Welcome UW Bioengineering alumni!
UW Bioengineering alumni are part of a select group who populate many of the world’s premier universities and companies in a wide range of bioengineering-related businesses, from fledgling enterprises to international non-profits.
We are proud and grateful of the achievements of all our alumni. We would love to hear from you and how your UW Bioengineering degree has made a difference for you, or answer your questions on how to get involved and give back to the department community. Please do not hesitate to e-mail us to stay in touch.
Get Involved
Here are some ways UW Bioengineering alumni can get involved and support the department:
- Connect with fellow UW Bioengineering alumni and faculty on UW Bioengineering’s Facebook page and LinkedIn
- Mentor current students
- Present a technical talk
- Participate on an employer panel
- Attend UW Bioengineering lectures and events
- Join us at the BMES Annual Meeting
Stay in Touch
One of the best ways you can stay connected to UW Bioengineering is by keeping your contact information up-to-date. This will allow us to contact you from time to time with special opportunities for alumni to connect and engage with fellow alumni, current students and faculty, as well as send you the latest breaking news about exciting developments in UW Bioengineering. Update your contact information now.
Notable UW Bioengineering Alumni
UW Bioengineering is proud of our diverse alumni, who are inventing the future of medicine every day. Read on to learn about some of them.
Jay Rubinstein, M.D. (Ph.D. 1988) is a model example of a bioengineer who straddles the line between doctor and researcher. He is the director of the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center and professor in the department of Bioengineering and Otolaryngology. His research focuses on current flow in the ear and he is also known as a superb surgeon. He co-developed a device for patients suffering from balance disorders due to Meniere’s disease. He is the first doctoral student to graduate from UW Bioengineering.
Christopher McInnes (Ph.D. 1992) was behind the research that provided the fundamental science underlying the technology associated with the Sonicare power toothbrush. His research included both clinical trials and laboratory studies. He worked for Optiva Corp., makers of Sonicare, for 12 years and during his tenure saw the company grow from six employees to 600.
David A. Basiji (Ph.D. 1997) honed his entrepreneurial skills as a UW student. He co-founded Amnis Corporation with technology developed in UW Bioengineering. He is co-inventor of the ImageStream system, a breakthrough technology for high speed imaging and analysis of cells in flow. While at UW, he developed an ultra-sensitive DNA and protein analysis platform for the Human Genome Project, a technology that was later commercially licensed to Oxford GlycoSciences. Basiji currently holds 32 U.S. Patents.
Joan Greve (B.S. 1997) has devised research strategy in her role as scientific program manager at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, where she sat at the center of a cross-functional team working on large-scale initiatives to uncover basic science about how the brain works. A preclinical imaging expert with significant experience in clinical translation, Greve previously led Genentech, Inc.’s MRI Group multi-modality imaging lab. She was a core team member for Genentech’s Alzheimer’s disease program, developing the strategy for Phase I and II of the Investigational New Drug filing with the FDA. A National Science Foundation fellow, she has written 21 peer-reviewed publications and two book chapters.
Arthur Chan (Ph.D. 2003) is the first person at UW Bioengineering to complete a doctorate on focused ultrasound ablation. His research resulted in two patents for an image-guided therapy device and received awards from AIUM and ASRM. Chan is currently a clinical affairs manager at Endo Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Endo, Chan led clinical marketing and education for InSightec, a medical device startup. He is the recipient of a Washington Research Foundation Gates Fellowship to pursue technology entrepreneurship.
In the News
BioE Alumna’s Nanodropper Startup Gets Boost from Accelerator Program
Nanodropper, a company co-founded by UW Bioengineering alumna Mackenzie Andrews, MS ’19, has completed this year’s Jones + Foster Accelerator program and received $25,000 in seed funding.
BioE Alumna’s Nanodropper Startup Gets Boost from Accelerator Program
Nanodropper, a company co-founded by University of Washington Bioengineering alumna Mackenzie Andrews, MS ’19, has completed this year’s Jones + Foster Accelerator program and received $25,000 in seed funding.
Bioengineering Alumnus Wayne Gombotz Receives 2019 UW Diamond Award
UW Bioengineering alumnus Wayne Gombotz (M.S. ’85, Ph.D. ’88) has received the College of Engineering’s 2019 Diamond Award for Distinguished Achievement in Industry. Dr. Gombotz's work has provided the basis of many drug delivery strategies in use and development today; multiple successful therapeutic products and processes to treat cancer, infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases; and it spurred the development of the biotechnology industry in Seattle.
Alumni Anna Blakney, Abbi Helfer, Emily Krogstad and Lael Wentland advance bioengineering worldwide with Whitaker awards
UW Bioengineering alumni Anna Blakney, Abbi Helfer, Emily Krogstad and Lael Wentland received Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program awards in 2016 to pursue independent research projects abroad. They talk about their experiences researching and living in England, Australia, South Africa and Vietnam.
Alumna Amanda Woodcock discusses career in product development in Product Design Studio profile
Amanda Woodcock (B.S., '15) discusses discovering the field of product development as a senior at UW and how she decided to pursue the field as a career. "I love being in the trenches, brainstorming and coming up with solutions to the most difficult problems,"
Ph.D. alum’s startup aims to freeze your cells – and help you regrow your body later
UW Bioengineering Ph.D. program alumnus Alex Jiao’s startup Silene Biotech wants to help you to grow a new heart or liver – in case those organs fail later in life.