Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

As part of a top-tier research institution, the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) is committed to providing undergraduates with meaningful exposure to the research process.

Research in the Curriculum

A student leaning over a desk working on a computer with data on the screen.

We believe that research should be a core component of biomedical engineering education. That’s why several of the BME core courses provide a guided approach to the research process through course projects.

BME 101: Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
BME 201P: MATLAB for Biomedical Engineering
BME 201: Fundamentals of Biomechanics
BME 221: Biomedical Computation and Statistics
BME 245: Biomaterials
BME 260: Quantitative Physiology

Our program then culminates in a full-year senior project, where students work with real organizations to develop prototypes of medical devices or research instruments. Students can also choose to add an independent study course where they work on their own biomedical engineering research project.

Contribute to World-Changing Research

In addition to research in the classroom, many of our students also participate in professional research done by faculty and researchers.

Research Assistantships

Students can work as research assistants in labs in our department, the University of Rochester Medical Center, the Institute of Optics, or other University labs.

URMC REAL Program

The Research for Exploratory and Applied Learning (REAL) Program, organized by Center for Health and Technology (CHeT), offers undergraduates unpaid internships in areas like clinical research, and protocol design.

National Science Foundation REUs

The National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors summer research experiences for undergraduate (REU) across the country. All these programs pay a stipend to participants, and many cover housing and other expenses.

Getting Started in Research

Interested students can contact faculty members directly, or work with the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Career Center or Taimi Marple, the undergraduate program coordinator, to identify opportunities.