Highlight – Page 4 – UC Berkeley Department of Bioengineering

We’re hiring an Assistant Teaching Professor!

wide angle photo of backs of graduates in cap and gown at the Greek Theater

Join us! Bioengineering is hiring a part-time lecturer

Berkeley Bioengineering invites applications for a pool of qualified temporary instructors to teach courses in our department.

UC Berkeley scientists uncover neural mechanisms behind long-term memory

Group photo of the study team, Angelo Fori, Wudi Fan, Michael Yartsev and Kevin Qi

Researchers from Professor Michael Yartsev’s lab used wireless recording devices to track neural activity in Egyptian fruit bats, revealing new clues to how our long-term memories are formed.

Keasling Named 2025 DOE/NAI Innovator of the Year

head and shoulders photo of Keasling in lab examining a flask of fluid. photo by JBEI

The Department of Energy and the National Academy of Inventors have honored Professor Jay Keasling with their 2025 Innovator of the Year Award, which goes to one DOE employee who has translated research into tangible impacts that have benefited society at large. Keasling is a pioneer in synthetic biology who leads a groundbreaking research program focused on engineering microorganisms to produce advanced biofuels and chemicals.

New Process Uses Microbes to Create Valuable Materials from Urine

microscope image of osteoyeast cells. The outline of the vacuole is red, the calcium inside the vacuole is green. Image by Berkeley Lab.

A team led by BioE alumnus Yasuo Yoshikuni genetically modified yeast to create hydroxyapatite, a strong and lightweight material, from the elements present in urine. With lower production costs the material may now be practical for use in wastewater treatment, fertilizer manufacturing, building materials and plastic replacement.

Alumna startup Aluna acquired by Huma

Aluna, a company spun out of an undergraduate capstone project by alumna Charvi Shetty, has been acquired by Huma. Aluna developed an easy and fun remote monitoring system for respiratory diseases, which will now be able to reach patients in Huma’s more than 150 U.S. health systems, serving over 500,000 people.

UC Berkeley Awards $200K Venture Grant to HypO2Regen Therapeutics

Professor Phil Messersmith and colleagues have launched HypO2Regen Therapeutics, a startup developing novel, disease-modifying therapeutics for chronic intractable inflammatory diseases, including the first cell-free stem cell treatment that induces true regeneration of damaged tissue. Their first effort takes aim at periodontitis, which affects over 300 million people worldwide.

Equipad wins Collider Cup Alumni Expo Award

photo of Gurram and Patel in front of Berkeley SCET banner

BioE-founded startup Equipad is on a mission to provide free, eco-friendly, accessible menstrual care in innovative roll format in restrooms everywhere. Recent BioE graduates Sanjana Gurram and Bryan Wong, with Master of Development Practice alumna Pooja Patel, have developed the materials and dispenser voted best alumni project at the Collider Cup.

Berman wins Strauss Scholarship

photo of Berman and Chancellor Lyons, waist up, on the patio at the Alumni House

BioE junior Emma Berman has been awarded the Strauss Scholarship, an honor which supports a current Berkeley student pursue a self-initiated public service project. Emma is leading a student-driven community initiative to destigmatize the current social narrative surrounding hearing loss to create a new image for wearable hearing technology. Congratulations!

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