Celeste M. Nelson
· Wilke Family Professor in Bioengineering, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Director, Program in Engineering BiologyPrinceton University · Chemical and Biological Engineering
Active 1979–2026
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About
Celeste M. Nelson is the Wilke Family Professor in Bioengineering and a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University. She serves as the Director of the Program in Engineering Biology. Her research focuses on understanding how the final architectures of tissues and organs are determined, specifically investigating how individual cells integrate complex biochemical and mechanical signals within tissues to direct organ development. Her work aims to elucidate fundamental mechanisms of development, the control processes involved in diseases such as cancer, and to advance regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Nelson's group develops tools to engineer organotypic culture models that mimic tissue development, enabling quantitative analysis and computational predictions of morphogenesis dynamics. Her research particularly emphasizes mammalian cell culture and mouse models of normal branching morphogenesis and abnormal neoplastic growth, exploring cellular cooperation, signal integration, and the roles of different cell types and microenvironments in tissue development.
Research topics
- Biology
- Cell biology
- Computational biology
- Genetics
- Ophthalmology
- Evolutionary biology
- Cognitive science
- Mechanical engineering
- Surgery
- Neuroscience
Selected publications
Developmental Cell · 2020 · 143 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingDevelopment · 2020 · 98 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingOver the past 5 years, several studies have begun to uncover the links between the classical signal transduction pathways and the physical mechanisms that are used to sculpt branched tissues. These advances have been made, in part, thanks to innovations in live imaging and reporter animals. With modern research tools, our conceptual models of branching morphogenesis are rapidly evolving, and the differences in branching mechanisms between each organ are becoming increasingly apparent. Here, we h…
Dynamic changes in epithelial cell packing during tissue morphogenesis
Current Biology · 2021 · 95 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingMechanobiology: Shaping the future of cellular form and function
Cell · 2024-05-01 · 33 citations
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingVangl-dependent mesenchymal thinning shapes the distal lung during murine sacculation
Developmental Cell · 2024-04-02 · 16 citations
articleOpen accessCorresponding
Recent grants
NIH · $442k · 2017
NIH · $339k · 2010
NIH · $1.4M · 2014
Frequent coauthors
- 750 shared
Bharat Bhushan
- 302 shared
Bradley J. Nelson
ETH Zurich
- 283 shared
S. Siva Sankara Sai
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
- 273 shared
Lixin Dong
Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University
- 204 shared
Li Zhang
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
- 165 shared
Jason P. Gleghorn
University of Delaware
- 156 shared
Jason Li
- 154 shared
Kenneth A. Lopata
Labs
Not provided
Awards & honors
- Excellence in Teaching Award, Princeton E-council, 2025
- Fellow, Biomedical Engineering Society, 2024
- AIChE Area 15d/e Life Sciences Plenary Award, 2023
- NIH Director's Pioneer Award, 2022
- Biodiversity Grand Challenge Award, High Meadows Environment…
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