Biomedical engineers analyse health problems, look at the technology available to address that problem and ask themselves: “how can we do this better?”. This field is expected to be among the fastest-growing engineering science sectors in the next 10 years.

Our biomedical engineers have the same foundation in programming, electronics and systems engineering but use those tools for improving health outcomes. At SFU, this can include developing ever-smarter sensors and wearable technology to enhance treatments; designing pioneering new instruments like the Lungpacer, which enables patients without the capacity to breathe on their own; and creating high-tech, user-friendly solutions in fields from biomechanics to neurophysiology.

About This Option

The Biomedical Engineering option – jointly offered with the School of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology – is highly interdisciplinary and is taught by faculty from both the schools.

If you have any questions about Biomedical Engineering, please contact one of the following faculty:

• Mirza Faisal Beg
• Ryan D'Arcy
• Bonnie Gray
• Andrew Rawicz
• Parvaneh Saeedi
• Marinko Sarunic
• Ash Parameswaran

Additional Requirements

Because of its complexity, a higher caliber and performance is demanded of Biomedical Engineering students, which is why this option is offered only as an honours program.  The honours requirements include that the student must maintain a 3.0 GPA, and complete a B.A.Sc. thesis in their senior year.

The 50-to-60 page thesis is like an extended report and takes up to three months to complete. The work is done in close conjunction with a professor in the school. This project shows future employers that you can work independently on larger problems as well as analyze and propose good solutions. Thesis experience can also be useful for admittance to doctoral program at other universities.

Careers

The biomedical engineering industry is experiencing rapid growth. In B.C. alone, hundreds of companies have developed in recent years, including Lungpacer Medical Inc., Kardium Inc., Raven Biotech Inc., Boreal Genomics Inc., COVIDIEN, Daan Diagnostic Ltd., Evasc Medical Systems, HeartForce Medical Inc., LED Dental Inc., Starfish Medical, Ultrasonix, Pyng Medical and Novadaq.