David Myers is joining the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University on October 1, 2019, as an assistant professor.

He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and did postdoctoral work at Emory University. In a short interview with Myers, he describes his research, reasons for joining the Coulter Department, future impact of his research, and shares some personal hobbies outside of research.

Can you please describe your research with a brief overview?

 

Our understanding of a system centers on our ability to quantitatively measure it, from elucidating how cells function to enabling better healthcare with accurate measurements of patient vital signs. Our lab, the Sensors for Living Systems Lab (SL2), is interested in finding new ways to make these measurements and learning how to extract information from biological systems. For example, our work shows for the first time that impaired cell forces alone correlate with bleeding symptoms in a disease that has no known diagnostic biomarker and remains poorly understood, highlighting the importance of biophysical measurements. Borrowing concepts from biology, mechanics, and microsystems engineering, we focus on: 1) new sensor science and transduction principles, 2) high-throughput biomedical studies, and 3) clinical translation.

Why did you choose to join the BME department at Georgia Tech and Emory?

 

The caliber of the investigators, students, and science is world-class. Over the years, I continue to be impressed at how everyone is collaboration-minded and ready to work together to solve big problems. This is especially true across disciplines, where engineers have the opportunity to work with clinicians, and there is both the willingness and an excitement to engage with individuals from different backgrounds. Combined with excellent facilities, accepting a position here was one of the easiest decisions that I ever made.

What do you see as the possible future impact of your work?

 

Our contributions will center on a new paradigm of biophysical diagnostics and new clinical sensors. Our discovery of a biophysical biomarker that is independent of all existing biomarkers highlights the importance of mechanics and biophysics in clinical medicine. Moreover, our work points to a future of mechano-medicine, where physicians consider and treat altered biophysics as a part of standard care. In addition, as microsystems engineers, we see an enormous opportunity to improve the existing clinical sensors into ones that provide continuous, real-time, multiplexed measurements of health.

When you are not doing research or teaching, what do you like to do?

 

I enjoy cooking and especially enjoy learning how to make new types of cuisines. When I have a little bit of extra time, I have been learning to kiteboard and wakeboard… although I have a long way to go to proficiency.