Department of
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering to Become Independent Academic Department in Fall 2025
Earlier this year, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees approved the proposal to form an independent Department of Biomedical Engineering as a home for the existing biomedical engineering programs currently housed in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering (MABE).
MABE Associate Department Head and Professor Jindong Tan has been named the interim BME program director and is overseeing the transition to the new department. A national search for the inaugural permanent department head has already begun. The initial BME faculty will be those currently appointed in MABE and affiliated with the existing BME programs. Under the direction of the new head, there will be new faculty appointments and additional affiliations for current UT faculty in the college.
The establishment of an independent department will allow BME to grow, define its new identity in terms of research thrusts, strengthen specialization in its curriculum, improve external recognition, and increase its national identity. This will also benefit the resulting Mechanical and Aerospace (MAE) department programs grow and define their unique identity by providing increased focus for marketing, recruitment, research strengths, and strategic growth.
The move is made in alignment with the university-level research thrust in Human Health and Wellness as well as Tennessee’s Drive to 55 Alliance to offer programs in high-demand fields, and will contribute to the college’s short-, medium-, and long-term priorities in areas such as enhanced enrollment, diversity, research and innovation, workforce development, and strengthening external partnerships.
Learn about the position.
The new BME department head will help shape the future by establishing and implementing a vision which aligns with university goals and research thrusts to grow UT’s biomedical sciences portfolio.
About the
New Department
The BME program has been a part of MABE since 2001, and over the last five years has seen considerable growth in enrollment (21 percent) and an increase in graduates (58 percent), indicating strong interest and demand from students. These numbers are expected to steadily increase over the coming years due to the growing need for biomedical engineers in the workforce.
A focused BME department can better accommodate and prepare the growing number of students for a career in biomedical engineering by offering cutting-edge curricula and research opportunities that fit the changing needs of the biomedical industry and beyond.
The BME department will be housed in a renovated Perkins Hall, with additional educational labs, meeting rooms, classrooms, and administrative faculty, postdoc, and graduate student offices. New research laboratories will be located in the adjacent Dougherty Hall, Science Engineering Research Facility (SERF), and the Zeanah Engineering Complex.
Our
Faculty
The new department will launch with nine Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty members as well as two Non-Tenure Track Faculty members. To learn more about our faculty, use the links below:
Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty
Rick Komistek
Fred M. Roddy Professor & Co-Director of Center for Musculoskeletal Research
Jindong Tan
Interim BME Program Director, Professor and Associate Head, Integrated Programs and Activities
Non-Tenure Track Faculty
