The second annual Engineering Research Day took place Friday, February 13th, in the SG1 auditorium. Building on the success of the inaugural event, the 2026 edition featured a half-day of talks that presented diverse scientific perspectives on the theme of Health Science and Technology, as well as a panel discussion on Engineering and the Future of Health. The event was opened by STI Dean Adrian Ionescu, who commented on the importance of health technologies in the pursuit of sustainability objectives.
Some of the afternoon’s talks underscored the potential of emerging engineering technologies to advance medical science, including brain-machine interfaces, cancer immunotherapy, bio-iontronic systems, nanophotonics for next-generation bionsensing, and microfabricated neural interfaces. Others focused on research with the potential to transform materials and equipment used in healthcare and sports settings, including fatigue-resistant polymers, ultra-miniaturized surgical instruments, and medtech-inspired protective equipment, as well as plant-derived polymers for sustainable and food-safe materials. Still others presented technologies that can be used to better understand the human body and its diseases, including theoretical models for bacterial locomotion, nanopores for biomedical imaging, and advanced spinal cord imaging.
A common thread was the mention by many presenters of their ongoing collaborations with STI researchers in other fields, driving home moderators Tiffany Abitbol and Li Tang’s remarks that engineers are playing active roles as the architects of solutions to problems in human health.
Program
