Jun Xia named new chair of biomedical engineering

By Marcene Robinson

Xia, professor, succeeds Yun Wu, who has served as department chair since 2023. She will return to her faculty role as a professor.

“The Department of Biomedical Engineering is exceptionally well positioned for the future, and I am confident professor Xia will continue to advance its trajectory of excellence. I look forward to working with him as the department builds on its remarkable momentum and advances its impact in education, research, and innovation,” said Kemper Lewis, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “I also want to recognize professor Wu for her extraordinary service and leadership. The growth and achievements realized during her tenure have strengthened the department in meaningful ways and laid a strong foundation for continued success.”

Allison Brashear, UB vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School, says, “Dr. Xia's extensive research experience and more than 10 years of service to UB have given him a deep understanding of the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s strengths, culture and potential. The department has achieved remarkable success under Dr. Wu’s leadership, and I am confident Dr. Xia will further advance its excellence in research, education and innovation.”

Xia joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2014 and currently serves as the department’s director of graduate studies. His research focuses on novel optical and ultrasonic imaging techniques, including developing a pain-free breast-imaging system as a potential alternative to mammography, creating non-invasive imaging for chronic leg ulcers, and advancing hybrid optical and ultrasonic techniques for biometric imaging. His research has received more than $10 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Susan G. Komen foundation, and other agencies and organizations.

He has published more than 100 journal articles, a book, and four book chapters. He is also an associate editor of Biomedical Optics Express and Frontiers in Photonics, and is a topical editor of Nanomaterials. He has received numerous awards, including the UB Exceptional Scholar Award for Sustained Achievement and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Senior Researcher of the Year Award. Xia received his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto.

“Our biomedical engineering department has outstanding strengths in tissue engineering, nanomedicine, biomedical devices, medical imaging and biomedical artificial intelligence,” says Xia. “As chair, I look forward to working with our faculty, students and partners to advance translational research that moves discoveries from bench to bedside. We will also provide an interdisciplinary educational experience that prepares the next generation of biomedical engineers to drive innovation and improve human health.”

As chair, Wu guided the Department of Biomedical Engineering through a period of significant growth. Under her leadership, the department launched the ElevateBME Initiative to advance faculty excellence, research innovation, engineering education, and departmental infrastructure.

The department celebrated the promotion and tenure of six faculty members, recruited four new faculty members, achieved record levels of new grant funding and annual research expenditures, developed six new courses, increased undergraduate enrollment by 27% in Fall 2025, and expanded departmental space while modernizing research and educational infrastructure. The department also established a partnership with Ankara University in Turkey to launch an undergraduate dual diploma program, with the inaugural cohort expected to enroll in Fall 2026.

A faculty member since 2013, Wu’s research focuses on the development of innovative nanotherapeutics and in vitro diagnostic assays for cancer treatment and diagnosis. She has received over 30 funded awards totaling over $16 million.

Wu has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals and has received numerous awards, including the UB Exceptional Scholar Award for Sustained Achievement in 2023, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ Senior Researcher of the Year Award in 2021 and Early Career Researcher of the Year Award in 2016, and the Biomedical Engineering Innovation and Career Development Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society in 2013.

Also, a decorated educator and an accomplished academic leader, Wu was awarded the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ Early Career Teacher of the Year Award and previously served as the director of graduate studies in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

She received a doctorate in chemical and biomolecular engineering from The Ohio State University in 2009.