Meenal Datta
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Jane Schoelch DeFlorio Collegiate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
- Atypical tumor microenvironment
- Disease progression
- Health science in space
- Microgravity environments
Video
Datta’s Latest News
Datta in the News
WGN
Looking beyond Earth for answers advancing cancer treatments
July 22, 2026
“One of the more aggressive tumors that we confront here on Earth is glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Meenal Datta at the University of Notre Dame is pioneering research using glioblastoma in that [microgravity] environment,” said Michael Roberts, Chief Scientist of the International Space Station National Laboratory.
Science Friday
The new frontier of cancer research is in space
Audio
May 14, 2026
An upcoming resupply mission will carry tumor samples to the International Space Station for research. Experiments in microgravity have yielded shocking results: Some tumors triple in size in just 10 days—the kind of growth that could take 10 years on Earth. What does that mean for science, and for astronauts? Joining Ira to discuss this new frontier in cancer research are hematologist Catriona Jamieson and aerospace engineer Meenal Datta.
ABC57
Notre Dame professor conducts out of this world Glioblastoma experiment
Video
May 12, 2026
Professor Meenal Datta works in aerospace and mechanical engineering and has been conducting experiments on brain cancer organoids in space, alongside NASA. Glioblastoma is currently viewed as an unsolvable problem, but Datta and her team are hoping to flip the script on that.
The Stem Cell Podcast
“Cancer Under Pressure” Featuring Dr. Meenal Datta
Audio
May 12, 2026
Dr. Meenal Datta is an Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame and leader of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment Mechanics (TIME) Lab. She discusses how mechanical forces within tumors shape cancer progression and immune responses, with a focus on glioblastoma.
Inside Indiana Business
Notre Dame marks 20 years of ‘What Would You Fight For?’ campaign
March 20, 2026
“We have a problem with access to algebra in our country,” said Nicole McNeil, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Educational Research and Action at Notre Dame. “We need to make sure that even before preschool, we are putting children in positions to succeed when they get to algebra in eighth grade.”
“Remembering that what we do is for people was a very important reminder,” said Meenal Datta,
Jane Schoelch DeFlorio Collegiate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. “That was the most valuable response I received.”
Inside Precision Medicine
Measuring Mechanical Force of Brain Tumors Informs Post-Surgical Care
July 09, 2025
“During brain tumor removal surgery, neurosurgeons take a slice of the tumor, put it on a slide and send it to a pathologist in real-time to confirm what type of tumor it is. Tumors that originally arise in the brain, like glioblastoma, are prescribed different treatments than tumors that metastasize to the brain from other organs like lung or breast, so these differences inform post-surgical care,” said co-first author Meenal Datta, PhD, an assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at Notre Dame.
Bioengineer, Science Magazine
Insights into Brain Tumor Growth Patterns Could Enhance Patient Care Strategies
July 03, 2025
The novel approach introduced by Meenal Datta, an assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at Notre Dame, enhances this workflow by adding a brief yet powerful step: measuring the solid mechanical stress during surgery helps classify tumors mechanically, independent of histological analysis.
WNDU
Notre Dame professor talks about brain cancer research and its journey into space
Video
April 01, 2024
Meenal Datta has been working at Notre Dame for two and a half years. Earlier this year, her team was invited to use their research on glioblastoma in the ISS.
South Bend Tribune
Notre Dame professor to advance brain cancer research aboard International Space Station
March 22, 2024
A SpaceX launch Thursday afternoon aims to advance brain cancer scholarship by University of Notre Dame researchers by bringing an experimental study to the International Space Station. When it lifts off Thursday afternoon around 4:55 p.m. from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft will carry the materials and methods for Notre Dame professor Meenal Datta's study on glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer.
WNDU
ND professor sends brain cancer research to International Space Station
March 22, 2024
Thursday afternoon, SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft Falcon 9 carried materials and methods by University of Notre Dame professor Meenal Datta. She’s a professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. This new experimental study is expected to bring new insight because of the space station’s microgravity environment.
Futurity
‘Reprogrammed’ cells may help glioblastoma resist treatment
December 13, 2023
“A decade ago, we didn’t even know perivascular fibroblasts existed within the brain, and not just in the lining of the skull,” says Meenal Datta, assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at Notre Dame and senior author of the study published in the journal NPJ Genomic Medicine.