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In the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, we develop innovative technologies that apply engineering principles to medicine and biology and prepare students for an exciting career in a thriving industry. Within a short walking distance, students can collaborate with experts in our seven engineering departments, the Colleges of Medicine, Design, Dentistry, and Pharmacy and the top-ranked hospital in the state. It’s no wonder that our graduates rise to leadership positions in the medical device industry, academia and medicine.

$7M Gift to the department from alumnus F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D.

$70,258 Average starting salary (NACE 2023)

Two students working together with a labtop and medical device prototype

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BME Research

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Because of the multidisciplinary nature of the biomedical engineering research projects, the faculty of the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering collaborates with investigators in many units across the University of Kentucky campus, including the Colleges of Engineering, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Arts & Science; the Centers for Minimally Invasive Surgery, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy and Membrane Science and the Advanced Science and Technology Commercialization Center and Institute For Sustainable Manufacturing.

BME Department News

UK researchers track emerging pathogens at arctic bird gathering

Human Health and Safety

Every year, birds migrate north and gather in a single location in the Arctic, and a team of University of Kentucky researchers is collaborating with Alaska Native communities to study how diseases spread and evolve in this gathering before they reach human populations. Scott Berry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering with a joint appointment in biomedical engineering, recently returned from a research trip to the northernmost community in the United States: Utqiaġvik, Alaska

2027 Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Scholars announced

The Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Endowment has announced the 17 researchers in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering awarded for fiscal year 2027. Established in 2024, the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Endowment’s purpose is to advance research in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering through three strategic priorities:

2027 recipients of Halcomb Family Endowed Fellowship in Medicine and Engineering announced

The Halcomb Family Endowed Fellowship in Medicine and Engineering was awarded to two graduate students in the Stanley and Pigman College of Engineering to incentivize the development of patient-centered clinical solutions that advance health care and improve patient outcomes.

Hamedi named Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers scholarship recipient

Human Health and Safety

Fatemeh Hamedi, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded a $4,200 Optics and Photonics Scholarship by the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), the international society for optics and photonics.

Spring 2026 Dean's List includes 1,085 Pigman College of Engineering students

The Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering is proud to announce 1,085 engineering and computer science students included on the University of Kentucky Spring 2026 Dean's List. Students are eligible for the Dean’s List by meeting these requirements during the fall or spring semester:

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Department Recognitions

Spotlight

Trisha Sullivan

Q&A with Trisha Sullivan

Trisha Sullivan graduated in 2023 with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering. She is currently a Ph.D student studying Chemical Engineering. She is the President of Biomedical Engineering Society, Vice President of Society for Biomaterials and member of the Materials and Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association.

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