Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering combines engineering principles and methodology with physical, chemical and mathematical sciences to solve problems in biology, medicine, behavior and health. Biomedical engineers are employed by pharmaceutical industries, government agencies, biomedical product companies, universities, medical center labs and emerging high-tech industries. Due to their multidisciplinary backgrounds, biomedical engineers have diverse research interests, often acting as liaisons between technological and clinical communities.
About the Department
Biomedical engineering at Ohio State has a long and distinguished history. First started in 1971 as a Center with a focus on interdisciplinary research and graduate education, the new Department of Biomedical Engineering has begun strategic planning for a new era. An undergraduate program will begin as early as 2008, and new faculty and staff will be hired in the department.
We have close ties to other departments in the College of Engineering and to the Colleges of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine. The mission of the Department of Biomedical Engineering is to promote learning and discovery that integrates engineering and life sciences for the advancement of human health.
Research
Research opportunities abound in the areas of biomicroelectromechanical systems, imaging and tissue engineering toward cardiovascular, orthopaedic and vision applications. Breakthroughs in nanotechnology for cell transplants, microfabrication of biodegradable polymers for drug delivery, design of virtual bone dissection simulations, biomechanics of breast tissue, magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy, corneal topography and biocompatibility of novel implant materials name only a few of the areas under investigation within the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Fifteen departmental faculty in biomedical engineering plus more than 60 participating faculty researchers collaborate through the department, providing extensive resources for research. Among the collaborators are researchers from the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and the Nanotech West Lab, dedicated to bioMEMS. In addition to the technical and clinical research facilities across campus and at the Ohio State University Medical Center, research also is conducted at Children’s Hospital of Columbus.
Research and teaching in the department covers the following biomedical engineering domains:
- Biomechanics and Biotransport
- Biomaterials
- Bioimaging
- Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Engineering
- Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation: Biomedical Micro/Nano Technology
Faculty and Research Expertise
Richard T. Hart, Edgar C. Hendrickson Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, specializes in computational tissue mechanics studies, including bone tissue response to mechanical loading and ocular responses to increased pressure.
Gunjan Agarwal, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and cardiology, develops atomic force microscopy and light microscopy for biomedical imaging of single molecules in living cells for eventual use in diagnostic methods.
Rita Alevriadou, associate professor of biomedical engineering and cardiology, applies chemical engineering knowledge to study vascular biology, specifically what molecular mechanisms control blood cell adhesion, thrombosis and inflammation.
William Brantley, professor of restorative dentistry, prosthodontics and endodontics, researches dental biomaterials.
Bradley Clymer, associate professor of biomedical and electrical and computer engineering, studies various types of imaging including MRI, mammography, ultrasound, and X-ray computed tomographic microscopy as well as signal processing of EEG, ECG and phonocardiograph.
Keith Gooch, associate professor of biomedical engineering, studies tissue engineering as it applies to the cardiovascular system, cartilage and diabetes.
Derek Hansford, assistant professor of biomedical and materials science engineering, develops novel microfabrication protocols for the development of biomedical microdevices to produce drug delivery systems and nanochannels for the controlled motion of biomolecules in solution.
Douglas Kniss, associate vice president for research, interim director of the Campus Chemical Instrumentation Center and professor of biomedical engineering and obstetrics and gynecology, conducts studies of cell-matrix interactions that control stem cell differentiation for tissue engineering applications.
Stephen Lee, associate professor of biomedical engineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering, is a researcher of biomedical nanotechnology.
Alan Litsky, associate professor of biomedical engineering and orthopaedics and graduate studies chair of biomedical engineering, studies hard tissue biomaterials, implant fixation and research ethics.
Jun Liu, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, studies bioacoustics, ultrasound characterization methods, molecular imaging units, quantitative image and RF analysis.
Cynthia Roberts, Torrence A. Makley Research Professor, department of opthalmology, and professor of biomedical engineering and surgery, specializes in ophthalmologic imaging lasers.
Mark Ruegsegger, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and cardiology, focuses his research on cardiovascular biomaterials.
Ronald Xu, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has research interests in medical device design and innovation, specifically in biomedical imaging.
Yi Zhao, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, studies non-conventional microfabrication, microdevices and nanodevices for biosensing/actuating applications, and NEMS-based study of cellular and sub-cellular mechanics.
Joint Faculty
Jessica Winter, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering with a joint appointment in biomedical engineering, studies nanoscale neural prosthetics, surface patterning and neural adhesion and bio-inspired nanoparticle surfaces.
Emeritus Faculty
Andreas von Recum, professor emeritus of biomedical engineering, studies experimental surgery, oral biology and biomaterials, and biocompatibility.
Graduate Applications
Applications to Ohio State University must be submitted online. Please visit the Ohio State University Office of Graduate Admissions Web site to apply online with a credit card. Also, the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s Web site provides links to the university admissions Internet site under the “admission” heading.
