Daylight Saving Time Does Not Affect Peoples’ Daily Step Count
Data from Fitbits show that changing time twice a year does not affect people’s overall step counts but does impact when they are getting their steps in.
Biomedical Computation, Automation, & Data Science
Using modeling, simulation, high-performance computing and data analysis to create testable hypotheses about mechanisms driving complex biological functions
Data is becoming the most valuable, actionable resource to advance and personalize medicine, and Duke BME is at the forefront of leveraging biological, chemical, and physiological data to develop the next generation of computational approaches in pharmaceuticals, health, and medicine.
New biomedical imaging and sensing technologies, wearable devices, multi-omics platforms, and electronic health records are generating biomedical data at an unprecedented pace. Researchers in Duke BME are developing innovative data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital health modeling approaches to transform these multi-scale datasets into actionable health insights. By integrating AI-driven analytics with advanced computational methods, they can uncover patterns, predict outcomes, and accelerate scientific discovery in ways that were previously impossible.
Through computational modeling and simulation, high-performance computing, large-scale data analysis, and AI-enabled prediction and decision-making, Duke BME researchers seek to better understand biological phenomena, identify novel therapeutic targets, and generate testable hypotheses about the mechanisms driving complex biological function. These approaches are helping pave the way for more precise diagnostics, personalized treatments, and data-driven healthcare solutions.
Key Research Areas
- Computational Modeling of Biological Systems
- Biomedical & Health Data Sciences
- Automation
- AI
Our Collaborators
There are extensive collaborations between our BME faculty and Duke University Medical Center clinicians to rapidly translate large-data analysis tools developed at Duke BME for both the patient bedside and broader commercialization.
Recent Biomedical Computation, Automation & Data Science News
Mapping Behavior with Machine Learning
By transforming movement into data, Timothy Dunn is reshaping how scientists can study behavior and the brain.
John Hickey Receives V Foundation Scholar Award to Improve T Cell Cancer Therapies
The award will fuel Hickey’s efforts to reveal how T cells can better infiltrate and attack solid tumors
Privacy in the Age of the Smartwatch
Smartwatches and fitness trackers are becoming useful clinical health tools, and privacy considerations are key
A New Vision for Lymphatic Imaging
Pengfei Song is part of a team led by the University of Alberta, which has received an ARPA-H award to create high-resolution, 3D ultrasound for lymphedema imaging.
Emma Chory Receives 2026 Beckman Young Investigator Award
The award recognizes Chory’s efforts to use automated, robotic platforms to drive cellular evolution
Associated Faculty
Jessilyn Dunn
Theodore Kennedy Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Sina Farsiu, Ph.D.
Associate Chair for Faculty, Anderson-Rupp Professor of BME
Dr Roarke Horstmeyer
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Dr Cameron McIntyre, Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Mark L. Palmeri
Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Nimmi Ramanujam, Ph.D.
Robert W. Carr, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Dr Phil Romero, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Michael Rubinstein, Ph.D.
Aleksandar S. Vesic Distinguished Professor
Dr Ophelia Venturelli, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Lingchong You, Ph.D.
James L. Meriam Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Other Research Specialties
Explore additional specialty research areas in Duke BME and throughout the Pratt School of Engineering.