Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering

We believe that progress in biomedical engineering will increasingly rely on a quantitative understanding of the human body as an integrated system, and that this vision will guide the development of the discipline. Throughout our research and educational programs we seek relationships between molecular mechanisms and cellular dynamics, which, in turn, determine tissue and organ responses and the behavior of complete physiological systems. Developing quantitative relationships among phenomena that span these different scales is a key to the rational design of useful biomedical devices and therapies.

We offer programs to educate undergraduate and graduate students. At the undergraduate level, we offer a B.S. and a minor in biomedical engineering. At the graduate level, we offer a professional masters degree (M. Eng.) and a research-oriented doctoral (Ph.D.) degree.

Our research and training programs reflect the unique role of biomedical engineering as a bridge connecting engineering and physical sciences with biology and medicine. We have strong collaborations in research and education with colleagues in medicine, veterinary medicine, and a variety of biological disciplines. 

History at Cornell

The school of biomedical engineering at Cornell evolved from a 45-year history of bioengineering research and education at the University. A formal program in bioengineering was established in 1994 with a Special Opportunity Award from the Whitaker Foundation. The Graduate Field of Biomedical Engineering, which administers the graduate degree programs, was approved by New York State in 1997. A Department of Biomedical Engineering was established in 2004, and the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering was instituted in 2015.

Faculty

The faculty of the School of Biomedical Engineering has grown to 18 members. The Graduate Field of Biomedical Engineering includes more than 50 faculty members on the Ithaca campus and at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. The Graduate Field's faculty members come from 12 different departments, which demonstrates the breadth of biomedical engineering research projects that are available to graduate students in the field. Many of these projects connect cellular and molecular bioengineering, along with applications of engineering principles, to current clinical problems. The faculty includes members of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, and fellows of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers.