Alexander Cartagena-Rivera is one of the world's pioneers in the field of mechanobiology who has developed sophisticated atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques to measure mechanical properties of biological systems at the nanoscale. At the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), he is an Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator and serves as the chief of the Section on Mechanobiology. His AFM-based work provides insights into the progression of diseases and conditions such as cancer, inflammation, and hearing loss. By integrating principles from engineering, physics, material science, and cell/development biology, he strives to identify key molecular determinants.

He has authored 35+ research articles in notable scientific journals including Cell, PNAS, Nature Communications, and Biomaterials, among others. Cartagena-Rivera has accumulated approximately 2,100 citations with an H-index of 22 (Google Scholar), and has delivered 50+ scientific talks and seminars. He serves on the editorial boards of Communications Biology and Frontiers in Cell and Development Biology.

Cartagena-Rivera received the National Institutes of Health Distinguished Scholars Program Award, which provided $2.5 million in funding over four years, and serves as the chair of the NIH's Clinical Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. He is a Keystone Symposia fellow and received the NIBIB Director's Award for his mentorship of trainees from diverse backgrounds. The New York Academy of Sciences and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development recognized him as a Rising Star Early Career Investigator and invited him to participate in the Interstellar Initiative.