Meet our founder – DR. Zi Chen
Assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a Member of the Faculty at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Chen received his PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. Dr. Chen’s research interests range from solid mechanics and material science to biomechanics and mechanobiology, covering such diverse topics as mechanical instabilities of materials, energy harvesting, soft robotics, biomimetic materials/devices, smart personal protection equipment (PPE), nanofabrication (e.g., nanowires, nanoribbons, grapheme sheets), mechanics of morphogenesis in biological systems (embryonic development, biofilm growth, etc.), cell biomechanics (e.g., epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cancer cell migration), and mechanics of DNA structures.
Dr. Chen has been involved in research projects that have collectively been supported by over $17 million in grants with around $3.8 million grants to Dr. Chen’s laboratory from National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, Society in Science, and Facebook Inc. Dr. Chen has received a number of prestigious awards and honors including Society in Science – Branco Weiss fellowship, International Association of Advanced Materials Innovation Award, Marquis Who’s Who in the World, Outstanding Paper Award at the ASME 2013 2nd Global Congress on Nano Engineering for Medicine and Biology (NEMB), American Academy of Mechanics Founder’s Award, MRS Graduate Student Award Silver Award, etc. He is a founding co-Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Postdoctoral Research, and an editorial board member of Journal of Applied Mechanical Engineering and Journal of Material Science & Engineering.
From Our Founder
The AI and Longevity Institute was born from a simple yet urgent question: What if we could not only live longer, but live better?
Our founder—an interdisciplinary researcher with a deep interest in neuroscience, data science, and human well-being—witnessed firsthand the gaps between cutting-edge technology and the everyday challenges of aging. They saw an opportunity: to bridge science and compassion, and to turn abstract innovation into meaningful impact.
Driven by a belief that aging is not just a biological process but a societal challenge, our founder envisioned a place where engineers, scientists, and thinkers could work side-by-side to reimagine what it means to grow old. Their goal is not immortality, but dignity, vitality, and purpose at every stage of life.
This institute is a call to action: to use the tools of AI not just to extend life, but to elevate it.