Savannah Kozole

I became interested in cell biology from an early curiosity about how complex systems are built from simple parts, spending hours as a child assembling Lego structures. That interest evolved into biology, where cells function as the building blocks of living systems.

I earned my B.S. in Human Biology from Michigan State University in 2019 and am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Biological Sciences at Wayne State University. My research focuses on cell mechanics, specifically how cells generate and use mechanical forces to move through and remodel their environment.

I study how cytoskeletal force generation regulates cancer cell invasion, using extracellular matrix models and microscopy-based imaging. My current work investigates how Myh9 contributes to force-driven invasion across the basement membrane using a physiologically relevant model system.

I am first author on a published review on myosin light chains in the progression of cancer (PubMed: 39768172) and co-author on a research article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on how Basigin (CD147) and calpain 4 (CapnS1) are partners in the generation of traction force but not in mechanosensing (PubMed: 42155771). I have also presented my work at the Wayne State Biological Sciences Annual Retreat and departmental Spotlight Talks.

This combination of training in human biology, hands on experience in cell mechanics, and focus on force driven invasion informs my current project on the mechanical basis of metastasis.

June 2026