Welcome to the Bioengineering Department! This handbook is designed to give new Bioengineering Ph.D. students a brief history and overview of the Bioengineering department at Penn along with important guidelines for successfully completing the Bioengineering Ph.D. program. In addition to this handbook there are several helpful resources available online:
The Graduate Group Chair and the BE administrative team can assist you with any special questions or individual concerns not covered in the handbook:
Dr. Dan Huh, Professor and Graduate Group Chair
Kathleen Venit Associate Director, Graduate Programs and Taylor Rosetti, PhD Administrative Coordinator email: bephd-admin@engineering.upenn.edu
Please note that it is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with the rules, procedures, and requirements of the Department, SEAS, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740 as a charity school for Philadelphia children, the University of Pennsylvania is one of America’s first universities and one of its foremost institutions of higher education. Located in West Philadelphia, Penn offers its students one of the world’s best research faculties and a major metropolis rich in history, tradition, culture and innovation.
Today, Penn is a national leader in interdisciplinary programs that combine academic theory with professional practice. Among the Penn programs that cross the traditional boundaries between academic and professional disciplines is the Institute for Medicine and Engineering and the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics.
Over 10,000 students are enrolled in Penn’s 12 graduate and professional schools, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Penn is also an integral part of the West Philadelphia community, participating in a number of programs designed to enhance the livability and economic health of the area.
The first Biomedical Engineering Program in the nation began in the mid 1920’s as a collaboration between engineers and health professionals at the University of Pennsylvania. The first Ph.D. in Bioengineering in the United States was awarded from Penn’s Bioengineering Graduate Group in 1953. The Department of Bioengineering was formally approved by the University in 1973. To date, over 450 individuals have received a Ph.D. from our program, including some of the most distinguished academic and industrial leaders in Bioengineering. Many of Penn’s graduates hold academic positions in Biomedical Engineering or related departments at Universities throughout the world, and have played a leading role in defining the field. Other graduates have entered the biomedical industry and have become the primary driving force behind one of the faster growing sectors of the economy in providing advanced biomedical products, which has saved lives and improved the quality of our healthcare system.
Today the Bioengineering department at Penn has 22 primary faculty, and more than 212 affiliated graduate group faculty who provide the core teaching and research environment for over 200 undergraduate and over 500 graduate students. The department has consistently been ranked as one of the best Bioengineering programs in the country for preparing students for careers in industry, medicine, academia, and other fields related to biomedical technology. The success of the program is due to the dedication of the faculty in conducting both excellent teaching and outstanding research.
Penn’s academic curriculum in Bioengineering provides a solid foundation in science and develops powerful methods for understanding basic physiological processes. Combining the resources of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing, and the University Hospitals, the department is pioneering in a broad range of research areas in Bioengineering.
The Ph.D. curriculum provides training in engineering with focuses on biological and medical sciences. The program provides education in many areas of research, specific knowledge relevant to the student’s research area, scientific and engineering fundamentals and current updates in the field of Bioengineering. The fundamental goal of Penn Bioengineering is to provide students with a broad, flexible curriculum that gives them experience with a wide range of subject areas and intellectual approaches, to prepare them to function creatively and independently in a diverse range of settings.
Penn’ strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, provides the foundation for educating leaders for all sectors of society, and enriching the experience of all members of the University community. Penn Engineering remains strongly committed to initiatives that support the University’s efforts to provide an accessible, rigorous engineering education, and to improve our local and global communities through engineering.
The Bioengineering Main Department Office is located in 240 Skirkanich Hall.
If you order packages for your research, please have them delivered directly to your lab. Personal packages are not accepted at the BE Department Office.
The graduate program in Bioengineering is administered by the Bioengineering Graduate Group under the auspices of the SEAS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The Graduate Group is comprised of the Bioengineering primary faculty members as well as faculty from other departments and schools throughout the University. This unique composition gives students the opportunity to work in emerging and interdisciplinary areas that are relevant to Bioengineering. The current members of the BE graduate group and their research areas are listed on the Department’s website.
The first person with whom a new student has contact is the Bioengineering Graduate Group Chair. The Bioengineering Graduate Group Chair will help arrange laboratory rotations and will also be a good resource for students as they develop a program of study for the fall and spring semester of their first year.
Some new students will begin the fall semester of the first year with laboratory rotations and others are directly matched into their thesis lab. Your advisor will play an important role in assisting with future course selection plans and guiding your dissertation research.
Learn more about the steps you can take to build a good, successful relationship with your Ph.D. advisor.
The spirit and size of the Department of Bioengineering fosters a close interaction between graduate students and the entire faculty. This enriches the quality of student-faculty communications and the academic environment to benefit both learning and discovery. Every effort is made to create an environment of scholarship, creativity and learning, which is the very essence of graduate study.
If you are having any wellness or climate issues with your advisor, other students, or any in the Penn community, please visit Penn Wellness website for assistance.
Apart from offering advising, seminars, and informal meetings with the Department Chair and Graduate Group Chair to solicit student input and exchange information, the Department strongly supports the Graduate Association of Bioengineers (GABE). GABE is a student-run association that represents the entire graduate student community in BE, and organizes both social and professional Bioengineering development events, sometimes in collaboration with the student chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).
The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) is the University-wide student government for all graduate and professional students at the University of Pennsylvania. There are many University-wide affinity groups supported by GAPSA (e.g. LGBT, BGAPSA, LaGAPSA, Chinese Students and Scholars Association at Penn).
