BE

Biological Engineering

Website Faculty

Course 20

By applying engineering principles to study and shape biological systems, biological engineers aim to improve society through innovations in agriculture, environment, health, and medicine.

Technical Skills

  • Quantitative & engineering analysis
  • Measurement, instrumentation, & data analysis
  • Design & synthesis of engineered biological systems
  • Research & development

Common Careers

  • Bio-engineer / Scientist
  • Founder
  • Medical Doctor
  • Consultant
Two scientists in lab coats work in a laboratory. One uses a pipette at a workstation in the foreground, while the other examines samples near shelves filled with lab supplies in the background.
A man in a suit stands at a podium giving a lecture to an audience in a tiered classroom. Several people sit in rows, listening, with empty chairs and a laptop visible near the speaker.
X-ray of a human chest showing the lungs, with an inset highlighting bacteria in red, indicating a lung infection such as tuberculosis. A red area marks infection in the upper right lung.
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About

The premise of MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering (BE/Course 20) is that the science of biology is as important to the development of technology and society in the 21st century as physics and chemistry were in the 20th century, and that an increasing ability to measure, model, manipulate, and mine properties of biological systems at the molecular, cellular, and multicellular levels will continue to shape this development.

Why Choose Biological Engineering?

Research areas in which BE faculty are recognized as pioneering leaders include:

  • Cancer Biology
  • Climate, Environment, and Toxicology
  • Computational Systems Biology
  • Immunoengineering
  • Microbiome Engineering and Infectious Disease
  • Neurobiology
  • Synthetic Biology
  • Tissue Engineering

When harnessing the power of life, being able to see what’s going on at the microscopic level comes in handy. Maxine Jonas and Steven Wasserman are teaching faculty in the Department of Biological Engineering and co-instructors of 20.309, Instrumentation and Measurements for Biological Systems.

Faculty Spotlights

All BE Faculty
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Linda Griffith

Professor

MIT News
  • Chair

    MIT School of Engineering Teaching Innovation Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering

  • Department

    Biological Engineering

  • Lab

    MIT Center for Gynepathology Research

  • Research area

    Biomolecular design; cancer biology; climate, environment, and toxicology; immunoengineering; microbiome engineering and infectious disease; tissue engineering; chemicals and materials

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Bryan Bryson

Associate Professor

Profile
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Christopher A. Voigt

Daniel I.C. Wang Professor; Head, Department of Biological Engineering

MIT News
  • Title

    Daniel I.C. Wang Professor; Department Head

  • Department

    Biological Engineering

  • Lab

    Voigt Lab

  • Research area

    Computational Systems Biology; Microbiome Engineering and Infectious Disease; Synthetic Biology; Plant and Agriculture

BE Stories

BE Degrees

Undergraduate
  • Course 20 Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering
Graduate
  • Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering (MEBE)
  • Doctoral Degree (PhD)
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A microscopic image showing a network of thin, red branching vessels on a dark background, with a magnified inset highlighting the intricate web-like structure of the vessels.
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Ask a BE Engineer

Meet synthetic biologist, Christopher Voigt. His research could offer critical new products in human health, agriculture, and chemicals. And ultimately, it could serve “as a mechanism for tackling some of the big problems of the world.”

Undergraduate Class Highlights

  • 20.002 Introduction to Concepts in Biological Engineering
  • 20.109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering
  • 20.309 Instrumentation and Measurement for Biological Systems
  • 20.380 Biological Engineering Design

Affiliated Research Labs and Centers

Resources

Applying engineering principles to study and shape biological systems

  1. About BE
  2. Undergraduate Program
  3. Graduate Program
  4. BE Research
Close-up of a scientific optical setup on a metal breadboard, illuminated by blue and red LED lights, showing lenses, mirrors, cables, and electronic components arranged for an experiment.