Yanlan Mao is a Group Leader and Professor of Developmental Biophysics at the Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London. After receiving her BA in Natural Sciences (1st Class) at Cambridge University, she completed her PhD with Matthew Freeman at the MRC LMB in Cambridge on Drosophila cell signaling and epithelial patterning. During her postdoc with Nic Tapon at the CRUK London Research Institute (now Francis Crick Institute), she became interested in tissue mechanics and computational modelling approaches, and studied the role of mechanical forces in orienting cell divisions and controlling tissue shape.
 
In 2014, Yanlan started her independent research group, and has continued to investigate the role of mechanical forces in tissue development, homeostasis and repair. She now holds an MRC Senior Fellowship, a Lister Institute Prize and an L’Oreal UNESCO Women in Science Fellowship. She was selected to join the EMBO Young Investigator Programme in 2018, and has received numerous awards for her work, including the Early Career Prize in Mechanobiology by the Biophysical Society, the BSCB Women in Cell Biology Early Career Medal, and the Royal Microscopic Society Life Sciences Medal.

Yanlan is passionate about outreach activities and is a strong advocate for diversity in science. If you would like to join our team please get in touch: y.mao@ucl.ac.uk