Biomedical Engineering

The Program Educational Objectives are broad statements that describe what alumni do within a few years following graduation. The biomedical engineering program is committed to graduating engineers who within a few years of their graduation are expected to:

• Utilize their interdisciplinary training to have successful careers in industry, research and development and in regulatory agencies, academia, or clinical work.

• Demonstrate the organizational, leadership, and communication skills to achieve success in their chosen careers and make reasoned decisions based on a respect for diversity, and welcome it as a source for creativity, innovation, and inclusive collaboration.

• Employ critical thinking and problem-solving skills to support interdisciplinary teams that may include physicians, nurses, molecular biologists, physiologists, other engineers, and business professionals.

• Utilize life-long learning skills and the ethical tools for successful adaptation to the rapidly changing field of Biomedical Engineering.

• Build upon their sound training in mathematics, biological sciences, the liberal arts, and engineering to facilitate successful pursuit of advanced degrees in medicine, law, business, engineering, or related fields.

Biomedical Engineering students will graduate from the program with the ability to perform and execute the following:

Student Enrollment and Graduation Data

The biomedical engineering curriculum provides both breadth and depth across the range of engineering domains such as mechanical, electrical, computer or software engineering. The program prepares graduates to have an understanding of biology and physiology, as well as the capability to apply advanced mathematics, science and engineering to solve the problems at the interface of engineering and biology. The biomedical engineering curriculum prepares graduates with the ability to make measurements on and interpret data from living systems and to address the problems associated with the interaction between living and non-living materials and systems. The biomedical engineering curriculum blends theoretical knowledge with hands-on experiential learning that culminates with a year-long, interdisciplinary team-based capstone design project.

Required Courses

Major in Biomedical Engineering | 130 credits

Visit our our academic catalog for detailed course descriptions and more information.

In keeping with the mission of Fairfield University’s Jesuit values, specifically the concept of men and women for others, the School of Engineering & Computing's inspires students to become leaders of integrity within the industry. Through their comprehensive curriculum, students are given opportunities to conduct innovative, in-depth research with faculty mentors. This hallmark of a solid educational experience offers students a chance to put their academic skills to the test, explore their passions, and make a difference.

DNA-Repair

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DNA-Repair

Under the leadership of faculty mentor Isaac Macwan, PhD, biomedical engineering majors Jenna Madigan ’22 and Jack Devlin ’22 launched a research project that focuses on the impact of the human protein MutSbeta, which is essential in repairing incorrect sequences in DNA after replication. The overall role of MutSbeta is known but our goal is to examine the initial interactions when the DNA and protein first come in contact. By simulating the interactions as they would happen in our cells with molecular dynamics, we hope to learn about this system through analysis of interaction energies, changes in protein structure, and more. With this information, the students will draw conclusions about the implications of defective MutSbeta, which causes human Lynch Syndrome and colorectal cancer.

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Amyloid Beta and Alzheimer’s Disease

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Amyloid Beta and Alzheimer’s Disease

One of the root causes of Alzheimer’s disease is the aggregation of amyloid beta protein in the brain. In Isabella Wolson’s ’22 project, the aggregation of several amyloid beta proteins are simulated alone and then in the presence of a nanomaterial, graphene oxide. The simulations are then examined to determine if nanomaterials should be pursued as a potential therapeutic agent in de-clumping the Alzheimer’s causing clusters.

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Heart Failure

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Heart Failure

In their research project, Andrey Zaznaev and Ky Duyen Le ’21 worked alongside faculty mentor Isaac Macwan, PhD to study how molecules move and behave in biological system through molecular dynamics simulations. The specific focus is on understanding how graphene oxide, a nanoparticle, interacts with NDPK, a protein responsible for many processes in a human body, including the functioning of the heart. Heart failure results from the interactions of an inferior NDPK protein with another protein called G protein that inhibits the beating of the heart resulting in cardiac infarction. It is expected that the results of this work will show theoretical potential for utilizing graphene oxide material blocking such interactions to be a possible strategy against heart failure.

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Getting involved in faculty-mentored undergraduate research is a great way to supplement course work and gives students the chance to explore a topic at the cutting-edge of the biomedical engineering discipline. To learn more meet with your academic advisor to discuss your research interest.