Courses 2026-27: Medical Engineering

Undergraduate research with a written report at the end of each term; supervised by a Caltech faculty member, or co-advised by a Caltech faculty member and an external researcher. Graded pass/fail.

All PhD degree candidates in Medical Engineering are required to attend all MedE seminars. If there is no MedE seminar during a week, then the students should go to any other graduate-level seminar that week. Students should broaden their knowledge of the engineering principles and sciences of medical engineering. Students are expected to learn the forefronts of the research and development of medical materials, technologies, devices and systems from the seminars. Graded pass/fail.

This course explores the functions of the human body, focusing on normal physiological processes and selected diseases. Organized by major organ systems–muscle, cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, nervous, and gastrointestinal–this course examines their functions and interactions in maintaining homeostasis. Students will develop a foundational understanding of physiological functions from the subcellular to whole-body level; and apply their knowledge to assess health and disease. This course prepares students for advanced studies in medical and health-related fields.

This course gives engineers a working understanding of the brain disorders that define the clinical landscape for neurotechnologies. Each week focuses on one or two disorders, connecting the underlying biology and pathophysiology to the engineering problems and opportunities they present. By the end of the course, students will be able to describe the circuit-level and molecular mechanisms underlying major brain disorders, identify clinical needs where new engineering approaches could have a major impact, and read and interpret clinical and preclinical literature with sufficient fluency to collaborate with neuroscientists and clinicians. The course concludes with student-designed proposals aimed at unmet needs in brain disorders.

The goal of the course is to teach students technical creativity (generating ideas that solve problems) and how to use artificial‑intelligence tools to enhance their creativity further.  Because technical creativity requires a specific context, the course focuses on quantitative measurement technologies and global health challenges.  This course combines three parts. First, students will dive deeply into human and AI‑augmented technical creativity. Second, students will dive into the fundamentals that underpin biomolecular measurement technologies used in biomedical discovery and human diagnostics. Finally, students will collaborate in teams to apply their creativity to global‑health challenges by inventing new measurement technologies. AI tools will be introduced to aid students in generating and evaluating ideas. Students will be encouraged and helped, but not required, to develop their inventions further by working with OTTCP and entrepreneurial resources on campus. The course benefits from the enrollment of students with diverse backgrounds and interests. Students are encouraged to contact the instructor to discuss enrollment.

Analysis and design of analog circuits at the transistor level. Emphasis on design-oriented analysis, quantitative performance measures, and practical circuit limitations. Circuit performance evaluated by hand calculations and computer simulations. Recommended for juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Topics include: review of physics of bipolar and MOS transistors, low-frequency behavior of single-stage and multistage amplifiers, current sources, active loads, differential amplifiers, operational amplifiers, high-frequency circuit analysis using time- and transfer constants, high-frequency response of amplifiers, feedback in electronic circuits, stability of feedback amplifiers, and noise in electronic circuits, and supply and temperature independent biasing. A number of the following topics will be covered each year: trans-linear circuits, switched capacitor circuits, data conversion circuits (A/D and D/A), continuous-time Gm.C filters, phase locked loops, oscillators, and modulators.

Introduction to the mechanical behavior of solids, emphasizing the relationships between microstructure, architecture, defects, and mechanical properties. Elastic, inelastic, and plastic properties of crystalline and amorphous materials. Relations between stress and strains for different types of materials. Introduction to dislocation theory, motion and forces on dislocations, strengthening mechanisms in crystalline solids. Nanomaterials: properties, fabrication, and mechanics. Architected solids: fabrication, deformation, failure, and energy absorption. Biomaterials: mechanical properties of composites, multi-scale microstructure, biological vs. synthetic, shear lag model. Fracture in brittle solids and linear elastic fracture mechanics.

Part a covers the principles of optical photon transport in biological tissue. Topics include a brief introduction to biomedical optics, single-scatterer theories, Monte Carlo modeling of photon transport, convolution for broad-beam responses, radiative transfer equation and diffusion theory, hybrid Monte Carlo method and diffusion theory, and sensing of optical properties and spectroscopy, (absorption, elastic scattering, Raman scattering, and fluorescence). Part b covers established optical imaging technologies. Topics include ballistic imaging (confocal microscopy, two-photon microscopy, super-resolution microscopy, etc.), optical coherence tomography, Mueller optical coherence tomography, and diffuse optical tomography. Part c covers emerging optical imaging technologies. Topics include photoacoustic tomography, ultrasound-modulated optical tomography, optical time reversal (wavefront shaping/engineering), and ultrafast imaging. Part a offered 2027-28; part b offered 2028-29; part c offered 2026-27.

Micro/nano technology is indispensable for making advanced semiconductor devices. This course is designed to cover the state-of-the-art micro/nanotechnologies for the fabrication of VLSI/ULSI including BJT, CMOS, and BiCMOS. This course will emphasize fundamental science and technology used in modern semiconductor devices. Topics of technology will include cleaning, chemical etching, oxidation, diffusion, plasma etching, reactive ion etching (RIE), focused ion-beam (FIB) etching, thin-film deposition, metallization, advanced photolithography, etc.

Students will learn to use an Arduino microcontroller to interface sensing and actuation hardware with the computer. Students will learn and practice engineering design principles through a set of projects where they design and implement biosensing systems. Examples include a pulse monitor, a pulse oximeter, and a real-time polymerase-chain-reaction incubator. Part b is a student initiated design project requiring instructor's permission for enrollment. Enrollment is limited based on laboratory capacity.

Subject matter will change from term to term depending upon staff and student interest, but will generally center on the understanding and applying engineering for medical problems.

This course provides a broad coverage on the frontiers of medical diagnostic and therapeutic technologies and devices based on multidisciplinary engineering principles. Topics include FDA regulations, in vitro diagnostics, biosensors, electrograms, medical imaging technologies, medical implants, nanomedicine, cardiovascular engineering & technology, medical electronics, wireless communications through the skin and tissue, and medical robotics. Overall, the course will cover the scientific fundamentals of biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, and materials specific to medical applications. However, both the lectures and assignments will also emphasize the design aspects of the topics as well as up-to-date literature study.

Sensors play a very important role in all aspect of modern life. This course is an essential introduction to a variety of physical, chemical and biological sensors that are used in medicine and healthcare. The fundamental recognition mechanisms, transduction principles and materials considerations for designing powerful sensing and biosensing devices will be covered. We will also discuss the development of emerging electronic-skin, wearable and soft electronics toward personalized health monitoring. Participants in the course will develop proposals for novel sensing technologies to address the current medical needs.

This is a course for senior undergraduates and graduate students. This course provides a review for advanced medical neuromodulation devices based on multidisciplinary engineering principles. Emphasis will be on implantable neuromodulation devices for both neural recording and stimulation such as EKG, EEG, EMG, pacemakers, DBS, etc. Sub-topics include biomaterials, biocompatibility, medical electronics, and FDA regulation on medical devices. The course will focus on engineering fundamentals specific for neural applications. Lectures and assignments will emphasize the design aspects of various devices as well as up-to-date literature study.

Qualified graduate students are advised in medical engineering research, with the arrangement of MedE staff. Graded pass/fail.