AI is transforming the world, but at what cost to our energy systems? As demand for computing power surges, data centers are becoming one of the most consequential frontiers in the energy transition. Dr. Chan's talk will unpack how emerging technologies, smarter design, and bold innovation can redefine data centers as engines of efficiency, sustainability, and progress.
While many of the tremendous advances seen in robotic dexterity over the past half-decade have been driven by new motor learning methods, I remain convinced that manipulation is a “full stack” problem, benefiting from beautiful synergy between all levels of a robotic system. In this talk, I will present examples from our lab’s attempts to […]
Abstract: Crystalline monolayers at fluid interfaces possess unique elastic properties that have important implications in biology and nanotechnology and the synergistic incorporation of colloidal particles enables novel strategies for the design of responsive soft matter. A good command of their morphologies depends on the precise understanding of structural properties and the interplay between adsorbed particles […]
Foundation models have achieved remarkable performance across a wide range of tasks, yet their internal representations remain opaque, entangled, and difficult to control, limiting safety, alignment, and adaptability. In this talk, I present a unified framework for controlling multimodal foundation models based on representing activations as sparse linear combinations of concept vectors from a curated […]
CIS Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "Enabling Tight Perception-Action Loops for Autonomous Robots with Event-based Vision" Anish Bhattacharya Advisors: Nikolai Matni, Vijay Kumar Zoom: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96649115114 Abstract: This dissertation addresses the challenge of enabling fast, efficient perception-action loops for agile robots using event-based vision. Building on an initial demonstration that end-to-end learned policies—trained entirely in simulation with vision transformers—can […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Li Shen are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Jiong Chen. Title: "GRAPH AND VISION BASED LEARNING FOR MEDICAL IMAGE ANALYSIS: APPLICATIONS IN BRAIN NETWORKS AND OMICS PHENOTYPING" Advisor: Dr. Li Shen Date: Wednesday, April 29th Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM […]
Online Registration Closed: Onsite registration opens on April 30 at the venue. Click the link to see the recording of the symposium https://upenn.zoom.us/rec/share/3EW5rWgjNLMHqqEhLJdroevyeTha9bTjTyJQIEwV42JZMXnabkVbZseyx0u0kqdn.GlaYABsf9caUkw0A Passcode: 00x*EC@d Click here for virtual attendance on April 30 Webinar ID: 959 7142 6525 Invite Link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95971426525 Click here for all the details Join us at the University of Pennsylvania for the IDEAS on Generative […]
Abstract: Many biological models relevant to clinical and biochemical applications are governed by ordinary and partial differential equations. Traditional numerical methods are well suited for forward simulations of these models; however, patient and system‑specific inference often requires invasive measurements or data that is experimentally inaccessible. As a result, inference tasks involving the reconstruction of state […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Mike Mitchell are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Hannah Safford. Title: "Excipient optimization of lipid nanoparticles for RNA delivery to the placenta" Advisor: Dr. Mike Mitchell Date: Monday, May 4, 2026 Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Location: Singh Center, Glandt […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Alex Hughes are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation of Aria (Zheyuan) Huang. Title: "Engineering 3D boundary conditions for physical interrogation of kidney branching morphogenesis" Advisor: Dr. Alex Hughes Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Location: Levine Hall Wu […]
STEM students need not only technical skills but also training in energy justice, energy policy, communication, and community engagement in order to become effective future climate leaders. The goal of this workshop is to give faculty and students engaged in energy and sustainability work across disciplines the opportunity to interact, learn from each other, and […]
This is an in-person event with in-person attendance in Towne 217 for Lightning Talks and Levine Lobby for Poster Session. This year we will have an "Audience Choice" for best Lightning Talk and Poster. Please be sure to vote for your favorite! Voting will take place during the Poster Session using a QR code. 9:30am […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Nat Dyment are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Talayah Johnson. Title: "Tissue specific responses to reduced hindlimb loading" Advisor: Dr. Nat Dyment Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Location: KRB (BRB) Gaulton Auditorium and Lobby The […]
The potential for building smart, autonomous microrobots with on-board electronics like microprocessors, memory systems, and sensors has grown immensely with the continued miniaturization of semiconductor electronics. However, many of the standard mechanisms for motion at the microscale such as chemical reactions, external electromagnetic fields, and biological propulsion have no direct route towards integrating with these […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania along with Drs. David Wolk and Sandhitsu Das are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Xueying Lyu. Title: "Uncovering the vulnerabilities and resilience in Alzheimer's disease through Tau-Neurodegeneration mismatch" Advisor: Drs. David Wolk and Sandhitsu Das Date: Monday, May 18, 2026 Time: 10:30 AM […]
