Bioengineering is a thriving interdisciplinary field in academic research and industrial practice today. On the one hand, Bioengineering is the engineering counterpart to life sciences, just as aerospace, chemical, civil, electrical, material, and mechanical engineering disciplines are engineering extensions of physics and chemistry. On the other hand, bioengineering is much more expansive. At one end of its broad spectrum, it deals with quantitative aspects and design principles of biomolecules, cells, tissues, organs and systems. The development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic devices, orthotics, human-assistive devices, etc., lies at the other end of the spectrum of bioengineering. In a nutshell, bioengineering is the engineering of biology, for biology, and with biology.

Using engineering principles and techniques to understand biology at the fundamental level is a hallmark of bioengineering. Biomaterials, cell and tissue engineering, immunoengineering, and regenerative medicine are pursued within bioengineering towards developing novel drug-delivery techniques, implants, prosthetics, and artificial organs. Neuroengineering interfaces neuroscience to not only understand how the brain works but also to study neurological diseases and their treatment. Emerging areas of systems and synthetic biology, which use computational methods and even the new trends in artificial intelligence, are also within the ambit of bioengineering.

Biosensors and implantable prostheses that involve various micro and nano technologies, image processing, signal processing, bioelectronics, medical imaging, etc., also come within the purview of bioengineering. The spectrum of bioengineering ranges from developing novel biochemical assays and apparatus such as microscopes to designing new biomedical instruments that are crucial for medical diagnosis and treatment.

Working with clinicians and clinical researchers is another important aspect of bioengineering, or its extension called biomedical engineering. Familiarity with physiology and anatomy empowers engineers to work on the unmet needs of clinical practice and explore careers in the biomedical industry. Bioengineering also has organic links to the thriving biopharma industry.

The Department of Bioengineering (earlier known as BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE)) is a full-fledged academic department in IISc. BSSE was founded in 2015 based on the rapidly growing activities in this domain that became evident due to the Interdisciplinary PhD program in Bioengineering, which started in 2012. BSSE changed its name to BE in 2023. It is an inclusive department that works with several other departments as well as its numerous clinical partners. BE is a place of confluence of biologists, clinicians, designers, and engineers. It has a primary faculty of its own, associate faculty, adjunct faculty, research staff, and Ph.D. and M.Tech. students. Its thematic common laboratories support research and teaching.

BE has a well-thought-out and growing curriculum to train and nurture students with different backgrounds to become bioengineers with expertise and appreciation for biology and engineering. It also prepares them for pursuing careers in academia, research organizations, and the industry.