91社区 Biomedical Engineering News and Research
At 91社区, students and faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering are constantly working to advance the industry. Explore undergraduate and graduate research, faculty discoveries and publications, awards, and more below.
Dr. Reynolds Received Grant for Breast Cancer Research
June 2026
Assistant Professor Daniel Reynolds was awarded with the Breast Cancer Coalition's Sylvia Cappellino Breast Cancer Research Faculty Grant. He is the first 91社区 researcher to receive the grant named in memory of the group's founder. Read the article here.
BME PhD Student Awarded Predoctoral Fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury Research
June 2026
PhD student Zuer Wu has been awarded a Predoctoral Fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury Research (Round 7) from the New York State Department of Health. The two-year fellowship will provide $104,000 to support research on multifunctional intraspinal neural probes for monitoring and therapeutic delivery under the mentorship of Dr. Siyuan Rao.
Congratulations to Zeur and Dr. Rao on this achievement!
$2.5 Million Project Aims to Develop Improved Avian Flu Vaccine
February 2026
Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, BME Professor Sha Jin will lead this project. Read the full story here.
BME PhD Student Received the EXCEED Innovation Fellowship 2025
December 2025
PhD Student Chen Lin has been selected as an EXCEED Innovation Fellow!
Smarcle Tech is our laboratory鈥檚 translational effort emerging from the research of Dr. Siyuan Rao and Dr. Qianbin Wang. Led by PhD student Chen Lin, this initiative focuses on advancing soft hydrogel neural interface technologies from the laboratory toward real-world impact. Over the past year, Chen has led the team through several nationally recognized translational training programs, including NSF I-Corps Regional Training, the SUNY Startup Summer School, and The Engine鈥檚 Blueprint program in Massachusetts. And the team has secured a $3,000 NSF microgrant, a $5,000 VentureWell Stage 1 award, and, most recently, the EXCEED Innovation Fellowship, which provides up to $9,000 in stipend support.
Undergraduate Research Awards
November 2025
Logan Kunkel and Nezeeh Kaakour have each received an undergraduate research award!
The External Scholarships and Undergraduate Research Center (ESURC) award supports Logan's ongoing project in Dr. Koh's research group, where he is developing electrochemistry testing systems for unconventional biosensors.
Nezeeh is an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Lu's lab where his project focuses on metabolic imaging and differentiation of breast cancer cells.
Congratulations Nezeeh and Logan!
BME PhD Student's Publication in ACS Nano
October 2025
Congratulations to Eunji Hong, a PhD student who led a research project recently published in ACS Nano. It鈥檚 great to see her work in collaboration with Dr. Qianbin Wang and Dr. Siyuan Rao鈥檚 lab getting such recognition!
Assistant Professors Ying Wang and Yingge Zhou collaborated on research about engineered tissues
October 2025
New research from Dr. Wang and Dr. Zhao show how nanomanufacturing techniques can create a better artificial vascular system. Doctoral students, Xianyang Li, Sadia Khan and Yan Chen; Liyuan Wang '23; and postdoctoral researcher Xiang Fang were other members of the research team. Read the article here!
Dr. Guru Madhavan Elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering
September 2025
Dr. Guru Madhavan, Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and senior director of programs at the National Academy of Engineering, has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the United Kingdom. Please read more about this
Announcing Biomanufacturing Project Management Microcredential
July 2025
The Biomanufacturing Project Management (BPM) Microcredential at 91社区 equips you with the leadership skills, technical training and real-world experience needed to step confidently into high-demand roles in biomanufacturing, clean tech and the broader bioeconomy. Information Sessions are planned for July 28, 2025. Sign up here!
Rao Lab Received NIH R21 Research Funding
June 2025
Rao Lab has received $470,293 over two years in research funding from the NIH R21 program to investigate neural electrophysiological features following spinal cord injury. In collaboration with Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital, the lab is leveraging hair-thin conductive hydrogel materials to record electrophysiological signals directly from the spinal cord. This data will be used to advance the understanding of neural activity patterns and functional changes after spinal cord injury.
Dr. Sha Jin named Top Scholar by ScholarGPS
June 2025
Dr. Sha Jin was placed in the top 0.5% of all scholars worldwide according to the most recent 2024 ScholarGPS rankings. Dr. Jin was recognized for her strong publication record, impact of her work, and notable quality of scholarly contributions. Congratulations Dr. Jin!
Faculty Received NSF CAREER Award
May 2025
Dr. Qianbin Wang received a $600,000 grant over five years. This is a significant milestone and a great recognition of his talent and achievements in the Biomedial Engineering field. Congratulations Dr. Wang!
Research shows fingers wrinkle the same way with every water immersion
May 2025
91社区 Associate Professor Guy German published research about why human skin wrinkles when you stay in the water too long. After a student inquired about whether or not it wrinkles in the same way, it led to more research to find out! Read more about it here.
Chancellor's Horizon Award
April 2025
Dr. Yuan Wan has been selected to receive the inaugural . This prestigious recognition highlights his exceptional achievements in scholarly activity and his significant research contributions to the field of biomedical engineering. Congratulations Dr. Wan!
Study could point toward different approach to UTI treatment
April 2025
Students from BME and Biochem hope to help patients suffering from recurrent urinary tract infections by investigating how bacteria can survive in the bladder. Read the article!
Faculty Awarded the HO Foundation Research Grant
March 2025
Professors Qianbin Wang and Siyuan Rao from BME, and Professor Wenfeng Zhao from the ECE department, have received the grant for their propsal on developing AI-assisted spinal cord bioelectronics. They will leverage high-throughput in vivo electrophysiology data analysis and intraspinal bioelectronics to advance translational technology to improve spinal cord injury conditions.
Dr. Kaiming Ye has been selected to receive the 2025 Council/Foundation Award
March 2025
The award is given jointly each year by the 91社区 Council and 91社区 University Foundation to recognize outstanding service to the University. Congratulations Dr. Ye!
91社区 researchers develop conductive gel to improve study of spinal cord injuries
March 2025
Read the article published on BingUNews!
New Publication in Nature Communications
January 2025
Recent collaborative work with colleagues in BME and other institutes have been accepted for publication in Nature Communications. Read the article,
Recent PhD Graduate Received Award for Excellence in Research
January 2025
Recent PhD graduate, Sizhe Huang, has accepted the Graduate Award for Excellence in Research 2025. This award honors important contributions graduate students make to research at the University and the wide variety of approaches they take to the advancement of knowledge. Congratulations Sizhe!
PhD Student Receives Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Service and Outreach
January 2025
Haleema Qamar is a PhD student in BME, and was selected as a recipient of the Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Service and Outreach. The prestigious award is given annually to a limited number of graduate students to recognize their outstanding accomplishments, exemplary performance, and commitment to excellence in designated areas of academic achievement. Congratulations Haleema!