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MEGAN T. VALENTINE
Curriculum vitae

EMPLOYMENT:

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara CA (2008-present)

Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (2003-2008)
Advisor: Steven M. Block, Departments of Applied Physics and Biology

EDUCATION:

Ph.D. Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (1999–2003)
Thesis topic: Mechanical and microstructural properties of biological materials
Advisor: David A. Weitz, Department of Physics

M.S. Physics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (1997–99)
Advisor: David A. Weitz, Department of Physics

B.S. Physics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA (1993–97; highest honors)
Advisor: H. Daniel Ou-Yang, Department of Physics
Minor: Science Writing

HONORS & AWARDS

• NSF CAREER Award, 2013
• University of California, Santa Barbara, Faculty Career Development Award, 2012
• Regents Junior Faculty Fellowship, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2010
• University of California, Santa Barbara, Faculty Career Development Award, 2009
• Career Award at the Scientific Interface, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, 2005
• Fellowship Award, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, 2004
• Wallace-Noyes Fellowship, Harvard University, Department of Physics, 2002
• Travel Grants: Society of Rheology, 2001; American Chemical Society, 2001; van Vleck Grant from the Department of Physics, Harvard University, 2000
• Waldo Semon Award for excellence in undergraduate research in polymer science, 1997
• Alex J. Weinstein Memorial Scholarship, 1995-97
• Harold S. and Melda A. Mohler Memorial Scholarship, 1995-97
• National Science Scholar, 1993-95
• Lehigh University Scholarship, 1993-97
• Member, Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa

PUBLICATIONS (Available via Google Scholar)

29. Dezhi Yu, Veronica Pessino, Steve Kuei, and Megan T. Valentine. “Mechanical and functional properties of epothilone-stabilized microtubules,” Cytoskeleton in press.


28. Bugra Kaytanli and Megan T. Valentine. “Evolute-based Hough transform method for characterization of ellipsoids,” Journal of Microscopy in press.


27. Yali Yang, Mo Bai, William S. Klug, Alex J. Levine and Megan T. Valentine. “Microrheology of highly crosslinked microtubule networks is dominated by force-induced crosslinker unbinding,” Soft Matter 9 383-393 (2013).


26. David Valdman, Benjamin J. Lopez, Megan T. Valentine, and Paul J. Atzberger. “Force spectroscopy of complex biopolymers with heterogeneous elasticity,” Soft Matter 9 772-778 (2013).


25. Jun Lin and Megan T. Valentine. “High-force NdFeB-based magnetic tweezers device optimized for microrheology experiments,” Review of Scientific Instruments 83 053905 (2012).


24. Jun Lin and Megan T. Valentine. “Ring-shaped NdFeB-based magnetic tweezers enables oscillatory microrheology measurements,” Applied Physics Letters 100 201902 (2012).


23. David Valdman, Paul J. Atzberger, Dezhi Yu, Steve Kuei and Megan T. Valentine. “Spectral Analysis Methods for the Robust Measurement of the Flexural Rigidity of Biopolymers,” Biophysical Journal 102(5) 1144-1153 (2012).


22. Yali Yang*, Jun Lin*, Bugra Kaytanli, Omar Saleh and Megan T. Valentine. “Direct correlation between creep compliance and deformation in entangled and sparsely crosslinked microtubule networks,” Soft Matter 8 1776-1784 (2012).


21. Yali Yang*, Jun Lin*, Ryan Meschewski, Erin Watson, and Megan T. Valentine. “Portable magnetic tweezers device enables visualization of the three-dimensional microscale deformation of soft biological materials,” BioTechniques 51 29-34 (2011).


20. M.T. Valentine and Steven M. Block. “Force and premature binding of ADP can regulate the processivity of individual Eg5 dimers,” Biophysical Journal 97 1671-7 (2009).


19. Michael T. Woodside and Megan T. Valentine. (2009) “Single-molecule manipulation using optical traps,” in Handbook of Single-Molecule Biophysics, eds. Peter Hinterdorfer and Antoine Van Oijen. New York, NY: Springer.


18. Megan T. Valentine*, Nicholas R. Guydosh*, Braulio Gutiérrez-Medina*, Adrian N. Fehr*, Johan O. Andreasson*, and Steven M. Block. “Precision steering of an optical trap by electro-optic deflection,” Optics Letters 33 599-601 (2008).


17. Megan T. Valentine and Susan P. Gilbert. “To Step or Not to Step? How Biochemistry and Mechanics Influence Processivity in Kinesin and Eg5,” Current Opinion in Cell Biology 19 75-81 (2007).


16. Polly M. Fordyce*, Megan T. Valentine* and Steven M. Block. 2007. “Advances in surface-based assays for single molecules,” in Single-Molecule Techniques: A Laboratory Manual, eds. Paul Selvin and Taekjip Ha. Woodbury, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.


15. Megan T. Valentine, Polly M. Fordyce, and Steven M. Block. “Eg5 steps it up!,” Cell Division 1 31 (2006).


14. Megan T. Valentine*, Polly M. Fordyce*, Troy C. Krzysiak, Susan P. Gilbert, Steven M. Block. “Individual dimers of the mitotic kinesin motor Eg5 step processively and support substantial loads in vitro,” Nature Cell Biology 8 470 (2006).


