BME grad brochure 2025

2025

Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

No. 1 Best quality of life (The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges for 2026)

WashU BME

31

F U L L-T I M E FAC U LT Y

Students FA L L 2024

No. 2

O F P H D ST U D E N TS A R E F U L LY F U N D E D

O F B M E ST U D E N TS A R E WO M E N

240

PhD student research support

53

u n d e r g r a d u at e

168

School of Medicine NIH funding in Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (2024)

100%

51%

master’s

42%

of PhD students received a grant or fellowship (2024 student population)

34

phd

N I H T RA I N I N G F E L LOWS H I P S

19 Degree programs

No. 12 Biomedical Engineering graduate program ranking in U.S. News (2024)

BS in Biomedical Engineering MS in Biomedical Engineering MS in Imaging Science

U N I V E R S I T Y F E L LOWS H I P S

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$20.4M A N N UA L R E S E A RCH AWA R D S ( F Y 2024)

PhD in Biomedical Engineering

N S F G RA DUAT E R E S E A RCH F E L LOWS H I P S

3 M D / P H D T RA I N I N G F E L LOWS H I P S

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PhD in Imaging Science

I N D E P E N D E N T F E L LOWS H I P S

Collaboration drives innovation at McKelvey BME

No. 6 Undergraduate biomedical engineering program (Successful Student, 2025)

McKelvey’s world-class Biomedical Engineering program prepares students for exciting careers at the convergence of engineering and medicine, surrounding them with cutting-edge facilities, wide-ranging resources and a collaborative spirit that supports the end goal of improving human health.

A hallmark of the program, McKelvey’s collaborations have led to major advances

2 McKelvey School of Engineering

in positron emission tomography, medical applications of ultrasound, application of computers to hearing research and development of heart valve flow simulators.

Our students take full advantage of the proximity of the Medical Campus, located just across Forest Park and quickly accessible on the MetroLink lightrail system. The new WashU School of Public Health creates opportunities for future collaborations.

Department of Biomedical Engineering

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Research news WashU research centers for biomedical research collaboration » Center for Biomolecular Condensates (CBC) » Center for Cellular Imaging » Center for Cyborg and Biorobotics Research

BME Research Research areas Biomedical & Biological Imaging Cardiovascular Engineering Cell & Molecular Bioengineering

130

+

members from acros s the university

Orthopedic Engineering

» Biomedical Engineering

Rebecca Reals

» Cell Biology & Physiology

phd candidate

» Electrical & Systems Engineering » Genetics » Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science » Neurology » Neuroscience » Neurosurgery » Obstetrics/Gynecology » Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences » Orthopaedic Surgery » Pathology & Immunology » Radiation Oncology » Radiology

4 McKelvey School of Engineering

» Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC)

Ismael Seáñez, assistant

Biomolecular condensates are

professor of biomedical

shifting blobs in our cells that

engineering at McKelvey and

organize cellular matter. They are

of neurosurgery at WashU

distinct molecular communities

Medicine, and members of his

made of DNA, RNA and proteins

lab, including Carolyn Atkinson, a

that “condense” molecules to key

doctoral student, have developed

locations. Because they are so

a type of decoder to restore

small, they cannot be measured

the communication between

using traditional microscopes.

» Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED)

Neural Engineering

Women’s Health Engineering

A closer look at biomolecular ‘silly putty’

» Center for Innovation in Neuroscience and Technology (CINT)

a f f i l i at e fa c u lt y

» Computer Science & Engineering

Brain decoder controls spinal cord stimulation

» Center for Human Immunology & Immunotherapy Programs (CHiiPS)

Top departments for BME student research:

Regenerative Engineering in Medicine

» Center for Engineering MechanoBiology (CEMB)

What is the focus of your research?

I work in Spencer Lake’s lab, where we study the structure and mechanics of musculoskeletal soft tissues like tendons and ligaments. For my project, I use a model of elbow dislocation to develop better physical therapy techniques and identify potential drug targets to prevent stiffness and fibrosis from occurring after elbow injuries.

