My name is Dr. Katie Young, your friendly neighborhood cancer mechanobiologist! I am currently a post-doctoral researcher with my PhD in Biomedical Engineering studying the relationship between cellular mechanics and the metastatic spread of cancer.

The long term goal of my research is to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms that affect the mechanical properties of cells which allow them to survive each of the steps of the metastatic cascade in order to identify therapeutic targets to slow or stop metastasis.

I grew up in Austin, TX where I stayed to attend the University of Texas at Austin for my bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering, starting my research career as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of Dr. Amy Brock. After graduating in 2016, I then moved to Atlanta, GA to join the joint PhD program in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, studying under the guidance of Dr. Todd Sulchek, completing a Master's degree in 2020 and defending my PhD in 2021. For my post-doctoral training, I moved to Nashville, TN in 2022 to work with Dr. Cynthia Reinhart-King at Vanderbilt University. In the summer of 2024, our group moved to Houston, TX to Rice University, finally bringing me back to my home state. 

If you are interested talking more about cancer mechanobiology, health equity, or my academic journey, feel free to contact me.   

Outside of lab, I love biking, baking, books and Broadway musicals!