BioE News and Events

upcoming bioe events
Events
May 12
Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering Seminar Series – Postdoctoral Candidate Talk 1:00 p.m.

The Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering invites you to attend the May 12 seminar in its Spring 2025 Seminar Series, featuring a research talk from a postdoctoral candidate...
Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering Seminar Series – Postdoctoral Candidate Talk
May 12
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact Beetham Family Seminar Room

The Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering invites you to attend the May 12 seminar in its Spring 2025 Seminar Series, featuring a research talk from a postdoctoral candidate for the Deku Lab:

  • Yupeng Wu, Postdoctoral Candidate Influence of Structural Properties on the Electrochemical Performance of Iridium and Ruthenium Oxide for Neural Stimulating and Recording Electrodes

All are welcome. A short reception will follow.

May 19
Knight Campus BioE Seminar Series – Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the Graduate Student Association 1:00 p.m.

Join us for a special seminar hosted by the Graduate Student Association at the Knight Campus: Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the Graduate Student Association. This...
Knight Campus BioE Seminar Series – Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the Graduate Student Association
May 19
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact Beetham Family Seminar Room

Join us for a special seminar hosted by the Graduate Student Association at the Knight Campus: Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the Graduate Student Association. This session will explore how students can engage in translational research, develop entrepreneurial mindsets, and connect their academic work with broader societal impact.

All are welcome. A short reception will follow.

May 23
Andrew Holston PhD Defense: Large Scale Engineering of Chimeric Histidine Kinases

Join us for the PhD defense of Andrew Holston, a Chemistry doctoral candidate in the Plesa Lab at the University of Oregon's Knight Campus. Andrew will present his research on...
Andrew Holston PhD Defense: Large Scale Engineering of Chimeric Histidine Kinases
May 23
Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact Beetham Family Seminar Room

Join us for the PhD defense of Andrew Holston, a Chemistry doctoral candidate in the Plesa Lab at the University of Oregon's Knight Campus. Andrew will present his research on the large-scale engineering of chimeric histidine kinases, offering new insights into the design and manipulation of these key signaling proteins. All are welcome to attend.

May 27
Natanya Villegas PhD Defense: Innovations in Programmable Nucleic Acid Libraries and CRISPR Enrichment for Molecular Biology Applications 2:00 p.m.

Please join us for the PhD defense of Natanya Villegas, a Biology doctoral candidate in the Plesa Lab at the University of Oregon's Knight Campus. Natanya will share her work...
Natanya Villegas PhD Defense: Innovations in Programmable Nucleic Acid Libraries and CRISPR Enrichment for Molecular Biology Applications
May 27
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact Beetham Family Seminar Room

Please join us for the PhD defense of Natanya Villegas, a Biology doctoral candidate in the Plesa Lab at the University of Oregon's Knight Campus. Natanya will share her work on advancing programmable nucleic acid libraries and CRISPR enrichment techniques to expand possibilities in molecular biology research. All are welcome.

May 29
Spring 2025 Entrepreneurship Speaker Series: “Disruption Decoded” with Elliot Reed 10:30 a.m.

Join us for a compelling talk by Elliot Reed, co-founder and CEO of Sensate Biosystems, as part of the Spring 2025 Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. In “Disruption...
Spring 2025 Entrepreneurship Speaker Series: “Disruption Decoded” with Elliot Reed
May 29
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact Beetham Family Seminar Room

Join us for a compelling talk by Elliot Reed, co-founder and CEO of Sensate Biosystems, as part of the Spring 2025 Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. In “Disruption Decoded,” Reed draws on over two decades of experience to illuminate the path from groundbreaking research to successful commercialization. Attendees will gain practical insights into identifying promising innovations, navigating complex licensing deals, and securing diverse funding sources—including federal grants and venture capital.

This session is a must for entrepreneurs, researchers, and students interested in transforming disruptive technologies into thriving ventures while avoiding common commercialization pitfalls.

Jun 9
Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering Seminar Series – Guest Speaker and Annual Awards Ceremony 1:00 p.m.

Join the Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering for the final seminar of the Spring 2025 BioE Seminar Series, featuring an invited research talk and the 3rd Annual Awards...
Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering Seminar Series – Guest Speaker and Annual Awards Ceremony
June 9
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact Beetham Family Seminar Room

Join the Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering for the final seminar of the Spring 2025 BioE Seminar Series, featuring an invited research talk and the 3rd Annual Awards Ceremony recognizing outstanding trainee presentations.

  • Guest Speaker: Dr. Laurel Hind, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder Inflammation-on-a-Chip: Redefining How We Study Immune Responses

Following the seminar, awards will be presented for Best Postdoctoral Presentation and Best PhD Student Presentation from across the 2024–25 series.

All are welcome. A short reception will follow.

Jun 15
Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering Commencement Ceremony 5:15 p.m.

Please join the Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering’s PhD ceremony on Sunday, June 15, at the Knight Campus. Graduates please RSVP here by May 30,...
Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering Commencement Ceremony
June 15
5:15–6:00 p.m.
Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact Terrace or Seminar Room (pending weather))

Please join the Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering’s PhD ceremony on Sunday, June 15, at the Knight Campus.

Graduates please RSVP here by May 30, 2025.

BIOE Science Seminars 

UO SCIENCE SEMINARs
bioe news

The annual event enables University of Oregon employees to spend a day on the Eugene campus with the children in their lives. Kids get a glimpse into the working world while parents and other guardians get quality time with their families — and more. Leslie Coonrod and Paul Dalton of the Knight Campus organized 3D printers creating all different toys. 

Founded in 2024 at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact at the University of Oregon, biomedical startup company VivoTex seeks to transform tissue engineering through an innovative approach to advanced, microfiber 3D printing using techniques pioneered in the lab of bioengineering professor Paul Dalton.

Therapeutic ultrasound engineer Sara Keller and nanomaterial immunoengineer David Peeler will join the department in January 2026, bringing research with the potential to improve antimicrobials, immunotherapies and vaccines.

MORE BIOE NEWS »
event videos
Science Knight Out with Bala Ambati
Knight Campus research professor and ophthalmologist Bala Ambati talks about some of the ways researchers are addressing eye conditions, ranging from traumatic injury to cataracts.
Entrepreneurship Speaker Series
Chris Gibson highlights the serendipity of science and failure, and the role each played in his journey from PhD student to CEO of a multibillion-dollar public biotech company.
Distinguished Lecture Series
Karen Wooley explores synthetic strategies for the development of polymers, block polymers and crosslinked network materials, which can be produced by relatively simple approaches.
Science Knight Out with Leslie Leve
Leslie Leve discusses the importance of nature and nurture in promoting or disrupting well-being.