The University of Notre Dame鈥檚 College of Engineering is adding a new academic department in a field critical to the University鈥檚 strategic aspirations: bioengineering.
Over the past two decades, the University鈥檚 doctoral and minor programs in bioengineering have seen tremendous demand. With 17 affiliated faculty across six existing departments, the doctoral program alone has grown by 150 percent to more than 50 students over the last five years, while nearly 50 students are pursuing the undergraduate minor in bioengineering.
鈥淭his is a historic moment for both Notre Dame and the College of Engineering,鈥� said, the Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of the Notre Dame College of Engineering. 鈥淓ngineering鈥檚 last new department was established over 35 years ago, and I am incredibly excited for our talented bioengineering faculty and staff to seize this opportunity and propel a well-established and respected program to new heights.鈥�
As part of, the University recently established the and made a. Forming a new bioengineering department is an important strategy for further leveraging these investments, according to , the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost.
鈥淭his new department is an exciting step in advancing Notre Dame as the leading global Catholic research university,鈥� McGreevy said. 鈥淚t will enable us to do even more and better research and to train students in an area where many of the most important questions facing both engineering and science are going to be addressed.鈥�
The formation of a new department will allow Notre Dame to offer a new bioengineering undergraduate degree to educate tomorrow鈥檚 leaders pursuing life-changing research and technologies. At the graduate and faculty level, it will enable the University to consolidate and focus its faculty and research programs on existing strengths and strategic priorities.
Initial focus areas will include preclinical research through tissue engineering and engineered disease models to reduce dependence on animal testing; new devices and diagnostic tools for improving healthcare for all; and emerging frontiers for bioengineering technologies such as biocomputing and bioengineering research in the unique microgravity environment of space. Discoveries made through these impactful fields will be primed for translation into new products and companies through the University鈥檚 .
Already ranked No. 62 by U.S. News & World Report despite not having a home department, the bioengineering graduate program will now be better situated to compete for prestigious national awards and grants to expand its impact and collaborative networks. And with a global network of 12 locations across 10 countries, Notre Dame is well-positioned to impact healthcare worldwide, especially for people in low-resource areas.
The inaugural chair of the new department will be, the Roth-Gibson Professor of Bioengineering at Notre Dame. With more than 10 years of experience at Notre Dame and as the current director of the bioengineering graduate program, Zorlutuna is poised to continue driving the growth and development of bioengineering at Notre Dame.
鈥淚t is an honor to be the first chair of Notre Dame鈥檚 Department of Bioengineering, and I am very excited to lead this effort,鈥� said Zorlutuna, whose research focuses on important health problems such as cancer, heart disease, and aging. 鈥淭he research portfolio we are bringing together鈥攁nd expanding on through several new faculty searches鈥攖ruly has the potential to transform lives.鈥�
The Notre Dame Department of Bioengineering is set to commence operations on July 1, 2027. Over the coming months and years, the department will fill roughly 17 faculty positions through internal transitions and strategic external hires while working to formulate and launch a new undergraduate degree in bioengineering.
Media contact: Erin Blasko, director of media engagement, eblasko@nd.edu, 574-631-4127