The Mitchell Lab aims to bridge scales from genes to tissue geometry by uncovering the mechanochemical mechanisms by which tissues fold and coil to generate complex 3D organ shapes. In feats of dynamic self-organization, visceral organ tissues transform into specific shapes that are vital for their function. Congenital defects affect ~3% of live births, yet establishing mechanical principles that transform molecular activity into tissue-scale form remains a central challenge. My lab addresses this gap by combining whole-organ live imaging, genetic perturbations, computational microscopy, and analytic approaches from soft matter physics to reveal how cellular forces are coordinated in space and time. We focus specifically on the collective cell behaviors and mechanical interactions between mesodermal and epithelial tissue layers that govern the complex shape transformations of the digestive system in embryonic Drosophila melanogaster and the heart in zebrafish embryos.