Sharon Gerecht, an internationally recognized pioneer in stem cell and vascular biology, will lead Duke BME through 2027. Read more to see how she'll help us chase new horizons.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I took on the role of acting chair of Duke BME during a difficult period for our department. During these transitional months, I’ve been proud to watch our community come together and achieve scientific and academic success that honors the legacy of our friend and chair, Joseph Izatt.  

During my final days as acting chair, I want to share the impressive work our tremendous faculty and students have achieved throughout the summer. As we begin another school year, I’d also like to look towards the future and share my excitement about our incoming chair, Sharon Gerecht. 

An internationally recognized expert in stem cell and vascular biology, Sharon has played an instrumental role in elevating Duke Engineering’s research programs as a faculty member and more recently as the Associate Dean for Research for our school. I know that she will guide our department in bold and exciting new directions when she begins her tenure as chair on September 1st. It has been my privilege to lead our community, and I know I leave you in capable hands.

Ashutosh Chilkoti
Acting Chair
Alan L. Kaganov Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineers developed a new technique to research a group of extremely rare muscle disorders. Read how the lab-grown muscle can replicate patient symptoms and treatment responses.

By precisely controlling the concentration of drugs in the brain, a new version of a drug delivery tool can help researchers better manipulate and study neuronal activity. Find out how.

A new ultrathin silk membrane for organ-on-a-chip platforms helps cells communicate and grow into functional tissues for research. Discover how this tool can improve kidney disease models.

Duke's biomedical engineering department rose to the #2 spot in the latest US News and World Report—it's highest ranking ever. Read more to see how we're still aiming higher.

Pranam Chatterjee will use the NIH's Maximizing Investigators' Research Award to develop AI algorithms to design molecules that can bind to and alter proteins associated with diseases. Read how he plans to accomplish this ambitious work.

The grant will help Chory utilize robotic platforms to accelerate evolution and generate data to better understand how and why proteins make evolutionary decisions. Learn more about how Chory combines robotics and biology in her lab.

Our engineers garnered national attention with prestigious fellowships and awards. See which students and post-docs were recognized for their outstanding research.

Roarke Horstmeyer and his student set up to record a short video about optical tools for the Computational Optics Lab YouTube channel. Horstmeyer makes quick videos to more broadly share his lab's tools and research.

Follow @DukeEngineering on Instagram for more!

Update your alumni information » | Give to Duke »