Biomedical Engineering
From the chair Biomedical engineers at WashU work across disciplines with world-renowned physicians and scientists with a shared commitment: making discoveries that improve human health. Our department connects engineering, medicine, biology and computation through more than 150 affiliate faculty and collaborations across WashU. This ecosystem supports research including imaging for earlier cancer detection, wearables for healthcare and materials for improved bioelectronic devices. Students benefit from highly ranked programs and opportunities for hands-on research and design. The easily accessible Medical Campus and the new WashU Bursky School of Public Health expand their options for learning and discovery. These pages offer a glimpse of the people, research and partnerships that drive our commitment to addressing the most pressing challenges in human health. I invite you to explore further.
Lori Setton Chair and Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
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12
Graduate Biomedical Engineering Program U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
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2
No.
School of Medicine NIH funding
Best Quality of Life THE PRINCETON REVIEW’S BEST COLLEGES
BLUE RIDGE INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH
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10
Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Program (private universities) U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
2 McKelvey School of Engineering
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WashU BME McKelvey’s biomedical engineering programs offer students a world-class learning experience at the convergence of engineering and medicine, surrounding them with cutting-edge facilities, wide-ranging resources and a collaborative community of scholars. Our faculty are leaders in their fields, eager to shape the next generation of biomedical engineers.
PhD student research support
38%
of PhD students received a grant or fellowship 2025 STUDENT POPULATION
Degree programs BS in Biomedical Engineering MS in Biomedical Engineering PhD in Biomedical Engineering
20.6M
$
annual research awards
INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS
PhD in Imaging Science PhD in Materials Science & Engineering
FY26
NSF graduate research fellowships
1
MD/PhD training fellowship
UNDERGRADUATE
153 PHD
33
full-time faculty
23 8
262
FALL 2026
NIH training fellowships
WashU fellowships
PhD in Neuroengineering
Students
22
45
6
independent fellowships
MASTER’S
52%
of BME students are women
100% of PhD students are fully funded
Department of Biomedical Engineering 3
BME Research
150+
affiliate faculty members from across the university
Top departments for BME student research: + Biomedical Engineering + Cell Biology & Physiology + Chemistry
Research areas Biomedical & Biological Imaging
+ Computer Science & Engineering + Developmental Biology + Electrical & Systems Engineering + Genetics
Cardiovascular Engineering
+ Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Cell & Molecular Bioengineering
+ Medicine
Neural Engineering Orthopedic Engineering Regenerative Engineering in Medicine Women’s Health Engineering
+ Neurology + Neuroscience + Neurosurgery + Obstetrics & Gynecology + Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences + Orthopaedic Surgery + Pathology & Immunology + Physical Therapy + Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery + Radiation Oncology + Radiology
4 McKelvey School of Engineering
Catalina Bernabé Correa BS/MS DUAL DEGREE STUDENT
What is the focus of your research? I work in Ismael Seáñez’s lab, where we study neuro-rehabilitation strategies for individuals with spinal cord injuries. For my research, I perform nerve evaluations and analyze muscle responses to different types of stimulation and training. We are studying whether spinal cord stimulation combined with training can improve motor responses and help advance rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injuries.
What are your plans for the future? I plan to remain at WashU to earn a graduate degree in engineering management. After that, I hope to pursue a career in neural engineering, where I can continue exploring new ways to understand the brain and develop technologies that improve people’s lives.
Research news WashU research centers for biomedical research collaboration + Center for Biomolecular Condensates (CBC) + Center for Cellular Imaging (WUCCI) + Center for Cyborg and Biorobotics Research (CyBoR) + Center for Engineering MechanoBiology (CEMB) + Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) + Center for Human Immunology & Immunotherapy Programs (CHiiPS) + Center for Innovation in Neuroscience and Technology (CINT) + Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED) + Center for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) + Center for Women’s Health Engineering (CWHE) + Children’s Discovery Institute + Genome Engineering & iPSC Center (GEiC) + Hope Center for Neurological Disorders + Imaging Sciences Pathway (ISP) + Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) + Institute for Materials Science and Engineering (IMSE) + McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience + McDonnell Genome Institute (MGI) + Musculoskeletal Research Center (MRC) + Siteman Cancer Center
A unique solution for bioelectronics: collagen and cacao butter
Light, genetics provide insight into arrhythmia’s effects on brain
Tianran Liu, a doctoral student in the lab of Alexandra Rutz, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has developed an additive manufacturing method using a 3D printer to build bioelectronic materials from collagen and a polymer that can carry electrical signals. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, making up about 30% of total protein and providing structure, strength and elasticity to skin, bones and soft tissues. The team’s collagen-based material is expected to be more compatible with living tissues than materials typically used in biomedical devices, such as glass, metals and silicon. The method could lead to better medical implants, lab-grown tissue models and bioelectronic devices. Liu also used cacao butter as a sacrificial material to leave behind a patterned layer, potentially advancing sensing capabilities.
An irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, leads to inefficient pumping of blood, which can prevent blood and oxygen from reaching other organs. When blood and oxygen flow poorly to the brain, the risk of stroke and cognitive decline increases. Chao Zhou, professor of biomedical engineering, and Abby Matt, a graduate student in his lab, used cardiac optogenetics to study arrhythmia and its impact on the brain noninvasively. Using imaging in a mouse model, the team found that arrhythmia alters oxygen concentration in the brain during and after arrhythmia. The researchers used optogenetics, the combination of genetic engineering and light to control cardiac cells, to change the pacing of the heartbeat and create arrhythmia on demand. The largest changes in the brain took place at pacing frequencies below and above the resting heart rate. The findings provide a way to study how cardiac rhythm can disrupt blood flow and oxygenation in the brain. Image credit: Zhou lab using Manus AI
Department of Biomedical Engineering 5
Research news
Quick optical biopsy could be early detection method for endometrial cancer
Biomolecular condensates reveal surprising activity as catalysts
Quing Zhu, the Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, and a research team at Washington University in St. Louis and Siteman Cancer Center are developing a fast, safe and noninvasive method to detect precancerous lesions and early endometrial cancers. The team used optical coherence tomography, or OCT, which detects differences in how tissue reflects light and acquires 3D images. With a catheter probe developed in Zhu’s lab, they imaged the endometrial cavity in less than three minutes, creating an optical biopsy. The team acquired OCT images from 57 uteri, 34 of which contained high-risk precancerous lesions or earlystage cancers. The 3D images revealed differences among normal, benign, precancerous and cancerous tissue. Doctoral student Sanskar Thakur and Yixiao Lin developed a machine learning model that achieved a sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 87%. The findings suggest the approach could help detect endometrial cancer earlier.
Yifan Dai, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and Rohit V. Pappu, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering, both at the McKelvey School of Engineering and the Center for Biomolecular Condensates, have discovered “condenzymes,” or catalytic activities of biomolecular condensates. These membraneless bodies, made up of DNA, RNA and proteins, bring molecules together to coordinate reactions within cells. The researchers found that condensates formed by intrinsically disordered proteins can set up electric fields that catalyze reactions such as esterolysis and hydrolysis. Working with colleagues at Columbia, Stanford and Harvard universities, the team showed that electric fields and changes to water molecules at condensate interfaces contribute to their ability to function as catalysts. The findings suggest condensates may play an active role in cell physiology, with implications for cancer, neurodegeneration and synthetic biology.
6 McKelvey School of Engineering
Image credit: Dai, via Chat GPT
Reviving antibiotics with two-faced nanoparticles Yan Yu, the Art Krieg Professor of Chemistry and professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, has restored the power of failing antibiotics by combining them with two-sided nanoparticles, ultrasmall building blocks of materials less than 100 nanometers across. The team created Janus nanoparticles with two distinct sides. One face was coated with positively charged molecules that help the nanoparticle attach to the bacterial cell wall. The other was coated with hydrophobic, or waterrepelling, molecules that cause the cell wall to rupture. Once the cell wall is compromised, antibiotics have a much easier time infiltrating and killing bacteria. The team found that the combination killed colonies of drug-resistant strains of E. coli and A. baumannii more efficiently than antibiotics alone, including an antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii strain collected from a hospital. Because Janus nanoparticles are tunable, researchers could customize molecules on each side to help overcome bacterial resistance.
What’s next BME graduates have the resources and connections they need to take their engineering expertise into exciting careers in biomedical research, biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare, academia and entrepreneurship.
Class of 2025
45.7% of graduates employed full time
46.4
%
of graduates continuing education TOP EMPLOYERS
Abbott Epic Systems Corp. Eli Lilly & Co. Johnson & Johnson Inc.