Immediately following the University Commencement, Penn Engineering will host an Open House for the School's graduates and their families. Join us to make your own commemorative t-shirt and enjoy light refreshments. Location: Penn Engineering Complex Additional Information (map)
Abstract: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound vesicles secreted by cells. EVs can alter biological processes in recipient cells. EV biogenesis occurs both intracellularly within the endosomal pathway, generating exosomes, and at the plasma membrane, producing ectosomes. EV-mediated intercellular communication drives several cancer hallmarks. Tumors also leverage dysregulated extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling to create a conducive […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania along with Drs. Robert Mauck and Liane Miller are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Elizabeth Bernstein. Title: "Targeting synovial fibroblast mechanobiology to modulate disease progression in osteoarthritis" Advisor: Drs. Robert Mauck and Liane Miller Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026 Time: 5:30 PM Location: […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. David A. Issadore are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Isabel Billingham Navarro. Title: "Open-source automation for high-throughput microfluidic generation of materials libraries" Advisor: Dr. David A. Issadore Date: Friday, May 22, 2026 Time: 9:00 AM Location: Towne Hall 100 (Heilmeier Hall) […]
Abstract: Small, supported nanoparticles (NPs) with 1-5 nm diameter play an important role in catalysis and tuning metal nanoparticle-support interactions is a fundamental method to control catalytic reactions. Experimental techniques provide limited insights into how interactions with the support change the structure of nanoparticles whereas density functional theory calculations suffer from system size constraints and […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Dokyoon Kim are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Jaesik Kim. Title: "Toward AI Co-scientists for Immunophenotyping: Representation, Evaluation, and Reasoning in Cytometry" Advisor: Dr. Dokyoon Kim Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM Location: Kelley Research Building (Biomedical Research Building), […]
Vector field design plays a fundamental role in a wide range of robot motion control and navigation strategies. More recently, effort has been made to learn these vector fields from data rather than rely on first-principles formulation. Acquiring data necessary to construct these vector fields, whether from robot exploration or expert demonstration, is expensive. This […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Peter Noël are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Olivia Sandvold. Title: "Hybrid spectral CT: a solution for accurate quantitative iodine measurement" Advisor: Dr. Peter Noël Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026 Time: 9:00 AM Location: John Morgan Building Class of 62 auditorium […]
High-throughput screening (HTS) is an essential step in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. Droplet-based and continuous-flow microfluidic platforms offer improved sensitivity, reduced cost, and enhanced physiological relevance compared with conventional screening technologies such as microplates and flow cytometers. However, a challenge towards unlocking the full potential of microfluidic platforms for HTS in academic […]
Abstract: The field of solid state nanopores presents nearly limitless customizability in both the types of molecules that can be studied as well as the aspects of their structures which can be examined. Following an introduction to solid-state nanopores, their operating principles, and their trajectory as a biosensing technology, this dissertation presents their use in the […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Michael Mitchell are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Hannah Geisler. Title: "Engineering targeted lipid nanoparticles for RNA delivery to the placenta" Advisor: Dr. Michael Mitchell Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Time: 3:00 PM Location: Singh Center, Glandt Forum The public is […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Michael Mitchell are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Ann Metzloff. Title: "Engineering mRNA Lipid Nanoparticles to Overcome Barriers to T Cell Cancer Immunotherapy" Advisor: Dr. Michael Mitchell Date: Thursday, June 4th, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM Location: Singh Center, Glandt Forum The […]
Lattice materials, a class of architected material, demonstrate a broad range of mechanical behaviors enabled by the design of their internal geometry and selection of their constituent material. At low relative densities (where the ratio between lattice and base material density is less than 0.3), lattices exhibit high specific toughness compared to traditional engineering materials, […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Michael Mitchell are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Ajay Thatte. Title: "Engineering mRNA lipid nanoparticles to combat inflammatory and autoimmune disease" Advisor: Dr. Michael Mitchell Date: Friday, June 5, 2026 Time: 2:00 PM Location: Glandt Forum, 3rd Floor Singh Center The […]
