The Patrick J. Cunningham, Jr. and Susan Ward '80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering
Professor John A. Rogers, Querrey Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, Northwestern University
“Skin-Like Electronics for the Human Body: Applications in Neonatal/Pediatric Care and Sports & Performance” with John A. Rogers, PhD
Friday, October 20, 2023
3:00 PM
Villanova Room, Connelly Center
One of the leading challenges in the field of biomedical engineering is the profound materials mismatch between human tissue and medical devices. While biological tissues are soft, with complex, time-dependent, 3D curvilinear shapes, electronic technologies are rigid, with simple, static 2D layouts. Over the last decade, a convergence of new concepts in electrical and mechanical engineering, materials science and advanced manufacturing spurred the creation of novel classes of ‘biocompatible’ electronic and microfluidic systems with skin-like physical properties. With the advent of skin-like electronics, there are now vast opportunities for man-made systems to integrate with the human body for diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical functions, including unique applications for wellness, sports performance and clinical healthcare.
The topic for the 2023-24 Ward Lecture is “Skin-Like Electronics for the Human Body” and will be delivered by Professor John A. Rogers, Querrey Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, Northwestern University. Professor Roger’s talk will address key advances in the field of biocompatible electronics and highlight two devices that recently launched from his lab: (1) Wireless, battery-free electronic ‘tattoos’ for continuous vital sign monitoring in neonatal and pediatric intensive care settings, including partnerships with the Gates Foundation and the Save the Children Organization and (2) Microfluidic platforms that capture, manipulate and perform biomarker analysis using microliter volumes of sweat, for applications in sports performance and fitness for precise hydration management, including commercial devices in partnership with Gatorade.
This event is required for all College of Engineering first-year students.
About John A. Rogers, PhD
Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery
Director, Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics
John A. Rogers obtained BA and BS degrees in chemistry and in physics from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1989. From MIT, he received SM degrees in physics and in chemistry in 1992 and the PhD degree in physical chemistry in 1995. From 1995 to 1997, Rogers was a Junior Fellow in the Harvard University Society of Fellows. He joined Bell Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff in 1997 and then served as Director of the Condensed Matter Physics Research Department from the end of 2000 to 2002. He then spent thirteen years on the faculty at University of Illinois, most recently as the Swanlund Chair Professor and Director of the Seitz Materials Research Laboratory. In the Fall of 2016, he moved to Northwestern University where he is Director of the recently endowed Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics. He has co-authored nearly 900 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 MRS Medal from the Materials Research Society (2018), the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Franklin Institute (2019), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2021) and the IEEE Biomedical Engineering Award (2023). He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.