Bioengineering

Department of Bioengineering

Jumpstart and Accelerate Your Research Career 

The Department of Bioengineering has a path for you, whether you’re an undergraduate seeking research experience, a PhD student training for your next breakthrough, or a faculty member ready to advance your scientific career.

Join One of Our Info Sessions

Department of Bioengineering

Jumpstart and Accelerate Your Research Career

The Department of Bioengineering has a path for you, whether you’re an undergraduate seeking research experience, a PhD student training for your next breakthrough, or a faculty member ready to advance your scientific career.

Join One of Our Info Sessions

A PhD Program With a Purpose

We help students accelerate their research, build professional skills, and prepare for successful careers as independent scientists and engineers. Beyond bioengineering courses and hands-on laboratory work, students develop skills in the following areas:

Want to Learn More About Our PhD Program?

Connect with the Department of Bioengineering through virtual information sessions, faculty events, and recruiting conferences.

Virtual Information Sessions

Join a live 30-minute virtual session to learn about the Bioengineering program and ask questions.

Tue, Sept. 8

3:00 PM PT

Thu, Sept. 24

1:00 PM PT

Mon, Oct. 5

3:30 PM PT

Tue, Oct. 20

4:00 PM PT

Wed, Nov. 4

11:00 AM PT

Register

Meet the Faculty

Tuesday, November 3
1:00–2:00 PM PT

Meet Bioengineering faculty, learn about research opportunities, and ask questions about graduate study in an informal virtual session.

Questions? Contact Jenni Van Wyk at jvanwyk@uoregon.edu

Learn More 

Meet Us at These Conferences

BMES Annual Meeting
October 21–24, 2026
Orlando, FL
Booth #1216

SACNAS NDiSTEM
October 29–31, 2026
Long Beach, CA
Booth #529

ABRCMS
November 18–21, 2026
Seattle, WA
Booth #625

BioE Student in lab

Our People

Faculty and Students

Meet the faculty and PhD students advancing bioengineering at the Knight Campus. United by curiosity, creativity, and a collaborative spirit, they are developing new technologies, exploring fundamental scientific questions, and translating discoveries into solutions that improve lives.

Meet Our Research Faculty Meet Our PhD Students Meet Our Undergraduate Scholars  

Advance Discovery. Engineer the Future.

Annual Report

We are fast becoming an irresistible destination for high-performing faculty and students — a flywheel for research, innovation and societal benefit — a center of excellence with global reach. We welcome you to delve deeper into the stories and achievements that shape our journey.

2025 Bioengineering Annual Report   

Researchers in Knight Campus lab
Emma Anderson, Kelsey Krusen, Max Tenenbaum, National Science Foundation GRFP winners

Awards and Honors

Congrats to our NSF GRFP recipients!

Fellowships went to Knight Campus PhD students Kelsey Krusen, Emma Anderson and Max Tenenbaum. Additionally, Josh Kupfer, a PhD student co-advised in the Guldberg and Dalton Labs, arrived at the Knight Campus with a GRFP already in hand, brings further distinction to this year's cohort. Annika Deans, a former undergraduate scholar in the Benoit Lab, and Miranda Simpson, a current post-bac in the Hosseinzadeh Lab also received a fellowship.  

Read the Full Story Here

Research Areas

The Knight Campus has 15 independent, bioengineering faculty-led labs, ranging in focus from 3D printing and laser microfabrication to gene therapy, tissue regeneration, and polymer chemistry. Many of our faculty are also entrepreneurs and assist in the development of numerous startups. Researchers at the Knight Campus have access to state-of-the-art facilities for their research and a collaborative environment with expert mentors.

01

Neural Engineering

We develop novel implantable interfaces to the brain and peripheral nervous system to advance fundamental science and improve human lives through therapeutic neuromodulation.

Explore Neural Engineering 

02

Regenerative Rehabilitation and Human Performance

We develop and integrate engineered technologies to measure, model, regenerate and enhance the performance of tissue systems. The overall goal of this focus area is to improve human performance throughout all aspects of life, from young to old, healthy to injured and novice to elite.

Explore Regenerative Rehab 

03

Biomaterials

We work at the interface of materials chemistry and biomedical engineering. We determine what is missing from the engineer's toolbox and design new functional materials, 3-D structures, tools and devices that address key challenges in the clinic.

Explore Biomaterials 

04

Protein Engineering and Synthetic Biology

We develop new bio-inspired methods to build biological parts (proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids) and systems with designed properties and predictable behaviors. We repurpose biological cells as factories allowing simple large-scale low-cost manufacturing of complex macromolecules.

Explore Synthetic Biology 

05

Medical Sensors and Devices

We push the envelope of implantable and wearable medical sensors and devices to change the ways we study and treat diseases and injuries, by tapping advances in materials and data science, as well as device architecture.

Explore Medical Sensors/Devices 

06

Biomedical Artificial Intelligence

We develop models of complex biological systems using carefully curated datasets and the latest advances in machine learning. These AI systems are trained to make automated, repeatable, data-driven decisions, which ultimately leads to better patient outcomes.

Explore Biomedical Artificial Intelligence 

The People Behind the Program

Meet a few of the many researchers, scholars, and staff members advancing our mission to accelerate scientific discovery and impact.

headshot of a woman with long brown hair, in a green and white sweater

PhD Candidate

DeShea Chasko

Graduate student in the Lindberg lab, creating 3D bioprinted bone marrow models, and a NIH F31 Recipient.

Assistant Professor, Bioengineering

Felix Deku

Revolutionizing brain disorder treatments through innovative neuroengineering.

PhD Candidate

Alycia Galindo

Graduate student in the Hettiaratchi lab, combining 3D printing with molecular cues to guide muscle regeneration.

Bioengineering Alum '25

Kylie Williams

First Bioengineering PhD graduate, and current Clinical Engineering Director at Penderia Technologies.

Associate Professor, Bioengineering

Calin Plesa

Building synthetic biology tools at whole new scales.

PhD Candidate

Lia Strait

Graduate student in the Guldberg lab, developing methods to improve bone regeneration, and refining her science policy skills.

Bioengineering Minor, KCUS Scholar

Caroline Foskett

Undergraduate student in the Hettiaratchi lab, developing methods to improve healing outcomes for patients with real lab experience.

IMPACT Team Member

Mark Blaine

Journalist and science story teller, helping our scientists train and refine their science communication skills.

See What's Happening

Explore the latest department research, stories, events, and successes.

By engineering highly targeted molecules, called affibodies, and controlling when they release regenerative cues, researchers from the Marian Hettiaratchi Lab, are developing ways to help muscle, bone, and spinal cord injuries heal better and faster.

Neuroscientists Colin Bredenberg and Zoé Christenson Wick will join the department in September 2026, bringing research with the potential to deepen understanding of the neural basis of learning and neurodegenerative aging.

Calin Plesa, Ph.D., was recently promoted to associate professor with indefinite tenure in the Department of Bioengineering. Plesa joined the Knight Campus in June 2019 and has since built a research program that is reshaping how scientists design and test genetic sequences at scale.

Want to Learn More?

The Department of Bioengineering has a path for you, whether you’re an undergraduate seeking research experience, a PhD student training for your next breakthrough, or a faculty member ready to advance your scientific career.