Teaching Lab Coordinator, Mechanical Testing Instructional Laboratory (2025-present)
Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Postdoctoral Research Associate (2023-2025)
Department of Mechanical Science & Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Research Assistant (2017-2023)
Department of Mechanical Science & Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Assistant Professor (2015-2017)
Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, Dhaka-1000
Lecturer (2012-2015)
Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, Dhaka-1000
B. Emon, A. Kashefi, M. H. Rahman, D. Adnan et al., “Biomechanical 3D tumor models on a micro-milled high-throughput force sensor array”, Biofabrication, 18, 025015 (2026), https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ae5347
W.C. Drennan, O. Aydin, B. Emon, Z. Li, M.S.H. Joy, A. Barishman, Y. Kim, M. Wei, D. Denham, A. Carrillo & M.T.A. Saif, “A forward-engineered, muscle-driven soft robotic swimmer”, Science Advances, 11 (29), eadu8634 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adu8634
M.G. Tetrick, B. Emon, U. Doha et al., Decoupling chemical and mechanical signaling in colorectal cancer cell migration. Sci Rep 15, 4952 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89152-4
B. Emon, M.S.H. Joy, W.C. Drennan et al., A multifunctional sensor for cell traction force, matrix remodeling and biomechanical assays in self-assembled 3D tissues in vitro. Nature Protocols, 20, 2005–2033 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-024-01106-8
R.R. Iyer, C.C. Applegate, O.H. Arogundade, S. Bangru, I.C. Berg, B. Emon, M. Porras-Gomez, et al., “Inspiring a convergent engineering approach to measure and model the tissue microenvironment,” Heliyon, 10(12), e32546, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32546 (2024).
B. Emon, M.S.H. Joy, L. Lalonde, A. Ghrayeb, U. Doha, L. Ladehoff, R. Brockstein, C. Saengow, R.H. Ewoldt, M.T.A. Saif, Nuclear deformation regulates YAP dynamics in cancer associated fibroblasts. Acta Biomaterialia, 173, 93–108 (2024).
MSH Joy, DL Nall, B Emon,...,& MTA Saif, Synapses without tension fail to fire in an in vitro network of hippocampal neurons, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120 (52) e2311995120, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2311995120 (2023).
B. Emon, M.T.A. Saif, A window into solid stresses within tumours. Nat. Biomed. Eng 7, 1348–1349 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-023-01121-2
B. Emon, "Towards understanding the role of cellular force in cancer progression," Ph.D. dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2023. https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/128674
B. Emon, Y.J. Song, M.S.H. Joy et al. Mechanosensitive changes in the expression of genes in colorectal cancer-associated fibroblasts. Sci Data 10, 350 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02233-9
U Doha, O Aydin, MSH Joy, B Emon, W Drennan, MTA Saif, Disorder to order transition in cell-ECM systems mediated by cell-cell collective interactions, Acta Biomaterialia, 154, 290-301, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2022.10.012.
Q. Yang, T.L. Liu, Y. Xue, H. Wang, Y. Xu, B. Emon et al. Ecoresorbable and bioresorbable microelectromechanical systems. Nat Electron 5, 526–538 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-022-00791-1
B. Emon, S. Knoll, U. Doha, L. Ladehoff, L. Lalonde, D. Baietto, M. Sivaguru, R. Bhargava, M.T.A. Saif, Dose-independent threshold illumination for non-invasive time-lapse fluorescence imaging of live cells, Extreme Mechanics Letters, 46, 101249, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eml.2021.101249 (2021).
B. Emon, Z. Li, M.S.H. Joy, U. Doha, F. Kosari, & M.T.A. Saif, “A novel method for sensor-based quantification of single/multi-cellular traction dynamics and remodeling in 3D matrices”, Science Advances, 7 (15), eabf2629, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf2629 (2021).
Z. Li, A. Tofangchi, R.A. Stavins, B. Emon, R.D. McKinney, P.J. Grippo, M.T.A. Saif, A portable pen-sized instrumentation to measure stiffness of soft tissues in vivo, Scientific Reports, 11 (1), 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79735-8 (2021).
O. Aydin*, B. Emon*, S. Cheng, L. Hong, L.P. Chamorro, M.T.A. Saif, Performance of fabrics for home-made masks against the spread of COVID-19 through droplets: A quantitative mechanistic study, Extreme Mechanics Letters, 40, 100924, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eml.2020.100924 (2020); *equal contribution authors.