13. M.T. Valentine, Z.E. Perlman, T.J. Mitchison, and D.A. Weitz. “Mechanical properties of Xenopus egg cytoplasmic extracts,” Biophysical Journal 88 680 (2005).


12. M.L. Gardel, M.T. Valentine, and D.A. Weitz. (2005) “Microrheology” in Microscale Diagnostic Techniques ed. K. Breuer. New York: Springer-Verlag.


11. M.T. Valentine, Z.E. Perlman, M.L. Gardel, J.H. Shin, P. Matsudaira, T.J. Mitchison, and D.A. Weitz. “Colloid surface chemistry critically affects multiple particle tracking measurements of biomaterials,” Biophysical Journal 86 4004-14 (2004).


10. I.Y. Wong, M.L. Gardel, David R. Reichman, Eric R. Weeks, M.T. Valentine, A.R. Bausch, D.A. Weitz. “Anomalous diffusion probes microstructure dynamics of entangled F-actin networks,” Physical Review Letters 92 178101 (2004).


9. M.L. Gardel, M.T. Valentine, J.C. Crocker, A.R. Bausch, and D.A. Weitz. “Microrheology of entangled F-actin solutions,” Physical Review Letters 91 158302 (2003).


8. Vernita D. Gordon, M.T. Valentine, M.L. Gardel, Daniel Andor, Samantha Dennison, Alexei A. Bogdanov, D.A. Weitz, and Thomas S. Deisboeck. “Measuring the mechanical stress induced by a dynamically expanding multicellular tumor system within a three-dimensional in vitro assay,” Experimental Cell Research 289 58 (2003).


7. A.K. Popp, M.T. Valentine, P.D. Kaplan, D.A. Weitz. “On the microscopic origins of light scattering in tissue,” Applied Optics 42 2871 (2003).


6. M.T. Valentine, A.K. Popp, P.D. Kaplan, and D.A. Weitz. “Microscope-based static light scattering instrument,” Optics Letters 26 890 (2001).


5. M.T. Valentine, P.D. Kaplan, D. Thota, J.C. Crocker, T. Gisler, R.K. Prud’homme, M. Beck, and D.A. Weitz. “Investigating the microenvironments of inhomogeneous soft materials with multiple particle tracking,” Physical Review E 64 061506 (2001).


4. M.T. Valentine, A.K. Popp, P.D. Kaplan, and D.A. Weitz “Microscope-based static light scattering instrument enables precise measurements of heterogeneous materials,” Optics and Photonics News 12 37 (2001).
   [Edition highlights 200 of the most exciting new optics innovations of the year.]


3. A.K. Popp, M.T. Valentine, P.D. Kaplan, and D.A. Weitz. “Light scattering microscope as a tool to investigate scattering heterogeneity in tissue,” Proceedings of the SPIE, Optical Biopsy III Conference, San Jose, CA, Robert R. Alfano, Ed. 3917 22 (2000).


2. John C. Crocker, M.T. Valentine, Eric R. Weeks, T. Gisler, P.D. Kaplan, A.G. Yodh, and D.A. Weitz. “Two-point microrheology of inhomogeneous soft materials,” Physical Review Letters 85 888 (2000).


1. M.T. Valentine, L.E. Dewalt, and H.D. Ou-Yang. “Forces on a colloidal particle in a polymer solution: a study using optical tweezers,” Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter (U.K.). 8 9477 (1996).

* indicates equal contribution

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

• Seminar, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, December, 2012
• Seminar, Center for Biological Physics, UCLA, October, 2012
• Seminar, Department of Physics, Emory University, September, 2012
• Invited Speaker, American Physical Society March Meeting, March, 2012
• Lecturer, Biophysics Winter School, ETH Conference Center, Locarno Switzerland, January, 2012
• Invited Speaker,Biomechanics 2012, ICAM conference. Mechanics in Biology: From single molecules to tissues. Los Angeles, January 2012
• Seminar, Biomechanics Research Seminar, University of California, San Diego, October 2011
• Invited Speaker, KAIST Workshop on multiscale materials, Daejeon Korea, August 2011
• Seminar, Department of Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, March 2011
• Seminar, Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, July 2010
• Seminar, Biophysics Research Division, FOM Institute - AMOLF, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, March 2010
• Seminar, Department of Physics, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, March 2009
• Seminar, Institute for Stem Biology and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, February 2007
• Seminar, Department of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, January 2007
• Seminar, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, January 2007
• Seminar, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, December 2006
• Seminar, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, November 2006
• Invited Speaker, Single-molecule Approaches to Biology, Gordon Research Conference, June 2006

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Interdisciplinary Teaching in Sciences, Engineering, and Social Sciences Workshop, Stanford University, April 12, 2006.
• Burroughs Wellcome Fund – Howard Hughes Medical Institute Course in Scientific Management, Chevy Chase, MD, June 6-10, 2005.
• Responsible Conduct of Research Course, Stanford University School of Medicine, January - March 2004.
• Boulder Summer School for Condensed Matter and Materials Physics: Physics of Soft Condensed Matter, University of Colorado, July 1-26, 2002.
• Co-founder and executive board member Women in Physics organization at the University of Pennsylvania, 1998-99.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Member of: American Physical Society, American Society for Cell Biology, Biophysical Society, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Reviewer for: Science, Nature, Nature Methods, Nature Nanotechnology, Physical Review Letters, Biophysical Journal, Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, Current Biology, Cereal Chemistry, Garland Press