In November, Purdue BME faculty secured patents that advance healthcare, security and sustainability—turning bold ideas into real-world impact.

With 13 patents issued across two countries and more on the way, Young Kim is driving innovation at the intersection of biology, materials science and information security.

Job Summary
The Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. The successful candidate will join the newly established Purdue Center for Musculoskeletal Engineering (PCME) located in Indianapolis, Indiana. This position represents an exciting opportunity to contribute to a new initiative integrating engineering, medicine, and translational research at the heart of Indiana’s life sciences ecosystem.

Purdue researchers have demonstrated 3D-printed microrobots that can navigate inside the body and deliver medication exactly where it's needed. This breakthrough in targeted drug delivery could transform treatments for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and beyond.

Weldon School faculty Elsje Pienaar and David Umulis contributed computational modeling expertise to reveal how calcium signaling waves help plants communicate during pathogen attacks. Their work through EMBRIO demonstrates how biomedical engineering tools advance understanding of complex biological defense systems.

When Vivian Eagle was 15 she received a diagnosis that changed her path overnight: osteosarcoma in her left leg. Treatment meant nine months of high-dose chemotherapy and a limb-salvage surgery that preserved her leg but removed running and jumping from her future.

Young L. Kim has been elected to the Optica 2026 Fellow Class, a prestigious global honor recognizing exceptional contributions to optics and photonics. He is one of 121 new Fellows selected from 23 countries for their distinguished achievements in research, education, engineering, business and service to the optics community.

For more than a decade, Sandra (Sandy) May, Senior Administrative Assistant in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, has been a steady source of guidance, compassion, and problem-solving for students, faculty, and staff. This year, her exceptional dedication has earned her recognition as a finalist for the College of Engineering Customer Service Award—an honor that reflects the extraordinary impact she has made across Purdue Engineering.

The human brain houses some 80 billion neurons and a trillion supporting cells, weaving together nanoscale synapses and global circuits that orchestrate thought, memory and adaptability. Yet what sustains this vast network is not only its wiring but also its metabolism: every act of remembering, attending or deciding is powered by an intricate balance of energy. Unlocking how neuronal computations flex under shifting metabolic conditions could illuminate the hidden bioenergetic demands of cognition, bridging the microscopic mechanisms of circuits with the higher-order intelligence they enable.

Purdue Biomedical Engineering researchers have developed a rapid and highly tunable method to synthesize gelatin-norbornene (GelNB)—a widely used biomaterial for 3D cell culture and bioprinting. The new approach, reported by Jonathan Bryan and Professor Chien-Chi Lin, uses microwave-assisted aqueous synthesis to drastically shorten reaction time and improve control over a key property known as the degree of norbornene conjugation.