Mechanical interactions are vital components of the most fundamental cellular processes. Without them, cells would be unable to divide, change shape, move or even form multicellular tissues. The Oakes lab is interested in how cells generate, interpret, and use these mechanical signals to regulate their behavior. We investigate these questions through the lens of the cytoskeleton and the role it plays in generating contractile forces and dynamically responding to external mechanical signals. Our lab combines traditional biological approaches with a number of quantitative approaches, including high-resolution microscopy, micropatterning, computational modeling, and optogenetics.