design (SEED) Conference.
June 2026
Sophia Jannetty successfully defends her thesis: Spatiotemporal modeling reveals cellular regulatory dynamics driving tissue and organ development.
June 2026
Allison Li receives a Washington NASA Space Grant Graduate Fellowship.
June 2026
Sophia Jannetty receives a Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship to support her work using spatiotemporal modeling to study how cellular aging impacts tissue function.
February 2026
Po-Hao Chiu, Jacob Evarts, and Patrick Feng publish Variable deep learning training horizons reveal the temporal complexity of biological systems.
February 2026
Selena Xu, a UW CSE & Biochemistry undergrad, joins the MODYLS team.
January 2026
Sophia Jannetty receives a Washington NASA Space Grant Dissertation Completion Award for her work using quantitative models to understand how cell-level behavior gives rise to organ-level function.
November 2025
Neda Bagheri is promoted from Associate Professor to Full Professor of Biology and Chemical Engineering at UW.
June 2025
Click here for more!