What are your plans for the future?

I hope to stay in academia after graduation to complete a postdoctoral fellowship and eventually become a professor with my own research lab.

the brain and the spinal circuits

Researchers in the Center

that’s interrupted when a spinal

for Biomolecular Condensates

cord injury occurs. Through

at WashU have devised a

experiments in their lab with 17

method to image condensates’

human subjects without a spinal

internal organization to explain

cord injury, they were able to

condensate viscoelasticity.

» Children’s Discovery Institute

cue movement in the lower leg

Rohit Pappu, Gene K. Beare

» Genome Engineering & iPSC Center (GEiC)

with transcutaneous spinal cord

Distinguished Professor of

stimulation.

biomedical engineering,

» Center for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) » Center for Women’s Health Engineering (CWHE)

» Hope Center for Neurological Disorders » Imaging Sciences Pathway (ISP)

Results were published in

Matthew Lew, associate

the Journal of NeuroEngineering

professor of electrical & systems

and Rehabilitation.

engineering, and colleagues

The team used a cap fitted

tested computational predictions

» Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS)

with noninvasive electrodes that

by peering into condensates via

» Institute for Materials Science and Engineering (IMSE)

measure brain activity through

super-resolution microscopy.

electroencephalography (EEG).

In research published in

While wearing the cap, seated

Nature Physics, the researchers

volunteers were asked to extend

show how to employ fluorogens

their leg at the knee, then to only

— dyes that only light up in

» McDonnell Genome Institute (MGI)

think about extending their leg.

certain chemical environments

» Musculoskeletal Research Center (MRC)

The team provided the neural

— to peer into condensates at

activity to the decoder so it could

high resolutions that scientists

» Siteman Cancer Center

learn how the brain waves act in

have previously been unable to

both circumstances.

achieve.

» McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience

Department of Biomedical Engineering

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Research news

Outside the classroom

For success in bioelectronics, build with nature-inspired design

3D printing is being used in health care to print prosthetics, dental implants and surgical models. Now, Alexandra Rutz, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and Somtochukwu Okafor, a doctoral student in Rutz’s lab, have 3D printed bioelectronic scaffolds that have the properties cells need to form new tissue with a host of potential applications.

Most traditional materials that conduct electricity are stiff, which may negatively impact formation of tissue. Rutz’s lab created their scaffolds from a soft, conducting hydrogel and with pores that are about 150 microns to 300 microns in size that can influence how cells behave within the scaffold, such as how they attach to others, how they move through the scaffold and how they multiply. The pores help to form a structure that grows upward to support the cells. The researchers can also adjust the angle of the pores so that the grid lines are diagonal instead of vertical and horizontal.

In partnership with WashU’s Office of Technology Management, Rutz and Okafor have applied for a patent for the scaffold-printing process.

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Grant will fund development of vaccines to prevent dementia

The newest generation of Alzheimer’s therapeutics targets accumulations of the protein amyloid beta with engineered antibodies, but the results have been underwhelming, with some adverse effects.

With a $2.9 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, researchers Jai Rudra, associate professor of biomedical engineering at McKelvey, and Meredith Jackrel, an associate professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, will take a new approach, using Rudra’s vaccine platform of peptide nanofibers to design vaccines that generate antiamyloid beta and anti-tau antibodies.

The nanofibers are expected to work better than previous treatments because amyloid beta and tau are presented on the surface of the nanofiber in such a way that the immune system will not generate as much inflammation in its wake.

Jackrel and Rudra will work with WashU Medicine researchers to test their vaccines.

Studying how serotonin alters locust’s sense of smell Researchers at WashU have spent the better part of the decade studying the ins and outs of how locusts smell, including how odors affect the insect’s behavior.

