Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group (BMEGG) at UC Davis. The 80+ faculty of the BMEGG are an interdisciplinary and collaborative group representing over 20 departments in the College of Engineering, the School of Medicine, the College of Biological Sciences, and the School of Veterinary Medicine. The BMEGG has been educating and mentoring biomedical engineering graduate students for over 50 years, and our graduates have gone on to be leaders in academia, industry, medicine, and many other professional fields. Our current graduate student enrollment is 92 Ph.D. students and 12 M.S. students, and Biomedical Engineering at UC Davis is ranked #24 in the nation by the US News and World Report (2020). Our graduate students are the lifeblood of the BMEGG, and the camaraderie, support, leadership, and outreach of our graduate student community is truly unique.

Research in the BMEGG began with a focus on Musculoskeletal Biomechanics when the graduate group was founded in 1970, then expanded to include Imaging and Molecular & Cellular Engineering. Our research expertise has expanded considerably since, and is organized into six main research areas of biomedical engineering: 1) Biomechanics & Mechanobiology, 2) Biomedical Imaging & Biophotonics, 3) Computational & Synthetic Biology, 4) Neuroengineering & Bioelectricity, 5) Molecular, Cell, & Tissue Engineering, and 6) Biomaterials and Devices. In addition, our faculty have significant expertise in numerous clinical applications including cardiovascular, cancer, orthopaedics, neuroscience, and immunology to name just a few.

Biomedical engineering is an inherently cross-disciplinary field that bridges the gap between engineering and medicine and pushes the boundaries of medical technology and innovation. At UC Davis we have the unique opportunity of being associated with the UC Davis Medical Center, one of the nation’s best hospitals, and with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the #1 veterinary school in the world. The collaborative atmosphere between these world-class institutions and the BME community allows our scientists and physicians to pursue ground-breaking foundational and translational research and foster a collegial environment of excellence.

Looking ahead, we hope to continue to grow and enhance the impact of the BME community at UC Davis through new faculty hires and expanding our recruitment of outstanding graduate students. We will also continue to pursue collaborations across the UC Davis campuses, and through partnerships with nearby biotechnology companies through initiatives such as Aggie Square. UC Davis will continue to be a leader in the field of biomedical engineering for years to come, and our outstanding graduates will continue to be a testament to the innovative and collaborative culture at UC Davis.

Sincerely,

Blaine A. Christiansen, Ph.D.
Chair, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group
Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Steven C. George, M.D., Ph.D.
Department Chair and Professor
Biomedical Engineering