Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology

The Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and Worcester Campuses of the University of Massachusetts offer a joint PhD degree program in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology. The program’s purpose is to offer a nationally recognized PhD that is at the intersection of biology and engineering; that will be readily accessible to individuals with a wide range of science/engineering undergraduate degrees; that will address contemporary biomedical/health research problems; and that will contribute significantly to meeting the workforce needs of allied biomedical industries.

The program aims to provide its doctoral recipients with the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

The ability to formulate/test multiple, original scientific hypotheses related to their dissertation research based on careful observations and a comprehensive review of past and current literature in their field;
The ability to design/carry out detailed experiments or develop theoretical models/numerical simulations;
Competency in cutting-edge technical/laboratory/computer skills related to a wide range of instrumentation/procedures;
The application of their research in solving current biomedical/health problems especially in relationship to new discoveries in nanoscience and technology;
The ability to function as independent researchers with strong critical thinking, inquiry-based analytical skills;
The ability to work on integrated problems in multidisciplinary research teams;
The ability to critically interpret their research results, synthesizing findings from other investigators/previous studies, that will serve as the basis for developing new hypotheses;
Written/oral presentation skills resulting in publication of their findings and presentation of results at professional research conferences;
The development of advanced problem solving skills using a multidisciplinary approach;
Appreciation of the challenges of conducting/publishing research associated with contemporary biomedical ethical issues;
Grantsmanship skills that will allow them to obtain pre-doctoral and post-doctoral extramural private/federal research funding;
Knowledge about intellectual property/patents/regulatory issues;
The understanding of how theory/concepts are related to applied research;
The understanding of how applied research is conducted in an industrial setting;
The understanding of how industry applies experimental research to equipment design/manufacturing/product development.

Faculty and Fields of Interest

Ramprasad Balasubramanian, MS 1991 University Of Toledo, MS 1993 University Of Kentucky, PhD 1999 University Of South Florida, Autonomous Mobile Robotics, Computer Vision, Image Processing, Pattern Recognition, Artificial Intelligence

Sankha Bhowmick, BE 1992 Jadavpur University, MS 1996 Villanova University, PhD 2000 University of Minnesota, Heat and Mass Transfer, Bioengineering

Shuowei Cai, BS 1990, MS 1993 Nankai University MS 1998 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, PhD 2001 University of Massachusetts Amherst, Bioanalytical and Biophysical Chemistry, Protein Chemistry, Drug Formulation, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

Patrick Cappillino, BA 1997 State University of New York at Albany, PhD 2010 Boston University, Solid State and Molecular Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Materials Chemistry

Yanlai Chen, BS 2002 University of Science and Technology of China, MS 2007, PhD 2007 University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing, Adaptive Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Method, Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin Method, Reduced Basis Method, Uncertainty Quantification, Data Analysis

Qinguo Fan, BS 1982, MS 1988 China Textile University, PhD 1995 University of Leeds, Drug Delivery, Biomaterials, Nanotechnology, Chemical Analysis, Color Science

Tracie Ferreira, BA 1990 Wheaton College, PhD 1996 Georgetown University, Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology, Tissue Engineering

Maolin Guo, BSc 1989, MSc 1992 Shanxi University, PhD 2000 University of Edinburgh, Biochemical Processes, Drug Design

Whitney Hable, BA 1990 University of Virginia, PhD 1996 University of Arizona, Plant and Algal Biology, Developmental and Marine Biology

Alfa Heryudono, BS 2000 University of Indonesia, MS 2002 Southern Illinois University, PhD 2008 University Of Delaware, Scientific Computing and Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations (specifically Radial Basis Function Methods, Pseudospectral Methods, Numerical Conformal Mapping, and Tear Film Dynamics)

Xiaofei Jia, PhD 2008 Michigan State University, Biochemistry, Protein Structure and Function, Macromolecular X-ray Crystallography, Immune Evasion by the HIV-1 Virus

Lamya Karim, PhD 2011 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Skeletal Mechanics (particularly as it pertains to Osteoporosis, Aging, Diabetes, and Other Health Conditions)

Dayalan Kasilingam, BA 1981 Cambridge University UK, MS 1982, PhD 1987 California Institute of Technology, Remote Sensing, Applied Electromagnetics, Adaptive Signal Processing and Wireless Communications

David Manke, BS 2000 Brandeis University, PhD 2005 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry, Organometallics, Coordination Polymers

Catherine C Neto, BS 1983 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, PhD 1987 Brown University, Antioxidants, Anticancer, and Antimicrobial Agents in Cranberries and other Plant Sources, Structure and Mechanisms of Bioactivity, Purification and Structure Elucidation of Natural Products, Effects of Agricultural Practices on Phytochemical Content in Fruits, Food Science, Chemical Education in the Organic Laboratory

