For decades materials engineers have been inspired by biology to create improved properties, for example nacre-inspired hierarchical structures to improve toughness, tree-inspired vasculature to deliver fluids that can react and heal an interface, and mussel-inspired strong underwater adhesives utilizing cation-pi interactions. Now, the bioengineering toolset has reached a maturity where we can start to employ […]
Geometric and Physics Stucture Preservation in Scientific Machine Learning Nat Trask, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at Penn Engineering, will share about his work constructing real-time digital twins built upon a data-driven finite element exterior calculus; constructing auto-regressive integrators with guaranteed long-term stability independent of rollout length; and constructing data-driven particle models […]
Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss a collection of highlights from our recent work in trustworthy AI. (1) Certifying reasoning explanations with reliability guarantees and aligning with expert knowledge, (2) Simple yet effective steering inspired from theoretical rule-following mechanisms for transformers, and (3) The impossibility of monitoring stateless attackers and what safety defenses should […]
Abstract: First, I will outline our work on overcoming barriers to desert rehabilitation for urban greening, landscaping, and regional food security. In arid regions, freshwater is scarce, sandy soils lose water and fertilizers rapidly, which stifles plant growth. Our team has developed two complementary solutions: (i) Superhydrophobic Sand (SHS)1 — a plastic-free, bio-inspired mulch that […]
On the real line, a random walk that can only move in the positive direction is very unlikely to remain close to its starting point. After a fixed number of steps, the left tail has a Gaussian profile, under minimal assumptions. Remarkably, the same phenomenon occurs when we consider a positive random walk on the […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Arjun Raj are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Aoife O'Farrell. Title: Stimulus Specificity of Trained Immune Memory in Human Macrophages Advisor: Dr. Arjun Raj Date and Time: Thursday, September 4th at 2:00 PM Location: Smilow 12-146AB Zoom Link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/94438324577 The public is welcome to attend.
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Drs. Osbert Bastani and James Gee are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Michael Yao. Title: Distributionally Robust Machine Intelligence Advisors: Osbert Bastani, PhD and James Gee, PhD Date & Time: Friday, September 5th at 11am Location: Amy Gutmann Hall, Room 414 (3317 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104) RSVP […]
What’s the best way to avoid paper retractions and irreproducible results? Conduct rigorous research. Join us for a public talk with Ivan Oransky, Co-Founder of Retraction Watch, Anita Anita Bandrowski, founder of The Research Resource Identification Initiative (RRID), and Jason Williams, Assisant Director of the DNA Learning Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, on doing science […]
Please join us on Tuesday, September 9 for an overview of research being done in the MEAM Department, hosted by MEAM Department Chair, Dr. Kevin Turner. This is an excellent opportunity for current graduate students to learn about the breadth of work being done in MEAM. The following faculty will be presenting (not in order […]
We present a unified perspective on test-time thinking as a lens for improving generative AI agents through finer-grained reward modeling, data-centric reasoning, and robust alignment. Beginning with GenARM, we introduce an inductive bias for denser, token-level reward modeling that guides generation during decoding, enabling token-level alignment without retraining. While GenARM targets reward design, ThinkLite-VL focuses on the data […]
This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance via Zoom. ABSTRACT Humanoids represent the most versatile robotic platform, capable of walking, manipulating, and collaborating with people in human-centered environments. Yet, despite recent advances, building humanoids that can operate reliably in the real world remains a fundamental challenge. Progress has […]
Abstract: Vesicles are membrane-bound compartments that play a central role in biology. Despite recent progress, the dynamics of single- and multi-component lipid vesicles are not fully understood, particularly far from equilibrium where complex nonspherical shapes undergo large deformations in flow. In this talk, I will present recent work from our group on the non-equilibrium dynamics […]
In a supervised learning setting, a model fitting algorithm is unstable if small perturbations to the input (the training data) can often lead to large perturbations in the output (say, predictions returned by the fitted model). Algorithmic stability is a desirable property with many important implications such as generalization and robustness, but testing the stability […]
Ferroelectric materials have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation non-volatile memory technologies due to their intrinsic remnant polarization and fast switching dynamics. Among them, aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) stands out for its CMOS compatibility, low growth temperature, exceptional thermal stability and high remnant polarization compared to conventional perovskite and hafnia-based ferroelectrics. In this dissertation, I […]
AI-enabled systems have become ubiquitous and integral to safety-critical domains, e.g., autonomous vehicles and aerial robotics. Despite promising empirical results, decision-making processes for critical systems incorporating AI components require careful consideration, as failures may have catastrophic consequences. One key challenge is that various uncertainties will inevitably arise from system limitations, black-box models, or environmental factors, […]