Select startups with ties to WashU BME:
WashU and St. Louis resources and accelerators:
+ Acera Surgical Inc.
+ 39 North
+ Armor Medical Inc.
+ Arch Grants
+ Auragent Bioscience
+ Cambridge Innovation Center St. Louis
+ Aurenar + Datadog Health + Encodia Inc. + Epharmix
+ Cortex Innovation District* + Office of Technology Management
+ Caeli Vascular
+ Skandalaris Centerfor Interdisciplinary Innovation & Entrepreneurship
+ CERV
+ Sling Health Network
+ Geneoscopy
+ T-Rex Technology Incubator
+ Excera
+ Mindset + NeuroLutions + Osteovantage + SentiAR Inc. + Sparo Labs
*Cortex, which is situated near the Medical Campus, was recently identified by the George W. Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative as one of eight standout districts nationwide based on key prosperity metrics, including population growth, rising incomes and neighborhood investment. Department of Biomedical Engineering 7
Awards & honors Chen selected as AIMBE fellow The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has named Hong Chen, a professor of biomedical engineering at McKelvey Engineering and of neurosurgery at WashU Medicine, a new fellow. Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is highly competitive; membership is composed of the top 2% of engineers in medicine and biology who have made outstanding contributions to their fields. Chen was nominated, reviewed and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows “for innovations in noninvasive focused ultrasound techniques to revolutionize brain disease diagnosis, therapy and fundamental understanding of brain function.” Since joining WashU in 2015, Chen has been at the forefront of innovation in developing this bold new field, known as “NeuroSonics.” Her work uses noninvasive focused ultrasound techniques to advance brain disease diagnosis, therapy and understanding of brain function.
Setton elected to AAAS Lori Setton, chair and Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at McKelvey Engineering, is among the nearly 500 new fellows selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most distinct honors in the scientific community. Setton focuses her research on the role of mechanical factors in the degeneration and repair of soft tissues of the musculoskeletal system and on engineering and evaluating novel materials for tissue regeneration and drug delivery to treat musculoskeletal disease. AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. Setton is a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering.
Pappu named among highly cited researchers Rohit V. Pappu, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named among the most highly cited researchers in the sciences in 2025 by the Institute for Scientific Information. The annual list recognized 6,868 researchers from 60 countries and regions who demonstrated significant influence through multiple highly cited papers during the past decade. The names are drawn from publications ranking in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index. Pappu was among 53 WashU faculty named to the list. WashU ranked ninth in the U.S. and tied for 15th globally.
8 McKelvey School of Engineering
Raman named Dennis and Barbara Kessler Professor of Biomedical Engineering Barani Raman, a renowned expert in systems neuroscience, machine olfaction and bioinspired computing, has been named the Dennis and Barbara Kessler Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering. A faculty member in biomedical engineering since 2010, Raman leads the Systems Neuroscience and Neuromorphic Engineering Lab, which studies how the relatively simple insect brain processes complex sensory signals and identifies fundamental principles of neural computation. Raman also develops neuromorphic devices, such as an “electronic nose,” and algorithms with potential applications in biomedical, security, robotics and human-computer interaction. Through the Center for Cyborg and Biorobotics Research, which he founded, Raman and collaborators have used locusts’ olfactory systems to detect and discriminate between explosive scents within a few hundred milliseconds of exposure.
Student news
PhD student profiles
BME students earn prestigious fellowships
Vicky Liu
Eleven students in Biomedical Engineering received prestigious fellowships in 2025–26, recognizing their academic and research accomplishments. These competitive fellowships provide students with support as they pursue research in biomedical engineering and related fields.
Why did you pick WashU?
+ Kaelyn Schloss, American Heart Association Fellowship + Rosana Alfaro, Elizabeth Buzbee, Wenxuan Xue and Tianran Zhou, Ann W. and Spencer T. Olin-Chancellor’s Fellowship + Logan Collins and Erica Marquez, F31 Fellowship from the National Institute on Aging + Sarah Sachie and Alan Rivas Munoz, McDonnell International Scholars Academy Fellowship + Elise Brown and Olivia Jones, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
PHD CANDIDATE
Allison Martinez Mejia PHD CANDIDATE
Having never been to the Midwest, I was excited to start a new chapter of my life fresh in a new city. With the rigorous academic reputation of WashU, I knew I would be challenged with uncertainty and yet be certain, through conversations with faculty members and my interview, that the environment fostered by the academic community would continue to inspire and drive me to solve problems.