Kihan Park, BS 2009 and MS 2011 KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea, PhD Georgia Institute of Technology, Medical Robotics, Bioengineering

Frank Scarano, AAS 1985 State University of New York Agricultural and Technical College at Alfred, Certified 1985, BA 1986 Alfred University, MS 1990, PhD 1993 Albany Medical College, Certified 2000 Microbiology, Clinical Microbiology, Molecular Epidemiology, Molecular Diagnostics, Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Resistance, Microbiology Education

Sukalyan Sengupta, BS 1985 Calcutta University, MS 1991, PhD 1994 Lehigh University, Registered Professional Engineer, Physico-chemical Treatment Processes in Hazardous Waste Decontamination Systems, Mathematical Modeling of Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport Systems, Process Modeling of Water/Wastewater Treatment Systems

Caiwei Shen, PhD 2018 University of California at Berkeley, Nanomaterials, Composites, Energy Conversion and Storage

Amit Tandon, BTech 1987 Indian Institute of Technology, PhD 1992 Cornell University, Fluid Dynamics, Physical Oceanography, Environmental and Computational Physics

Iren T Valova, BS 1991, MS 1993 Technical University, Sofia, Bulgaria, PhD 1997 Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, Artificial Intelligence, Neural Networks, Pattern Recognition

Milana Vasudev, BE 2003 Visvesvaraya Technological University, MS 2006, PhD 2010 University of Illinois Chicago, Nanomaterials, Vapor Deposition of Nanomaterials, Biosensors, Drug Delivery

Jianyi Wang, BSc 1983 Lanzhou University, PhD 1992 University of Tennessee Knoxville, Theory and Simulations of Electronic, Atomic and Optical Processes, Ion-solids and Ion-Surface Interactions, Computational Physics

Program Structure and Administration

The following UMass Dartmouth departments are active in the BMEBT program:

College of Arts and Sciences

Biology
Chemistry and Biochemistry

College of Engineering

Bioengineering
Computer and Information Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Physics

College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Medical Laboratory Science

Two Graduate Program Co-Directors perform administrative coordinating tasks for the UMass Dartmouth campus, one from the College of Arts and Sciences, and a second one from the College of Engineering. Also, a BMEBT coordinator is identified in each participating department.

Campus policy implementation for the program is guided by the UMass Dartmouth Advising/Admissions/Curriculum Committee (AACC), which provides advising, approves admissions, and otherwise gives campus-level oversight including campus curriculum development. The AACC reviews the credentials of new faculty members who wish to participate in the program.

At the university (system-wide) level, the Intercampus Academic Coordinating Committee (IACC) is charged with the responsibility of maintaining uniform academic standards across the four campuses, establishing academic policy, approving program faculty, and acting in roles analogous to those undertaken by a “program” or “curriculum” committee in an academic department.

Also at the university (system-wide) level, the Program Oversight Committee (POC) consists of graduate deans from the four campuses, who interact regularly with the respective deans of colleges participating in the program to review campus compliance with system-wide academic standards and to resolve any administrative issues that may arise. The POC submits periodic status reports to the UMass President’s Office, chancellors, provosts, and college deans.

Program Faculty are identified specifically for the Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology program. Program faculty have a research doctorate in a field relevant to biomedical engineering or biotechnology and an active research record in an aspect of biomedical engineering or biotechnology. Other faculty may be involved in the program, as members of a dissertation committee or in teaching courses that some program students take. Participating faculty are members of academic departments, engaged in their academic disciplines as well as in making interdisciplinary connections.

Contacts

Program Directors

Dr. Milana Vasudev
UMass Dartmouth Graduate Program
Co-Director
Department of Bioengineering
508 999-9284
mvasudev@umassd.edu

Dr. Maolin Guo
UMass Dartmouth Graduate Program
Co-Director
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
508 999-8871
mguo@umassd.edu

Campus Coordinators

UMass Lowell

Stephen McCarthy, Ph.D. (College of Engineering)
Stephen_McCarthy@uml.edu
Plastics Engineering - Ball 207
978-934-3417

UMass Dartmouth Department Coordinators

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Biology
Dr. Mark Silby
508 999-8365
msilby@umassd.edu

Department of Chemistry
Dr. Maolin Guo
508 999-8871
mguo@umassd.edu

Department of Mathematics
Dr. Scott Field
508-999-8318
sfield@umassd.edu

College of Engineering

Department of Computer and Information Science
Dr. Iren Valova
508 999-8265
ivalova@umassd.edu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Liudong Xing
508 999-8883
liudong.xing@umassd.edu

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Vijay Chalivendra
508 910-6572
vchalivendra@umassd.edu

Department of Bioengineering
Dr. Milana Vasudev
508 999-9284
mvasudev@umassd.edu

College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Department of Medical Laboratory Science
Dr. Frank Scarano
508-999-9239
fscarano@umassd.edu