Tunable and energy-efficient filters are key components in modern wireless communication, where RF front-end systems must operate across multiple frequency bands while minimizing power consumption. This thesis focuses on the design and fabrication of miniature, narrowband, tunable bandpass and bandstop filters based on magnetostatic waves (MSW) in yttrium iron garnet (YIG) waveguides. A zero-static-power magnetic […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Chamith Rajapakse are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Brian-Tinh D. Vu. Title: "Rapid, High-resolution, and Signal-efficient Methods for the Clinical Translation of Bone Magnetic Resonance Imaging" Date: Wednesday, September 17th Time: 10:00 AM Location: BRB 1412 Zoom: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/99746435550?pwd=PSZPcdjQznAxQK4TRsyydCi0IQE52L.1 The public is welcome to […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Flavia Vitale are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Georgios Mentzelopoulos. Title: From thoughts to actions: cracking the neural code across scales and modalities Advisor: Dr. Flavia Vitale Date: Monday, September 15th Time: 12:30 PM- 2:30 PM Location: 225 Towne Building The […]
Wound healing is an essential biological process for maintaining homeostasis and, ultimately, for survival. We investigate the mechanisms underlying extreme wound healing in Stentor coeruleus, a single-celled organism, capable of recovering from drastic membrane wounds exceeding half of the cell surface. This talk focuses on our recent effort on developing a microfluidic platform for the […]
Today, reasoning is commonly interpreted as large language models generating chains of thought. Yet historically, AI reasoning had a very different meaning: executing algorithms that manipulated symbols to perform logical or probabilistic deduction and derive definite answers to questions about knowledge. In this talk, I show that such old-fashioned ideas are very relevant to reasoning […]
Abstract: Natural products are historically great sources of human medicines, but their impacts are well beyond their use as drugs. In addition to well-known producers like environmental microbes and plants, the human microbiome is an emerging source of new natural products that often correlate with health or disease. There is an urgent need for the […]
Topological nanowires, topological materials confined in one dimension (1D), hold great promise for robust and scalable quantum computing and low-dissipation interconnect applications, which will transform current computing technologies. To do so, research in topological nanowires must continue to improve their synthesis and properties. In this talk, I will discuss my group’s efforts to develop a […]
Zoom link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/98220304722 A Heaviside function is an indicator function of a semi-infinite interval. A Heaviside composite function is a Heaviside function composed with a multivariate function that may be nonsnooth. This talk presents a touch of this novel class of discontinuous optimization problems that borders on continuous and discrete optimization. Among the rich applications […]
Event Date: Friday, September 19, 2025 Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Event Location: Amy Gutmann Hall Auditorium Hosted by: ASSET Center for Trustworthy AI IDEAS Innovation in Data Engineering and Science The Warren Center for Network & Data Sciences DDDI Data Driven Discovery Initiative Penn AI Event Description: Please join us for a full […]
This event will have a VIRTUAL SPEAKER. Streaming will be in-person only in Wu and Chen. ABSTRACT We are in the middle of a transformation of the scientific process. AI is now rapidly automating scientific discovery by accelerating scientific simulation and optimisation. For example, we can now shortcut expensive quantum mechanical calculations such as DFT […]
Machine learning tools have tremendous potential to accelerate computationally complex physics-based simulations. One example is the need to accelerate materials discovery through first-principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. This seminar will encompass how machine learning interatomic potentials accelerate the discovery of crystalline nanoporous solids such as zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are employed in […]
Biology and Engineering form an interdisciplinary two-way street. On the one side, natural solutions can inform and inspire the design of mechanical systems. This is referred to as bioinspired design. On the other side, referred to as engineering-enabled biology, controlled engineering experimental, numerical, and analytical tools are used and developed to answer fundamental biological questions […]
Power converters designed for higher frequency operation than conventional designs can be smaller and lighter. However, to gain these benefits and maintain high reliability the converters also need to be more efficient, as smaller converters offer less surface area for heat removal. The development of efficient, small and light weight power converters can benefit from […]
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping is a fundamental problem for robots interacting with a novel environment and has been a densely studied area of research for several decades. The modern paradigm of feature extraction and matching coupled with advancements in sensor technology have allowed robots to achieve sub meter localization accuracy over kilometer long trajectories in […]
A mystery of large language models (LLMs) is their ability to solve novel tasks, notably through a few demonstrations in the prompt (in-context learning). Such tasks often require the model to generalize far beyond its training distribution, raising the question: how do LLMs achieve this form of out-of-distribution (OOD) generalization? For example, in symbolized language […]
This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance via Zoom. ABSTRACT Generating high-quality photo-realistic visual content is a thriving area of research. In this talk, I will focus not on the generation process, but on understanding how rich visual semantic information is represented within generative models. Specifically, I will […]
