Good morning, everyone!

Welcome to a new semester in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, and to the start of an exciting 2026. As you will see in our 2025 Year in Review, this past year was one of extraordinary momentum, marked by historic growth in our student body, record research expenditures, national leadership in patents, and transformative investments from partners such as DARPA and ARPA-H. Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni delivered remarkable impact across discovery, translation, education, and service, earning major awards, fellow recognitions, and leadership roles that reflect the strength of the Weldon community. Equally important, we expanded our reach and relevance, from advances in brain and microsystems engineering to smart medical manufacturing and the launch of new biomedical initiatives in Indianapolis. As we begin 2026, we do so with confidence, ambition, and a shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of biomedical innovation while supporting one another’s success.

Thank you for being part of this community, and here’s to another year of collaboration, impact, and Giant Leaps in biomedical engineering.

--Kevin

By the numbers:

• >700 Undergraduate BME/Pre-BME Students
• 264 Graduate Students
• 63 Total Instructors (54 Faculty, 9 Lecturers/Coordinators)
• 2x undergrad enrollment in 7 years
• 2x research expenditures in 6 years
• Institutionally, Purdue ranks 4th nationally for US patents received

Highlights:

1. $8M from DARPA to develop healthcare microsystem that provides more accessible and affordable treatments
2. $7.5M grant to probe the innermost circuits of the brain, the building blocks of cognition
3. Young Kim’s banner year! Awarded his 13 patents, recognized as an Optica Fellow, and awarded a Gates Foundation award
4. Purdue joins $41.5M ARPA-H project to advance robotic assistive mobility for people with disabilities
5. BME Researchers Advance Smart Bandage Manufacturing for Real-Time Wound Monitoring
6. Purdue to launch musculoskeletal center in Indianapolis
7. Sunghee (Estelle) Park recipient of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from ORAU
8. Goergen receives John Martinson Honors College Scholarly Project Mentor Award
9. Chi Hwan Lee honored as AIMBE Fellow for pioneering biomedical Innovation.
10. Craig Goergen serves as Co-Chair of 2025 Annual BMES Meeting

--

Kevin Otto, Ph.D.

Dane A. Miller Head and Professor
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering

https://giving.purdue.edu/KevinOtto

**My email may come at odd hours. My work hours may not be your work hours. Do not feel obliged to reply outside of your normal working day*