Why did you pick WashU?
What advice would you give to a new student?
I have always found the brain to be fascinating. During college, I was able to explore a career in research by presenting at conferences, having my own project and interacting with different professionals in the biomedical field. The idea of being able to make large scientific and medical contributions while also opening opportunities to underrepresented minorities in STEM was thrilling to me.
Reach out to people in your classes and program! It is really easy to feel alone in a new environment and you are most definitely not the only one. I have enjoyed the conversations I have had within the community whether it was learning from their research or listening to someone’s slice of life. It is refreshing to feel part of a community and have a support system!
Besides the amazing and super collaborative research being offered, WashU was extremely welcoming to me. As I spoke to different students and faculty, I knew I would be able to find a niche in the school.
What played into your decision to get a graduate engineering degree?
Select student groups + Association of Graduate Students (AGES) + The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) + Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) + Biotechnology and Life Science Advising Group (BALSA) + Biomedical Engineering Doctoral Student Council (BMEDC)
+ Future Educators
+ Sling Health
+ Graduate Association of Latin American Students (GALAS)
+ Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
+ Graduate Student Senate (GSS)
+ Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
+ National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
+ SPECTRA
+ Out in STEM (oSTEM) + Promoting Science Policy, Education, and Research (ProSPER) Department of Biomedical Engineering 9
Biomedical Engineering Faculty
Dennis Barbour Professor dbarbour@wustl.edu Research interests: Auditory processing, cognitive neuroscience, machine learning and medical diagnostics
Cory Berkland Mark and Becky Ruhmann Levin Professor coryb@wustl.edu Research interests: Pharmaceuticals and biomaterials with an emphasis on molecular design, drug formulation and transport in the human body
Hong Chen Professor hongchen@wustl.edu
Jianmin Cui Professor jcui@wustl.edu
Yifan Dai Assistant Professor dyifan@wustl.edu
Research interests: Ultrasound imaging; ultrasound therapy; image-guided ultrasound drug delivery
Research interests: Molecular basis of bioelectricity and related diseases in nervous and cardiovascular systems; ion channel function and modulation; discovery of drugs that target ion channels
Research interests: Decoding and encoding the physical chemistry of biological soft matter to understand biology and engineer precision medicine
Daniel Moran Professor and Director of Master’s Studies dmoran@wustl.edu
Christine M. O’Brien Assistant Professor c.obrien@wustl.edu
Song Hu Professor songhu@wustl.edu
Nathaniel Huebsch Associate Professor nhuebsch@wustl.edu
Abhinav Jha Associate Professor a.jha@wustl.edu
Research interests: Photoacoustic technologies for high resolution, structural, functional, metabolic and molecular imaging in vivo and their applications in disease research
Research interests: Stem cell mechanobiology, focusing on hydrogels for tissue repair and 3D hearton-a-chip models from human induced pluripotent stem cells
Research interests: Medical imaging systems and algorithms for optimized performance in clinical tasks using quantitative measures of task performance
Rohit Pappu Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor pappu@wustl.edu
Barani Raman Dennis and Barbara Kessler Professor and Co-Director, PhD in Neuroengineering Program barani@wustl.edu
Jai Rudra Associate Professor and Associate Director of Doctoral Studies srudra22@wustl.edu
Research interests: Protein aggregation and its effects on neurodegeneration; biophysics of intrinsically disordered proteins; protein-nucleic acid interactions; phase transitions in cell biology
Research interests: Computational and systems neuroscience; neuromorphic engineering; pattern recognition; sensorbased machine olfaction and bio-robotics
10 McKelvey School of Engineering
Research interests: Design and synthesis of amyloid-inspired supramolecular biomaterials for applications in vaccine development and immunotherapy
Research interests: Motor control; braincomputer interfaces
Research interests: Wearable multimodal optical sensor for early detection of postpartum hemorrhage
Alexandra Rutz Assistant Professor rutzalexandral@wustl.edu
Ismael Seáñez Assistant Professor ismaelseanez@wustl.edu
Research interests: Engineering of electronic tissues using materials design and fabricationbased approaches, with goal to achieve robust biointerfaces and long-lived function in bioelectronics and other medical devices
Research interests: Use of body-machine interfaces to provide a higher level of control for existing assistive devices and neuroprosthetics, and to improve motor function through rehabilitation
