Minglin Ma
Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering

Minglin Ma is a Professor at the Biological and Environmental Engineering Department of Cornell University. He received his BS degree from Tsinghua University and PhD from MIT, both in Chemical Engineering. Prior to joining Cornell in 2013, he worked as a Lead Scientist at General Electric Global Research Center and as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Robert Langer’s laboratories at MIT Koch Institute. His group are interested in developing advanced biomaterials for agricultural and biomedical applications with a particular focus on cell replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes.
Education
Doctorate
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2008
Master of Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2007
Bachelor of Science
Tsinghua University
2003
Courses Taught
Professor Ma teaches biomaterials, materials that are derived from or interact with biological systems for medical and agricultural applications. He introduces different types of biomaterials including polymers, hydrogels, inorganics and composites with an emphasis on the molecular level understanding of their syntheses, structures and properties. He uses mathematical analysis to assist biomaterial designs for different applications. In addition, examples from forefront biomaterials research are used for case studies, ranging from bio-inspired biomaterials for food packaging to biomaterial applications in COVID vaccines.
His courses include:
- BEE 3400 Design and Analysis of Biomaterials
- BEE 6400 Advanced Topics in Biomaterials
Contact Information
304 Riley Robb Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
mm826 [at] cornell.edu
Minglin in the news
News
Rocky An ’23 proposes a theory that could solve the decades-old mystery of why astronauts’ immune systems become suppressed in space.
- Biological and Environmental Engineering
- Health + Nutrition

News
As the pandemic pomp and COVID circumstances dissipate, Cornell’s McGovern Center and Praxis Center incubators graduated five startups, putting them on the road to success.
- Biological and Environmental Engineering