Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering - Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine

The field provides rich, interdisciplinary opportunities in research and education leading to the Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering. It integrates engineering and the life sciences to prepare students for diverse careers in academe, industry, and government. The field focuses on both the molecular and macroscopic aspects of biomedical engineering and comprises five research areas: biomedical instrumentation, drug delivery, design and metabolism, biomaterials, computational and systems biology, and medical biomechanics. Facilities commonly used include the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility, the NSF STC in Nanobiotechnology, the Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), the Cornell Theory Center, the Cornell Center for Advanced Technology in Biotechnology, and the programs in the Department of Biomechanics and Biomaterials at the Hospital for Special Surgery, the Orthopedic Affiliate of the Cornell Medical College.

It is anticipated that students entering into the field of Biomedical Engineering will have received formal training in a recognized sub-discipline of engineering. Students obtain thorough training in biomedical engineering research. They also master the Ph.D. course work for a minor in a traditional engineering discipline and another minor in an area of the life sciences. Formal course work in the major includes a two-semester course in the Foundations of Biomedical Engineering, advanced BME analysis of biological systems, at least one other advanced course in bioengineering, and required seminars. Further, PhD students are expected to complete a six week immersion experience in medical research and clinical practice at Weill Medical College, as well as completing a graduate student teaching experience. M.S. students complete the Foundations in Biomedical Engineering course, two semesters of seminars, and typically four to five additional courses in engineering and the life sciences. These requirements are subject to revision.

The faculty and students in Cornell biomedical engineering apply engineering principles to design systems that effectively control the spatial and temporal delivery of medicines, to investigate the effects of medicines on cells and tissues, and to evaluate their preclinical and clinical efficacy. Efforts include systems to target medicines at precise sites, (for example to treat cancers), devices to control the rate at which medicine is made available to the body (for example, injections that last one month or more) and constructs to facilitate specific interactions with systems of cells or to understand their function (for example, to deliver vaccines, to sequence the genome of single cells or to understand the impact of outside influences on cells). The work integrates investigators working across length scales in all fields of engineering and also include investigators in chemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, veterinary medicine and human medicine. Resources at Cornell that support these research programs include: the Chemistry Nuclear Magnetic Resonance facility, the Cornell Center for Materials Science, the Cornell Nanofabrication facility and the Cornell Center for Biotechnology. Most projects involve investigators at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and the Weill Cornell College of Medicine.

Applicants are expected to have a bachelor's degree in a recognized subdiscipline of engineering. However, exceptional students with a BS in the Sciences and demonstrated knowledge of advanced mathematics, calculus-based physics, and introductory computer science will also be considered.
three recommendations
GRE scores are not required or accepted
TOEFL iBT - 77 (Writing 20, Listening 15, Reading 20, Speaking 22)
IELTS - 7.0 or higher