Lori Setton Chair and Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering setton@wustl.edu Research interests: Osteoarthritis; intervertebral disc disorders, tissue regeneration and musculoskeletal drug delivery
Yan Yu Art Krieg Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering yuy1@wustl.edu Research interests: Integrating nanotechnology and advanced optical imaging to understand biophysics of immune functions, to design sensors for immune disease detection, and to develop new strategies for immune and infection therapy
Jin-Yu Shao Professor and Director of Doctoral Studies shao@wustl.edu Research interests: Cellular and molecular biomechanics; proteinprotein interactions, mathematical modeling of biological processes
Elena Gracheva Research Assistant Professor gracheva@wustl.edu Anastasia Khokhlova Research Assistant Professor khokhlova@wustl.edu
Research interests: Virtual and augmented reality; electrophysiology; molecular spectroscopy; mathematical modeling; cardiac arrhythmia
Chao Zhou Joseph and Florence Farrow Professor chaozhou@wustl.edu
Quing Zhu Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering zhu.q@wustl.edu
Research interests: Optical coherence tomography, a growing technology used to perform high-resolution cross-sectional imaging using light
Research interests: Cancer detection, diagnosis, treatment assessment and prediction using diffused optical tomography, photoacoustic tomography, optical coherence tomography and ultrasound
RESEARCH FACULTY
Quentin R. R. Coquerel De Gracia Research Assistant Professor Quentincoquerel@wustl. edu
Jonathan Silva Professor jonsilva@wustl.edu
Kurt Thoroughman Associate Professor thoroughman@wustl. edu Research interests: Science and engineering education; human motor control and learning; computational neuroscience
Michael Vahey Associate Professor mvahey@wustl.edu Research interests: Developing imaging methods and microfluidic technologies to understand infectious diseases, with an emphasis on studying how viruses navigate and shape their hosts in order to replicate
TEACHING FACULTY
Piyoosh Sharma Research Assistant Professor piyoosh@wustl.edu Jingyi Shi Research Assistant Professor jshi22@wustl.edu Shuo Yang Research Assistant Professor yang.shuo@wustl.edu
Anna Goestenkors Lecturer a.goestenkors@wustl.edu Joseph Klaesner Professor of Practice klaesnerjw@wustl.edu
Patricia Widder Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies pwidder9876@wustl. edu
Katie Schreiber Senior Lecturer and Director of Dual Degree Studies khschreiber@wustl.edu
Department of Biomedical Engineering 11
School news
About WashU Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is among the world’s leaders in teaching, research, patient care and service to society. WashU is distinctive in its purpose-driven scholarship across a range of academic disciplines, supportive residential undergraduate experience and worldclass research enterprise. WashU draws students and faculty to St. Louis from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The university offers more than 100 programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
WashU launches Neuroengineering PhD
About McKelvey McKelvey School of Engineering at WashU promotes independent inquiry in engineering research and education with an emphasis on scientific excellence, innovation and collaboration without boundaries. WashU engineers produce new knowledge that advances human health, improves the environment and enriches scientific understanding, while faculty educate students in creating a world we cannot yet imagine. Through research and education, McKelvey is making a positive impact on the local community, the country and the world.
Learn more about BME’s graduate programs Graduate Admissions MSC 1220-122-203 One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
314-935-5830 engineeringgradadmissions @wustl.edu 26-0702
McKelvey School of Engineering, in collaboration with WashU Medicine, is launching a doctoral program in neuroengineering beginning in fall 2027, leveraging WashU’s culture of collaboration and expertise in medicine, neuroscience, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering and biomedical engineering. Close collaboration with researchers at WashU Medicine will give students access to clinicians, patients and real-world medical challenges. McKelvey neuroengineers will also advance brain-machine interaction; brainmodeling technologies; platforms for therapeutics and interventions; brain-inspired AI and neuromorphic computing frameworks. The result is a program where students not only study the brain but also invent tools and systems that will shape neuroscience, brain health, advanced prosthetics and braininspired algorithms and devices.
Learn more: bme.washu.edu • bme@wustl.edu • #WashUengineers • @washuengineers
engineering.washu.edu/ neuroengineering