In research recently published in eLife, Barani Raman, Dennis & Barbara Kessler Professor of biomedical engineering, starts to map out just how olfactory circuits are altered in driving different behavior in locusts.

Neuromodulator serotonin is a key factor in that behavior including how locusts can go from being a “loner” to “gregarious” — otherwise known as swarming phase.

“The same organism can exist in two different states — one is destructive, and one is shy and introverted,” Raman said.

Raman and PhD student Yelyzaveta Bessonova wanted to investigate how serotonin affects the part of the neural circuit in the locust brain that senses olfactory cues and drives appropriate behavioral responses. The more researchers understand how sensory signals are processed, the easier it will be to control and prevent locusts from swarming.

From an engineering point of view, understanding this biological system can inspire solutions for odor detection in dangerous and toxic environments.

Select student groups » Association of Graduate Students (AGES) » The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) » Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)

s t . lo u i s i s t h e

No. 1 city for new grads t o s ta r t a c a r e e r

(Insurify, 2022)

Select startups with ties to WashU BME: » Acera Surgical Inc. » Armor Medical Inc. » Datadog Health » Encodia Inc.

WashU and St. Louis resources and accelerators:

» Epharmix

» 39 North

» Geneoscopy

» Arch Grants

» Mindset » NeuroLutions

» Future Educators

» Cambridge Innovation Center St. Louis

» Graduate Association of Latin American Students (GALAS)

» Cortex Innovation Community

» Graduate Student Senate (GSS)

» Office of Technology Management

» Biotechnology and Life Science Advising Group (BALSA) » Biomedical Engineering Doctoral Student Council (BMEDC)

» National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) » Out in STEM (oSTEM) » Promoting Science Policy, Education, and Research (ProSPER) » Sling Health

» Skandalaris Center​for Interdisciplinary Innovation & Entrepreneurship

» Excera

» SentiAR Inc. » Sparo Labs » Caeli Vascular » Osteovantage

» Sling Health Network » T-Rex Technology Incubator

» Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) » Society of Women Engineers (SWE) » Spectra (SPIE and OSA) » Transcending Gender Department of Biomedical Engineering

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Awards & honors

Student news

WashU awarded up to $20 million to develop high-tech imaging technology

Rutz to investigate causes of infertility with NSF CAREER award

In the United States, more than onefourth of adults over age 40 have an eye disease, including glaucoma, cataracts or age-related macular degeneration, or a chronic health condition that affects the eyes.

These conditions are a strain on an individual’s health as well as on the health care system, yet early diagnosis and management can help to prevent more than 90% of severe vision loss.

Chao Zhou, professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering, has been working to improve optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems that can conduct high-resolution imaging of the eyes. With an up to $20 million contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), he plans to create a portable OCT system that could offer advanced eye screening to many more patients and at a lower cost.

During a woman’s reproductive years, ovarian follicles containing an immature egg are recruited monthly for development while others stay on reserve for years. More information about this selection process could lead to new understanding of infertility in women due to polycystic ovary syndrome or developing new fertility options for patients experiencing infertility due to cancer treatment and aging and to potential treatments.

With a five-year, $630,000 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, Alexandra Rutz, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, will use polymers to create 3D bioelectronic scaffolds that change stiffness in response to applied electricity. This biomaterial platform is expected to show how stiffness in the ovarian microenvironment results in changes to follicle growth rates and cell signaling pathways, said Rutz, who is collaborating with Farners Amargant i Riera, assistant professor of obstetrics & gynecology at WashU Medicine,

Pappu honored by biochemistry group

Rohit V. Pappu, professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Center for Biomolecular Condensates, has received the ASBMB DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences. This award is given for for accessible and innovative developments or applications of computation to enhance research in the life sciences at the molecular or cellular level.

Award of up to $31 million supports development of osteoarthritis treatment Researchers, including Lori Setton, Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and BME chair, aim to create treatment that promotes tissue regeneration, restores joints with ARPA-H award.

