About me

Hi - welcome to my research homepage! I’m Jake Song - a soft materials scientist with an interest in fields ranging from soft matter physics to mechanobiology.

My current research interest is in the unique mechanical properties of biological materials, such as (bio)polymer hydrogels, extracellular matrices, and tissues, and how these mechanical properties guide cellular function. As a PhD student in the McKinley group and the Holten-Andersen group at MIT, I designed bioinspired polymeric hydrogels and polymer-particle composite hydrogels with metal-coordinate bonds, studied underlying signatures of the complex stress relaxation behaviors of composite hydrogels, and studied the non-linear mechanical response of composite hydrogels and soft tissues. As a current postdoc in the Chaudhuri lab at Stanford University, I am studying the mechanisms through which chondrocytes (cells that reside in the cartilage) are able to sense the mechanical properties of their surrounding extracellular matrix, which has implications for understanding cartilage function, and enabling tissue engineering using engineered scaffolds.

In the future, I plan to leverage these experiences to establish how the complex mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix guide tissue development and disease, and explore structure-property relationships underpinning soft tissues for applications in tissue engineering and regeneration.

Beyond these topics, I have prior research experience in polymer physics as a BS student in the Keten group at Northwestern University, where I studied the physics of nanoconfined polymer materials. I also worked as a PhD research intern at Motif Foodworks where I worked on developing the mechanical properties of plant-based cheese, and have an ongoing interest in engineering food mechanics using techniques from soft matter science and materials science.

Besides research, I am passionate about mentoring students, providing experience in academic research, and helping students develop an analytical mindset to address challenges in any discipline.