WashU Biomedical Engineering

What WashU Biomedical Engineering does

WashU Biomedical Engineering is an academic department within the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. It offers BS, MS, and PhD programs and is organized around seven research areas spanning biomedical imaging, cardiovascular engineering, cellular and molecular bioengineering, neural engineering, orthopedics, women's health technologies, and a cross-cutting AI/data thread. The department is staffed by 31 full-time faculty and draws on approximately 130 affiliate faculty from across the university, including clinicians and basic scientists, enabling cross-disciplinary research collaborations with WashU Medicine and other partner institutions. The graduate program is currently ranked No. 12 in the United States by U.S. News & World Report for 2026.

The department's core activities are education and research rather than commercial product development. Active research programs include machine learning combined with optical coherence tomography for optical biopsy of endometrial cancer, conducting polymer platforms for bioelectronic interfaces, and other translational bioengineering projects. The department has launched a Minor in Biomedical Data Science and an AI for Health seed grant program that disburses roughly $300K annually to faculty pursuing artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in biomedical research.

The operating model is that of a university department: revenues derive from tuition, university allocations, and extramural research grants rather than commercial sales. No department-level budget, enrollment figure, or grant dollar volume is disclosed in the available input. The primary customers in the student sense are undergraduate and graduate biomedical engineering students, while the primary external stakeholders are grant-funding agencies, clinical partners, and the broader WashU research enterprise.

Name

WashU Biomedical Engineering

Legal name

Washington University in St. Louis

Website

https://bme.wustl.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WashU Biomedical Engineering is an academic department within Washington University in St. Louis's McKelvey School of Engineering, offering BS, MS, and PhD programs and conducting research across seven areas including biomedical imaging, neural engineering, and AI for Health. It serves graduate and undergraduate students with a faculty base of 31 full-time and 130 affiliate members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Biomedical Engineering

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Universities with Specialized Engineering Domains (EDAHAEAI)

Keywords

• Biomedical engineering education
• Graduate engineering programs
• Biomedical imaging research
• Regenerative medicine research
• Academic research department

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Students pay tuition for BS, MS-BME, MS in Imaging Science, and PhD programs.
2. Research Grants and Funding: External funding from government agencies and organizations supporting faculty research. Includes programs like AI for Health seed grants ($300,000 annually awarded to WashU researchers).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WashU Biomedical Engineering is an academic department within the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis that offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs (BS in Biomedical Engineering, Minor in Biomedical Data Science, MS-BME, MS in Imaging Science, and PhD in Biomedical Engineering) and conducts faculty-led research across seven specialized areas. Revenue is generated through tuition paid by students and external research grants supporting faculty research initiatives.

Product overview

WashU Biomedical Engineering, part of the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, is an academic department offering a portfolio of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The department provides a BS in Biomedical Engineering, a Minor in Biomedical Data Science at the undergraduate level, and MS and PhD programs in Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Science at the graduate level. The department also conducts research across seven specialized areas: Biomedical & Biological Imaging, Cardiovascular Engineering, Cell & Molecular Bioengineering, Neural Engineering, Orthopedic Engineering, Regenerative Engineering in Medicine, and Women's Health Technologies. The department ranks No. 12 nationally for graduate programs according to U.S. News (2026) and has 31 full-time faculty plus 130 affiliate faculty members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PhD in Biomedical Engineering Doctoral program offering advanced research opportunities in biomedical engineering with faculty mentorship across seven specialized research areas including imaging, cardiovascular engineering, neural engineering, regenerative medicine, and women's health technologies. Designed for students pursuing careers in research, academia, or industry R&D.
• Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (MS-BME) Graduate degree program providing comprehensive education in biomedical engineering principles and applications, with research opportunities across the department's seven research areas.
• Master of Science in Imaging Science Specialized graduate program focusing on biomedical and biological imaging technologies and techniques, including optical coherence tomography and microscopy applications.
• BS in Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate degree program providing foundational education in biomedical engineering, preparing students for graduate school, medical school, or careers in industry.
• Minor in Biomedical Data Science Undergraduate minor program combining biomedical engineering with data science methodologies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked No. 12 nationally for graduate programs (U.S. News 2026)

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WashU MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research between BME faculty and world-renowned physicians and scientists at Washington University School of Medicine. Includes joint research projects such as Chao Zhou's light genetics arrhythmia research and Quing Zhu's optical biopsy development for endometrial cancer detection.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• MIT Department of Biological Engineering: Elite BME-adjacent department at MIT, comparable in scale, research breadth, and integration with affiliated medical and industry partners.
• Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering: Top-ranked BME department at a peer private research university, offering similar BS, MS, and PhD programs with comparable research portfolio spanning imaging, neural engineering, and regenerative medicine.
• University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering: Large, top-ranked BME department at a public research university with similar seven-plus research areas and strong industry partnership pipeline.
• UC San Diego Bioengineering: Top-ranked bioengineering department at a public research university, comparable in research scope, graduate training, and translational partnerships.
• Georgia Tech Biomedical Engineering: One of the largest BME programs in the U.S., comparable in research scope and graduate training, jointly affiliated with Emory University School of Medicine.
• Stanford Bioengineering: Top-tier bioengineering department at Stanford with similar interdisciplinary research focus and clinical partnerships through Stanford Medicine.
• Rice University Bioengineering: Smaller but elite bioengineering department at Rice, comparable in research quality and graduate program ranking tier (consistently top 15).
• Duke Biomedical Engineering: Top-ranked BME department at a private research university with comparable research areas and strong medical school integration through Duke University Health System.
• University of Pennsylvania Bioengineering: Elite bioengineering department at Penn with similar faculty composition, scale, and clinical integration with Penn Medicine.
• Vanderbilt Biomedical Engineering: Top-tier BME department at a private research university, comparable in research breadth and medical school integration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WashUBME
• YouTubeyoutube.com/WashUEngineering
• Facebookfacebook.com/washuengineering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washu-bme
• Instagraminstagram.com/washuengineers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WashU Biomedical Engineering