A
Multi-Disciplinary Program of the
The emerging BNTP is expected to be the premier source of biomedical engineers who are well-educated and highly-skilled in the field of bionanotechnology, with expertise ranging from the development of micro- and nano-scale medical devices to the nano-scale investigations of biological processes. From the onset of the formation of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, bionanotechnology has been a principal research focus. Graduates of this program will assume leadership positions in the biotechnology, medical device, and related health care industries as well as in academia.
· enhance the career development of students in this emerging field.
Director:
Peixuan Guo
Professor of Biomedical Engineering and
Molecular Virology
Associate Directors:
Rashid Bashir
Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Donald Bergstrom
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Rashid Bashir
Donald Bergstrom
Peixuan Guo
James Leary
David Thompson
Vladimir Shalaev
George Wodicka (ex-oficio)
Participating members (in alphabetical order)
Rashid Bashir
Donald Bergstrom
Ji-Xin Cheng
V. Jo Davisson
Peixuan Guo
Joseph Irudayaraj
Pedro Irazoqui
Albena Ivanisevic
David Janes
James Leary
Philip Low
Chengde Mao
Scott McLuckey
Suresh Mittal
Ronald
Reifenberger
Jenna Rickus
Kenneth Ritchie
Paul Robinson
Cagri Savran
Vladimir Shalaev
Riyi Shi
David Thompson
Alexander Wei
Babak Ziaie
Admissions Requirements: Applicants should have at least a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in engineering or in a field such as chemistry, biophysics, physics, or computer science, or in life science fields such as biology or biochemistry with significant quantitative components. Scores from the GRE, TOEFL (non-native English speakers), and at least three (3) letters of recommendation will be required. Evidence of a strong foundation of research or research potential will be highly preferred.
Admissions Selection:
Applications will be
initially screened by the BME Graduate Admissions Committee to exclude those who do not meet the minimal
qualification requirement for admission to the BME graduate program, and create
a pool of potential candidates. Then a secondary selection of candidates
for the BNTP will occur. This selection
will be determined by availability of funded openings in the labs of all participating faculty members. Members of the BNTP executive committee may also recommend potential candidates for screening
by the BME Graduate Admissions Committee.
BNTP Curriculum Requirements: Only students interested in obtaining a PhD will be considered for this program. Students are required to complete 90 total credit hours including thesis research and the following core courses: Principles of Biomedical Engineering I and II (BME, 601, 602) and General Biochemistry I and II (BCHM 561, 562). Students will follow the PhD Qualifying Process (PQP) as outlined for all students in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, requiring successful completion of breadth courses, a Qualifying Literature Assessment (QLA), and a preliminary exam before candidacy is established. Each student will have a thesis committee consisting of four faculty with at least three being BME members (preferably in the bionanotechnology area) and at least one bio or medicine related scientist (typically a BMS, VPB, MCMP, CHEM or BIOL participating faculty member). Inclusion of one or two additional biology, chemistry or physics faculty outside of the BNTP program is also encouraged. Only BNTP faculty members will be eligible to serve as major professor for graduate students in BNTP. It is required that a thesis committee be formed by the end of the first year of study.
Graduate level courses for this program will be derived from those currently existing in the College of Engineering (particularly BME, ECE, ME and MSE), the School of Science (particularly Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) and from other schools and departments (including BMS, VPB, and Pharmacy). The program will leverage an array of highly interdisciplinary BME courses already offered. In addition, new courses with particular emphasis in bionanotechnology will be developed by participating BNTP faculty and offered to give a fully articulated curriculum for graduate training.
The diversity of faculty members that participate will
provide a wealth of research opportunities that span the field of
bionanotechnology, including nano-scale biomaterials; nanobiomechanics; bionanomedicine; biomolecular imaging; biosensors and bionanophotonics. Research
areas will include, but not be limited to:
1. The study of biological systems using nanotechnological approaches,
including biosensor, metal vapor spray on biological samples, single molecule
microscopy in biology, single molecule fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman
scattering; nanogold, nanotube,
or other nanoparticle conjugation on DNA, protein, or RNA; bottom up assembly
of nanoparticles involving biomaterials, biolithography,
laser trap, and AFM.
2. The application of nanotechnological approaches to solve biological
and medical problems, such as drug or gene delivery using nanoparticles,
diagnosis using quantum dots, detection of pathogens, microorganisms,
cancer or diseases using biosensors, quantum dot or nanoparticles, including
the detection of lethal pathogens in the environment using nanotechnology.
3. The application of biological materials such as DNA, RNA, peptides,
biomotors, membrane pores or other cellular machines to construct
nanoparticles, arrays, patterned superstructures, or nanodevices, etc.
Research opportunities will range from fundamental studies of biological structures to applied medical device design and evaluation. Many of the projects will be collaborative in nature, involving researchers from various Purdue Colleges and Schools as well as the Indiana University School of Medicine. It is noteworthy that Purdue’s College of Engineering has selected nanotechnology as one of its signature growth areas. This initiative emphasizes interdisciplinary research among scientists and engineers with a goal of developing transferable technology. In support of this initiative, the newly built Birck Nanotechnology Center (BNC) is providing space and resources for investigators who are advancing the research and technology transfer efforts in nano-scale science and engineering. We anticipate that the BNC, as well as the recently-opened Bindley Bioscience Center, will be core facilities for the bionanotechnology graduate program.