Why should I study Biomedical Engineering?
What is Biomedical Engineering?
Put simply, Biomedical Egineering is the use of engineering principles to solve medical and biological problems. Biomedical Engineers use their knowledge of the human body in conjunction with their skills in engineering and technology, to design medical devices, biocompatible materials and medical imaging models to improve the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions.
At Queen Mary, our academics use cutting-edge technologies such as AI, robotics, machine learning and advanced 3D imaging. They specialise in a variety of bioengineering research areas including:
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Organ-on-a-chip technology – engineered and natural tissues grown inside chips, to mimic human organs, tissues and cells – a technology which could do away with the need for animal testing.
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Digital twins – creating digital models of parts of the body using people’s health data, through which we could predict how effective different treatments may be.
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Developing medical technology with novel sensors - sensors that detect and respond to their environment.
So why should you study Biomedical Engineering?
1. Job variety
You could become a Clinical Engineer at a hospital or a Device Engineer at medical device company, or use the skills you gain from your degree within roles in tech, AI, medical robotics or systems engineering. You could pursue postgraduate studies within healthcare and medicine, or continue your academic career by becoming a researcher or academic in bioengineering.
2. Salary
According to Prospects, Biomedical Engineers can expect to earn around £30,000 – 37,000 for their first job, with salaries of more experienced Engineers reaching £50,000.
3. You want to be a part of life-changing research and inventions
Pacemakers; prosthetics; 3D-printed implants; stem cell research – these are all areas pioneered by Biomedical Engineers.
Some successes of our bioengineering academics include:
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Developing a new synthetic bone graft material which encourages bone growth in complex surgeries – Prof Karin Hing’s research has helped hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide.
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Discovering a new way to prevent the spread of breast and prostate cancers to bone.
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Personalising the treatment of atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) through digital twins.
4. You love the mix of biology and engineering
Perhaps you like the idea of studying medicine, but want something more dynamic and creative. Do you love problem solving and want to use that skill to help progress healthcare?
Biomedical Engineering is a multi-disciplinary field utilising many science and engineering principles to tackle problems facing the medical industry. You’ll have a real-world impact on medicine and the chance to work with doctors and patients as part of your development.
"I was captivated by the idea of healing and helping people, eager to immerse myself in the world of healthcare. The allure of being on the frontlines of patient care and medical breakthroughs was irresistible. I found myself drawn to the prospect of not only understanding the intricacies of the human body, but also crafting ingenious solutions to address its challenges." - Balvinder Dhillon, Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering student.
5. Collaborate
Engineering is an innately collaborative profession. As well as working with Biologists and Materials Scientists, Biomedical Engineering professionals often work with clinicians, doctors, surgeons, medical specialists, patients, and people with a whole variety of viewpoints to help inform their work. For example, Biologists work with and identify natural processes which Engineers can mimic in their designs, such as in membranes and coatings, implants and drug discovery.
In the below video, some biomedical engineering experts demonstrate the variety of work and collaboration that can be found in the industry.