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Read more

2024 BME PhD retreat

Chen, Silva named senior members of National Academy of Inventors Hong Chen and Jonathan Silva, both faculty members in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering, have been named senior members of the National Academy of Inventors.

Chen and Silva are being recognized as academic inventors who are rising leaders in their fields with success in patents, licensing and commercialization and for producing “technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society.” They are among 553 senior members affiliated with NAI member Institutions worldwide.

Chen, associate professor of biomedical engineering and of neurosurgery in the School of Medicine, focuses on medical ultrasound. Her goal is to develop ultrasound technologies for noninvasive diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases, as well as the deepening of our understanding of brain functions.

Silva, professor of biomedical engineering, developed software to provide a holographic display to physicians who perform catheter ablations for arrhythmia. Their system, the first FDA-cleared application of its kind, integrates existing imaging systems to create a real-time 3D holographic interface that provides physicians with a more precise way to deliver cardiac ablation therapy to treat arrhythmia patients.

Students and faculty members took part in the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s annual research retreat at Grant’s Farm. The retreat aims to encourage departmental collaboration and community. All of the department’s doctoral students were invited to take part in the retreat, which included keynote talks from faculty, presentations from senior doctoral candidates and a poster session.

The event brought together students and faculty to discuss achievements in their respective fields while encouraging collaboration. It also served as an opportunity to introduce incoming graduate students to the biomedical engineering community at Washington University in St. Louis. This retreat is a key event in the department’s calendar, aimed at fostering academic exchange and strengthening departmental connections.

BME students honored by NSF Graduate Research Fellowship program Elise M. Brown, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering, has been offered a highly competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Brown, who is pursuing doctoral research in the laboratory of Jai Rudra, associate professor of biomedical engineering, will study ways to improve vaccine outcomes with novel biomaterials.

Left to right, from top: Akande, Brown, Buzbee, Fascetti, Wang.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship program supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing researchbased graduate degrees at U.S. institutions. The fellowship includes a three-year annual stipend of $37,000, a cost of education allowance, opportunities for international research and professional development and opportunities to conduct their own research.

In 2025, NSF made 1,000 fellowship offers to applicants. More than 3,000 applicants received honorable mentions, which is considered a significant academic achievement. McKelvey biomedical engineering students who also received honorable mentions are: »

Olanrewaju Ibukunoluwa Akande, a doctoral student.

»

Elizabeth J. Buzbee, a doctoral student. She earned a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering in 2024 and a master’s in biomedical engineering in 2025.

»

Jonathan L. Fascetti, who earned a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from McKelvey Engineering in 2025.

»

Sean J. Wang, who earned a master’s in biomedical engineering in 2025. He earned a bachelor’s in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration and a minor in music from WashU in 2024.

Department of Biomedical Engineering

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Biomedical Engineering Faculty

Dennis Barbour Professor dbarbour@wustl.edu Research interests: Auditory processing, cognitive neuroscience, machine learning and medical diagnostics

Song Hu Professor and Director of Master’s Studies in Imaging Sciences songhu@wustl.edu Research interests: Photoacoustic technologies for high resolution, structural, functional, metabolic and molecular imaging in vivo and their applications in research of a variety of diseases

Cory Berkland Mark and Becky Ruhmann Levin Professor coryb@wustl.edu

Hong Chen Associate 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 (IGUDD)

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

Nathaniel Huebsch Associate Professor nhuebsch@wustl.edu

Abhinav Jha Associate Professor a.jha@wustl.edu

Christine M. O’Brien Assistant Professor c.obrien@wustl.edu

Research interests: Basic and translational stem cell mechanobiology, with specific focus on hydrogels to control cell-mediated tissue repair, and 3D heart-on-a-chip models derived 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

Daniel Moran Professor and Director of Master’s Studies dmoran@wustl.edu

Research interests: Pharmaceuticals and biomaterials with an emphasis on molecular design, drug formulation, and transport in the human body

