Overview
Research in the department covers a broad spectrum, ranging in length scale from molecular to whole animal, and encompassing a wide variety of physiological systems and experimental approaches. Because of the disciplinary nature of biomedical engineering and the close proximity of the med center and other labs and facilities, faculty and students have countless opportunities for collaboration.
Identified areas of concentration within the department include:
Biomechanics: Mechanics of biological systems and living organisms. Studied on multiple levels, from nano-scale molecular interactions between proteins all the way up to whole body (organism) dynamics.
Biomedical Acoustics: The interaction of sound energy with the body has many important roles and applications. Topics include biomedical acoustic fields, ultrasound imaging, interactions of ultrasound energy and tissue, ultrasound-based therapies, and studies of hearing.
Biomedical Nanotechnology: Development of new materials with dimensions on the order of tens to a few hundreds of nanometers. Bigger than what we normally consider molecules
and smaller than bulk materials, nanomaterials have emergent properties that are a direct result of their size.
Biomedical Optics: Design and application of advanced optical techniques to solve pressing problems in medicine and biology.
Cell & Tissue Engineering: Generation of living tissue ex vivo for replacement or therapeutic applications through materials development, biochemical manipulations, cell culture, and genetic engineering.
Medical Imaging: Covering a broad scope of hardware and software development including Ultrasound, MRI, and PET-CT.
Neuroengineering: The combination oquantitative method, the physical sciences, and the biological sciences has provided remarkable contributions to our understanding of biomedical phenomena, including pathologic processes.