The Department of Bioengineering is pleased to present Postdoctoral Scholars Pascal Achenbach and Sarea Recalde Phillips. Pascal's talk is titled “From repulsion to regeneration: Using topography to reprogram mutually repulsive cell-cell interactions,” and Sarea's talk is titled “Engineering Immunometabolism: Nanoparticle-Induced Shifts in Macrophage Polarization.” 

There will be a brief networking session in the lobby immediately following the seminar.

The Knight Campus Distinguished Lecture Series welcomes Zhenan Bao, K.K. Lee Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University, for a talk titled “Learning from Skin: from Materials, Sensing Functions to Neuromorphic Engineering.”

Skin—the body’s largest organ—continuously transduces rich sensory information. Building on this inspiration, Bao and her team have pioneered the design of organic electronics with skin-like properties such as stretchability, self-healing, biodegradability, and the ability to convert external stimuli into spike-train signals. These innovations form the foundation of soft bioelectronics and open new possibilities in medical devices, robotics, wearables, and neuromorphic engineering.

Bao, a member of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking research in skin-inspired electronics. She has published more than 700 papers, holds over 80 patents, and has co-founded several startups translating her lab’s discoveries into real-world applications.

Hybrid Option: In-person attendance is encouraged. Remote access via Zoom will be available, with a link posted closer to the event date. Please note this lecture will not be recorded.

Time: 3–4 pm Lecture; 4–5:30 pm Networking Reception