Fast Facts

Small Steps that lead to the Next Giant Leap in Healthcare Innovation

The Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering is a leading biomedical engineering enterprise with recognized education and translational research programs. The School fosters strong academic, industrial and clinical ties that create a dynamic and uniquely productive environment for experiential learning and technology development. The Weldon School is solving an expanded set of healthcare problems and improving the lives of patients worldwide.

Engineering Educational Programs

  • 600+ undergraduates in ABET-accredited program
  • 145+ doctoral students and 80+ Masters students
  • 75% of undergraduates participate in industrial (co-op or internship) or international (study abroad) experiences
  • Upon graduation, 48% chose to enter the industry; the rest pursue graduate programs, medical or law school pathways
  • Robust programs for industry-minded students including online degree programs
  • Professional Masters Program includes Regulatory Affairs and Regulatory Science Certificate
  • Guaranteed funding for all incoming PhD students. 
  • More than 2,347 alumnae/alumni

Dynamic and Growing Faculty

  • 37+ core faculty members
  • Growing in strategic areas, especially in Indianapolis
  • 14 NSF CAREER awardees and 11 AIMBE fellows
  • Recognized by NIH Pathfinder, MIRA and PECASE Awardees
  • National Academy of Inventors (NAI) fellows
  • 2 Fulbright Scholars
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award (YFA)

Transformative Research and Innovation

  • >$20M in total annual research awards; 25% from industry
  • Federal research funding doubled over past 7 years
  • 22+ postdoctoral fellows; 15 full-time research staff
  • Numerous applied research partnerships including Cook Medical, Eli Lilly, and OrthoPediatrics
  • Main site for Emergent Mechanisms in Biology of Robustness, Integration & Organization (EMBRIO) Institute sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF)

Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship

  • 269+ U.S. patents, over half licensed to company partners (FY12-FY25)
  • $35M+ licensing royalties over the past two decades
  • 36+ companies started, (FY12-25); $75M+ venture capital raised
  • More than 100 million patients worldwide directly helped

Clinical Translation

  • NIGMS-funded Medical Science Training Program (MSTP) with Indiana University School of Medicine
  • 25 physician engineers (MD-PhD BME) trained to date; 19 currently in training
  • Active translational component of NIH-supported Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
  • Partnering with IUSM for the Biomedical Engineering and Applied Medical Technology Scholarly Concentration
  • Founding member of Crossroads Pediatric Device Consortium with Riley Hospital for Children, Cook Medical and OrthPediatrics

Built for Impact

  • $25M, 91,000 gsf Martin C. Jischke Hall of Biomedical Engineering
  • $18M, 30,000 gsf Innovation Wing expansion
  • $10M endowment from Weldon family created first named engineering school at Purdue