CoE Distinguished Lecture: Some Recent Progress in Bioelectronics Research & Translation by John A. Rogers

27 Jun 2025 10.40 AM - 11.30 AM NTU Lecture Theatre 5 Alumni, Current Students

Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series 2025 Hosted by Professor Chen Xiaodong

Abstract

Interdisciplinary research in materials chemistry, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering over the last decade has largely eliminated the mismatch between conventional, planar rigid electronic systems and the soft, curved tissues of living organisms. The resulting classes of bioelectronic devices are beginning to change the way that we treat patients and they are creating new paradigms in fundamental biological research. This talk will briefly describe two on-going translation efforts and three newly published technologies associated with our research in this area. The latter includes (1) dynamic, wearable sensing platforms for measuring gaseous molecular flux into and out of the surface of the skin, (2) 3D mesoscale electronic frameworks for research on cortical and spinal organoids and (3) mm-scale bioresorbable pacemakers for care during recovery after a cardiac surgery. In each case, I will highlight opportunities for research in the engineering sciences.

Biography

Professor John A. Rogers
Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science 
and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery 
Director, Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics
Northwestern University

Professor John A. Rogers began his career at Bell Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff in the Condensed Matter Physics Research Department in 1997, and served as Director from the end of 2000 to 2002. He then spent thirteen years at the University of Illinois, as the Swanlund Chair Professor and Director of the Seitz Materials Research Laboratory. In 2016, he joined Northwestern University as the Simpson/Querrey Professor, where he is also Director of the Institute for Bioelectronics. He has coauthored nearly 1000 papers and he is co-inventor on more than 100 patents. His research has been recognized by many awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship (2009), the Lemelson-MIT Prize (2011), the Smithsonian Award for American Ingenuity in the Physical Sciences (2013), the Benjamin Franklin Medal (2019), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2021), the James Prize from the NAS (2022) and the IEEE Biomedical Engineering Award (2024). He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Society.