Research interests: Motor control; braincomputer interfaces

Research interests: Wearable multimodal optical sensor for early detection of postpartum hemorrhage

Lori Setton Department Chair and Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering setton@wustl.edu Research interests: Mechanobiology of osteoarthritis and intervertebral disc disorders, tissue regeneration and drug delivery in musculoskeletal disease

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

Chao Zhou Professor chaozhou@wustl.edu Research interests: Optical coherence tomography, a growing technology used to perform high-resolution crosssectional imaging using light

r e s e a r c h fa c u lt y

Rohit Pappu Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor pappu@wustl.edu

Barani Raman Dennis and Barbara Kessler Professor barani@wustl.edu

Research interests: Protein aggregation and its effects on neurodegeneration; biophysics of intrinsically disordered proteins; proteinnucleic acid interactions; phase transitions in cell biology

Research interests: Computational and systems neuroscience; neuromorphic engineering; pattern recognition; sensorbased machine olfaction, and bio-robotics

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Jai Rudra Associate Professor and Associate Director of Doctoral Studies srudra22@wustl.edu Research interests: Design and synthesis of amyloid-inspired supramolecular biomaterials for applications in vaccine development and immunotherapy

Alexandra Rutz Assistant Professor rutzalexandral@wustl.edu

Ismael Seáñez Assistant Professor ismaelseanez@wustl.edu

Research interests: Engineering of electronic tissues using materials design and fabrication-based approaches. Our goal is to achieve robust biointerfaces and long-lived function in bioelectronics and other medical devices

Research interests: Use of body-machine interfaces (BoMIs) to provide a higher level of control for existing assistive devices and neuroprosthetics, and to improve motor function through rehabilitation

Kurt Thoroughman Associate Professor thoroughman@wustl.edu

Michael Vahey Associate Professor mvahey@wustl.edu

Research interests: Virtual and augmented reality; electrophysiology; molecular spectroscopy; mathematical modeling; cardiac arrhythmia

Research interests: Science and engineering education; human motor control and learning; computational neuroscience

Research interests: Developing imaging methods and microfluidic technologies to understand infectious diseases, with an emphasis on studying how viruses such as influenza A navigate and shape their hosts in order to replicate

Quing Zhu Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering zhu.q@wustl.edu Research interests: Cancer detection, diagnosis, treatment assessment and prediction utilizing diffused optical tomography, photoacoustic tomography, optical coherence tomography and ultrasound

t e a c h i n g fa c u lt y

Kyle Apley Research Assistant Professor kylea@wustl.edu

Piyoosh Sharma Research Assistant Professor piyoosh@wustl.edu

Quentin R. R. Coquerel De Gracia Research Assistant Professor Quentincoquerel@wustl.edu

Jingyi Shi Research Assistant Professor jshi22@wustl.edu

Anastasia Khokhlova Research Assistant Professor khokhlova@wustl.edu

Jonathan Silva Professor jonsilva@wustl.edu

Joseph Klaesner Professor of Practice klaesnerjw@wustl.edu Katie Schreiber Senior Lecturer and Director of Dual Degree Studies khschreiber@wustl.edu Patricia Widder Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies pwidder9876@wustl.edu

Department of Biomedical Engineering

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Kara Donovan phd 2025

Why did you pick WashU? I picked WashU for several reasons, including the proximity of the Danforth campus and Medical Campus, its world-class reputation, and its strength as a pioneer in neural engineering and neurotechnology. Beyond the academic aspects, the students I met both at the WashU booth at the BMES conference and during my interview weekend in St. Louis solidified WashU as the choice for me. I felt confident I would have the ability to conduct exciting research while also getting involved in other aspects of grad student life, and that has proved true throughout my time here.

bme.washu.edu • bmephd@wustl.edu • #WashUengineers • @WashUBME