We were all once embryos. A hallmark of successful embryonic development is the ability of organs to form with the correct shape and size, even amidst genetic and environmental variation. Research in the Principles of Tissue Morphogenesis Lab focuses on understanding how this remarkable robustness is achieved. Through quantitative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative approaches, the lab investigates the developmental programs, feedback interactions, and physical constraints that integrate across scales to sculpt functional tissues.

Akankshi Munjal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at Duke University, where she leads the Principles of Tissue Morphogenesis Lab. Originally from New Delhi, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi and her master’s degree from the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, India. She completed her PhD in the lab of Professor Thomas Lecuit at the Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille in France. Before joining Duke, Dr Munjal was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, where she received the HFSP Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016) and the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (2019). Since starting her lab at Duke in 2022, she has been recognized with Duke’s Whitehead Scholar Award (2022) and the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (2023).

Munjal Lab