Principal Investigator
Leading systems-level engineering approaches to decipher complex neurodegenerative conditions and traumatic brain injuries.
Dr. Levi Wood
Principal Investigator & Associate Professor
Academic Background
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bioengineering FocusPostdoctoral Fellowship
MIT & Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
Systems NeuroscienceB.S. in Mechanical Engineering
University of Virginia
High HonorsEngineering Analytical Frameworks to Untangle Complex Brain Pathology
Dr. Levi Wood directs the Wood Laboratory at Georgia Tech, bridging classical mechanical and fluidic engineering with modern neurobiology. His research group investigates how mechanical trauma, chronic inflammation, and cellular communication cascades interact during the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury.
By integrating specialized microfluidic organotypic assays, transgenic murine models, and computational network analytics, Dr. Wood’s team uncovers targetable immune checkpoints that modulate neurodegeneration. His work provides systemic clarity into how molecular signals transition into tissue-level deterioration.
Core Research & Methodological Thrusts
03 Integrated DomainsSystems-Level Neuroimmunology
Deciphering multi-scale immune signaling networks that regulate neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease.
Microfluidic Organ-on-Chip Platforms
Engineering microscale vascular-neural interfaces to investigate mechanical stress, blood-brain barrier integrity, and therapeutic transport.
Computational Network Modeling
Applying machine learning, statistical mechanics, and dynamic control theory to predict neurotrauma cascades and disease phenotypes.
Institutional Affiliations & Interdisciplinary Appointments
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Georgia Tech & Emory University
Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience (IBB)
Georgia Institute of Technology
Institute for Data Engineering and Science (IDEaS)
Georgia Institute of Technology
Interested in collaborating or joining the Wood Lab?
Explore postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate research opportunities.
Laboratory Members
Our interdisciplinary team combines systems biology, microfluidic engineering, and neural disease modeling at Georgia Tech to address neurodegeneration and neurotrauma.
Dr. Catherine Vance
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Investigates microvascular shear stress and barrier integrity in Alzheimer's disease organ-on-chip models.
Dr. Marcus Thorne
Postdoctoral Fellow & Systems Biologist
Constructs multiscale dynamic signaling models to map neuroinflammatory phenotypes after primary blast trauma.
Elena Rostova
Ph.D. Candidate (BioE)
Developing compartmentalized microfluidic platforms to observe axonal transport disruption post mechanical strain.
Devin K. Patel
Ph.D. Candidate (ME/BioE)
Characterizing cellular shear gradients and membrane cavitation mechanics in 3D biomimetic hydrogels.
Maya Lin
Ph.D. Student (ECE/BioE)
Extracting regulatory sub-networks from temporal single-cell RNA-seq datasets in transgenic mouse models.
Julian Gomez
M.S. Researcher (BioE)
Specializing in soft lithography fabrication pipelines and high-throughput cell perfusion chambers.
Sarah Chen
Undergraduate Researcher (BME '25)
Assisting in quantitative immunofluorescence image processing and hippocampal cell counting pipelines.
Ethan Wright
Undergraduate Researcher (CS '26)
Building Python tools to automate tracking of rodent fine motor coordination after traumatic injury.
Interested in Joining the Wood Laboratory?
We welcome prospective graduate students admitted through Georgia Tech BioE, ME, or ECE, as well as motivated undergraduate researchers.