Bioengineering
Research is considered a central feature of the undergraduate Bioengineering program. Accordingly, students are given the opportunity to integrate a vast number of research activities into their undergraduate curriculum. This includes the flexibility to join research labs in the medical school, veterinary school, or any of the various other schools, centers, and departments on campus. Finding research opportunities can be as easy as emailing a professor or enrolling in a course.
Part of the senior year curriculum includes a year-long Senior Design research project that ensures all of our students learn to utilize fundamental engineering skills to solve complex medical problems. All BE undergraduates take either BE4950 / BE 4960 Senior Design or BE4970 / BE 4980 Senior Thesis, which are year-long hands-on research and/or design experiences under the supervision of a faculty member. As a result of these experiences, about 20 percent of Bioengineering degree graduates publish their research findings in peer-reviewed journals.
In addition to Senior Design or Senior Thesis, you may take up to two more independent study courses in research towards your degree (BE 0990, 4900, 4920).
Students conduct research not only with Bioengineering faculty, but also with faculty across the university, whether in the medical school, hospitals, or the many research centers at Penn, all within walking distance from each other. For more information on beginning research as an undergraduate, the Penn student chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) has assembled its own student guide.
Students in the B.A.S. program or those pursuing a dual degree may want to do research in areas like the economics of health or biotechnology start-ups.
Pacemakers are life-saving devices for patients with cardiac arrhythmias, but the batteries that keep them running do not last forever. For many patients, that means replacement surgeries every five to seven years, each carrying risks such as infection, lead damage and added health care costs. For Team Cardion, the challenge was both technical and personal. […]
For many hospitalized infants and children, an intravenous line is a critical part of care. But when that line becomes tangled, pulled or dislodged, the consequences can be painful, disruptive and potentially dangerous. That problem became the focus for Team Reel-IV, a Bioengineering senior design team made up of Priya Agarwal (BE & Wharton ‘26), […]
2025 Team ReFlex – Rewiring Stroke Rehabilitation This series profiles three Penn Bioengineering senior design teams whose work received recognition at major competitions in 2025. In Part 1, we feature Team ReFlex, recipients of the Judge’s Choice Award at Penn Engineering’s Senior Design Competition. Team Members: William Qi, Ryann Joseph, Christopher Wun, Udit Garg, Aditya Gowd Senior design […]
Our undergraduate students do hands-on, interdisciplinary work. From designing and building electric circuits to dissecting tissues, from examining the mechanical properties of bone to purifying solutions by dialysis, our students have access to laboratory facilities with state-of-the-art equipment and opportunities. Lab courses are heavily project based, and students learn modeling, analysis, and design techniques involving physiological studies, instrumentation and circuit design, medical device development, biomechanics, biomaterials, microfluidics, and cell engineering.
The George H. Stephenson Foundation Educational Laboratory and Bio-MakerSpace is the primary teaching lab for the Department of Bioengineering, serving undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. students. It is located in Room 225 Skirkanich Hall. This interdisciplinary lab is a Bio-MakerSpace / BioMakerSpace with tools and supplies available for molecular biology work, human and animal physiology studies, chemistry, and microfluidics; Instron test systems for mechanical testing; electrical/electronic test and prototyping equipment; and mechanical prototyping equipment, including 3-D Printers, and a laser cutter.
Students have access to this lab for their lab courses, personal projects, and start-up ventures. By combining Bioengineering’s educational lab space with an open MakerSpace, we encourage a free flow of ideas, creativity, and entrepreneurship between Bioengineering students and students throughout Penn. Learn more about the student work coming out of the Bio-MakerSpace on the BE Labs website.
