Susan Leggett

Susan Leggett
Susan Leggett she/her/hers
  • Assistant Professor

Primary Research Area

  • Bio-Micro and Nanotechnology

Research Areas

  • Biomaterials
  • Biomechanics
  • Biomedical imaging
  • Breast cancer
  • Cancer biology
  • Cell and tissue engineering
  • Cellular and molecular biomechanics
  • Computational biology and biomedicine
  • High-throughput analysis
  • Live-cell imaging
  • Microfabrication
  • Single-cell biophysics
  • Tumor microenvironments

For More Information

Biography

Susan Leggett is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering. She is an Associate Member in the Cancer Center at Illinois and an Affiliate in the Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology. She is an Affiliate Faculty in the Neuroscience Program and the Informatics Program at UIUC. Susan is the co-faculty leader of the Cancer Research Advocacy Group at the Cancer Center at Illinois. 

Susan received her Ph.D. from Brown University in May 2018 and completed postdoctoral training at Princeton University in December 2022. She joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering in January 2023. She has been awarded several honors in her field of expertise and has received national recognition; She is a 2012 Goldwater Scholar and was named a 2021 Rising Star in Engineering and Health by Columbia and Johns Hopkins University.

Research Statement

Dr. Leggett’s research integrates live-cell imaging, bioengineering, and machine learning to elucidate dynamic single and collective cell behaviors that drive cancer progression. Her research has established tools to reverse-engineer tumors and comprehensively profile the morphology, migration, and mechanics of cancer cells with high spatiotemporal resolution. This integrative approach enables the visualization and analysis of complex cell-cell and cell-microenvironmental interactions that take place in heterogeneous and evolving tumors, providing insight into individual patient disease to advance personalized medicine.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

We are eager to have undergraduate students join the lab. Interested students should reach out to Dr. Leggett directly.

Graduate Research Opportunities

We are actively recruiting graduate students and direct interested individuals to apply to UIUC's Bioengineering Ph.D. program

Primary Research Area

  • Bio-Micro and Nanotechnology

Research Areas

  • Biomaterials
  • Biomechanics
  • Biomedical imaging
  • Breast cancer
  • Cancer biology
  • Cell and tissue engineering
  • Cellular and molecular biomechanics
  • Computational biology and biomedicine
  • High-throughput analysis
  • Live-cell imaging
  • Microfabrication
  • Single-cell biophysics
  • Tumor microenvironments

Chapters in Books

Selected Articles in Journals

Research Honors

  • Rising Stars in Engineering in Health; awarded by Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University; 2021
  • New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science Postdoctoral Fellow; 2020 - 2022
  • Sigma XI Honor Society, Full member; 2018 - present
  • Frederic Poole Gorham Pre-Doctoral Fellow; Brown University, 2017
  • Simper-Ronan Graduate Award in Cancer Research; Brown University; 2016
  • Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship; Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation; 2012