Abstract: Canonical models suggest that regulatory enhancers function independently of genomic distance, position, and orientation to activate the target gene. Indeed, a wide range of genomic distances and relative enhancer positions exist in endogenous contexts. However, systematic analysis of how specific enhancer-promoter configurations affect transcriptional dynamics has been limited by technical constraints. Here, we employ […]
Mechanical loading is essential for skeletal growth, maintenance, and repair, yet the mechanisms that regulate bone mechanoadaptation remain incompletely understood. Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), downstream of the Hippo pathway, are emerging regulators of bone cell biology, but their in vivo role in skeletal mechanoadaptation has not been fully defined. […]
Biological tissues are complex materials where the spatial arrangement of multiple components (i.e., extracellular matrix, cells) is tightly linked to their function. For example, osteochondral tissues contain discrete biochemical and physical gradients across the bone-cartilage interface that are critical for functional load transfer in our articulating joints. Our lab is focused on strategies to fabricate […]
Quantum software can be a force multiplier that can significantly shorten the timeline for utility-scale results from quantum hardware. In particular, several key research directions will help realize practical quantum advantage. Physics-aware, cross-layer optimizations will continue to yield important efficiencies to allow applications to make the most of quantum resources. Software-directed noise-aware optimization and error […]
Abstract: Cell confinement and mechanical stress are common in solid tumors, but any impact on genetic changes remains unclear. Using chromosome reporters (ChReporters) that reveal heritable losses of chromosomes in live cells, we discover that ChReporter losses are surprisingly equivalent when cells are subjected to either mild confinement (6-10µm) or strong confinement (2µm). Strong confinement […]
Soft robotic systems, constructed from compliant and adaptive materials, offer advantages such as safe interaction with humans, flexibility in motion, and the ability to conform to unstructured environments. These capabilities make them promising for applications in healthcare, manufacturing, and exploration. A central challenge, however, is the development of actuation strategies that are versatile, efficient, and […]
Thesis Committee: Prof. Liang Feng (Chair) Prof. Firooz Aflatouni Prof. Ritesh Agarwal Prof. I-Wei Chen Zoom: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/2449152154
Abstract: Microcapsules that can respond under hydrostatic pressure would open a new avenue of application in ultrasound- or impact-induced release of therapeutic agents. While microcapsules that are designed to release cargo under uniaxial compressive loadings have been developed, they are filled with liquid, rendering them insensitive to hydrostatic pressure. To overcome this limitation, bubbles can […]
Abstract: Multiphasic processes underpin nearly every aspect of modern life; from the food we eat and the clothes we wear to the medicines that sustain us and the energy systems that power our world. This thesis presents three contributions to the advancement of multiphasic processes by developing intelligent control, scalable processing, and reactor design. First, […]
Wake flows - the fluid mechanical "debris" shed behind an aerodynamic body - are often characterized by unsteady, turbulent, low-momentum fluid. Usually these wakes are to be avoided, but in several situations the wake can exhibit an organized structure consisting of well-defined high energy vortices. Examples of these coherent, or structured, wakes include trailing vortex […]
This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance via Zoom. ABSTRACT Tactile and visual perception are crucial for fine-grained human interactions with the environment. Developing similar multimodal sensing capabilities for robots can significantly enhance and expand their manipulation skills. This talk presents a scalable tactile stack that couples flexible, […]
From knotted cords to contemporary computers, the revolution in information technologies has been a major driving force of human civilization. Since its emergence in the early 1900s, quantum mechanics has played a foundational role in enabling many transformative technologies—such as lasers and transistors—that are now recognized as hallmarks of the first quantum revolution. Over the […]
Zoom link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/98220304722 Modern LLMs process information by repeatedly applying a basic primitive of matrix multiplication. Estimates show that about 60-84% of the energy consumed by LLMs goes into memory load/store operations. How can we reduce this power consumption? Tokens start as about 16-bit integers but get mapped to vectors of floats of length […]
This event will be in-person ONLY in Wu and Chen Auditorium. ABSTRACT Autonomous agents need a world model that explains observations, predicts what comes next, and chooses actions over long horizons. Think of catching a ball: the robot must infer where it is now and where it will be next—even when it slips out of […]
Surface electrochemical actuators (SEAs) harness ion-induced surface stress changes to produce large bending deformations at the microscale. They have previously been applied in microrobot locomotion and microbattery validation, demonstrating their versatility as low-voltage microscopic actuators. Here, we extend their functionality by showing that ultra-thin platinum membranes (10 nm thick, 10–100 µm wide), fabricated via low-temperature […]
Understanding the physical processes modulating the transport of scalars, such as heat, over very rough surfaces is essential for understanding the thermal environment of cities, how wind and solar farms modify heat and water exchanges between the atmosphere and Earth surface, and parameterizing surface physics in coarser Earth systems models. This talk examines this problem […]