J. Bauer, B. Emon, J.J. Staudacher, A.L. Thomas, J.Z. Spitzenberg, G. Mancinelli, N. Krett, M.T.A. Saif, & B. Jung, Increased stiffness of the tumor microenvironment in colon cancer stimulates cancer associated fibroblast-mediated prometastatic activin A signaling, Scientific Reports, 10, 50, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55687-6 (2020).
M. Elhebeary, B. Emon, O. Aydin, M.T.A. Saif, A novel technique for in situ uniaxial tests of self-assembled soft biomaterials, Lab on a Chip, 19 (7), 1153–1161, DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/C8LC01273C (2019).
J.K. Chang*, B. Emon*, C.S. Li, Q. Yang, H.P. Chang, Z. Yang, C.I. Wu, M.T.A. Saif, J.A. Rogers, Cytotoxicity and in Vitro Degradation Kinetics of Foundry-Compatible Semiconductor Nanomembranes and Electronic Microcomponents, ACS Nano, 12 (10), 9721–9732, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.8b04513 (2018). *Equal contribution authors.
B. Emon, J. Bauer, Y. Jain, B. Jung, M.T.A. Saif, Biophysics of Tumor Microenvironment and cancer metastasis – a mini review, Comput. Struct. Biotechnol. J., 16, 279–287, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2018.07.003 (2018).
B. Emon, T. Manzur, M.S. Sharif, Suitability of locally manufactured galvanized iron (GI) wire fiber as reinforcing fiber in brick chip concrete, Case Studies in Construction Materials, 7, 217–227, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2017.08.003 (2017).
B. Emon, T. Manzur, N. Yazdani, Improving performance of light weight concrete with brick chips using low cost steel wire fiber, Construction and Building Materials, 106, 575–583, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.12.165 (2016).
T. Manzur, N. Yazdani, B. Emon, Potential of carbon nanotube reinforced cement composites as concrete repair material, Journal of Nanomaterials, vol. 2016, Article ID 4201602, https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/1421959 (2016).
T. Manzur, N. Yazdani, B. Emon, Effect of Carbon Nanotube Size on Compressive Strengths of Nanotube Reinforced Cementitious Composites, Journal of Materials, https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/960984 (2014).
S. Iffat, B. Emon, T. Manzur, S.I. Ahmad, “An Experiment on Durability Test (RCPT) of Concrete According to ASTM Standard Method Using Low-Cost Equipments”, Advanced Materials Research, 974, 335–340, https://www.scientific.net/AMR.974.335 (2014).
T. Manzur, B. Emon, K. Islam, “Nanotechnology: The Emerging Field of Civil Engineering Particularly in Developing Countries”, Advanced Materials Research, 974, 329–334, https://www.scientific.net/AMR.974.329 (2014).
Poster, Travel Award winner at Cancer Engineering: The Convergence of Engineering and Health to Advance Cancer Research and Care: A Workshop, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Washington DC, USA
Poster at Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, USA
Poster at Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, USA
Poster: Future Faculty Symposium at Society of Engineering Science (SES) Annual Technical Meeting 2023, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
NSF Travel Grant winner Poster at Midwest Tumor Microenvironment Meeting at the University of Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Platform Talk at American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) IMECE, Columbus, OH, USA
Platform Talk at American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) IMECE, Columbus, OH, USA
Platform Talk, NSF travel grant winner at Society of Engineering Science (SES) Annual Technical Meeting, TAMU, College Station, TX, USA
Platform Talk, NSF travel grant winner at Society of Engineering Science (SES) Annual Technical Meeting, TAMU, College Station, TX, USA
Platform Talk at Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, USA
Platform Talk at Mechanobiology of Cancer Summer School, Prullans, Barcelona, Spain
Talk at Midwest Tumor Microenvironment Meeting at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
1st Award winner Poster at Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) Fellows Symposium, Urbana, IL, USA
Platform Talk at Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Platform Talk at Midwest Tumor Microenvironment Meeting at the University of Notre Dame and Harper Cancer Research Institute, Notre Dame, IN, USA
Poster at Gordon Research Conferences (GRC), Physical Sciences of Cancer, Galveston, TX, USA
Poster at Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, USA
My teaching interests span mechanics, materials, experimental methods, and biomechanics, with particular emphasis on connecting fundamental mechanics to modern experimental technologies and biological systems.
Core areas: Mechanics of Materials, Engineering Materials, Experimental Mechanics, Finite Element Methods
Advanced topics: Cellular Mechanobiology, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Microphysiological Systems, Mechanics in Physiology & Pathology, and Emergent Biohybrid Systems
I taught the following undergraduate courses as a faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology: