faculty holding bone for osteoporosis research

Research

Convergent research with collaboration across government, industry, and academia

Faculty conduct research as part of the College of Engineering’s multidisciplinary research centers and institutes, such as the Institute for the Chemical Imaging of Living Systems, and the Institute for Mechanobiology, and within their laboratories. 

The department’s research areas of focus include Biomechanics and Mechanobiology; Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging; Molecular, Cell, and Tissue Engineering; and Systems, Synthetic, and Computational Bioengineering.

View faculty profiles for laboratory research as well as our recent Annual Reports.

Research at a Glance


Quick Facts

$34M

external research awards (2022-2024)

20

young investigator awards

16

professional society fellowships

47

Full-time faculty


External Research Funding Examples

  • Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Cancer Institute
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
  • American Heart Association
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • The Department of Homeland Security

Latest News

Image for Improving the Ability of Immune Cells to Distinguish Tumor Cells from Healthy Tissue
Faculty

Improving the Ability of Immune Cells to Distinguish Tumor Cells from Healthy Tissue

BioE Assistant Professor Yinnian Feng and an international team of researchers have published a breakthrough study in Cell titled “Tuning the sensitivity of mechanosensory receptors through histidine scanning.”

Image for Bioengineering Innovation Creates Discovery with Ashwagandha
Faculty

Bioengineering Innovation Creates Discovery with Ashwagandha

COS/BioE Professor Jing-Ke Weng recently published research that discovered how to recreate the helpful withanolides in Ashwagandha in a particular yeast strain, creating a new scope for the magnitude of healing properties in the herb.

Image for Patent for Advanced AI Technology to Track and Stop Cancer Cell Growth
Faculty

Patent for Advanced AI Technology to Track and Stop Cancer Cell Growth

BioE Assistant Research Professor Kiran Vanaja was awarded a patent for “Multi-dimensional phenotypic space for genotype to phenotype mapping and intelligent design of cancer drug therapies using a deep learning net.”

Image for Chung’s Research Featured on Cover of Laser & Photonics Reviews
Faculty

Chung’s Research Featured on Cover of Laser & Photonics Reviews

BioE Associate Professor Samuel Chung’s research on “Widefield Targeted Illumination Microscopy Enables Optically-Sectioned, Motion-Resilient Imaging of Neuronal Fibers and Their Dynamics” was featured on the back cover of the December 17, 2025, edition of Laser & Photonics Reviews.