Lecture 18: Bioelectronics – Mechanics for Biointerfaces
Speaker: Prof. John A. Rogers
Director of the Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics
Northwestern University
Date/Time: April 17, 2026, 10am CDT (USA)
4pm BST (UK)
5pm CEST (Central Europe)
Virtual Webinar delivered via Microsoft Teams
ABSTRACT
Advanced electronic/optoelectronic technologies designed to allow stable, intimate integration with living organisms will accelerate progress in biomedical research; they will also serve as the foundations for new approaches in monitoring and treating diseases. Specifically, capabilities for injecting miniaturized, biocompatible electronic systems and other components into soft tissues or for softly laminating them onto the surfaces of vital organs will open up unique and important opportunities in tracking and manipulating biological activity. This presentation describes the core concepts in mechanical science and engineering that form the foundations for these types of biocompatible technologies: from soft, wireless vital signs monitors for infants, to flexible, filamentary probes for neuroscience research, to 3D mesoscale frameworks for probing organoid biology. The content includes examples of successful translation of certain of these technologies out of an academic setting and into medical deployments with regulatory approval at a global scale – including resource–constrained locations in lower- and middle-income countries.
BIOGRAPHY
Prof. John A. Rogers, Director of the Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University, earned degrees from the University of Texas and MIT. After roles at Bell Labs and as Swanlund Chair Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he joined Northwestern in 2016. A prolific researcher, Rogers has published nearly 1,000 papers and is a co-inventor of about 100 patents, with many licensed worldwide. His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the MacArthur Fellowship, Lemelson-MIT Prize, Benjamin Franklin Medal, and memberships in the US National Academies of Engineering, Sciences, Medicine, and Inventors, as well as the Royal Society.