Since the 20th century, technological advancements have kept this field hungry, and the demand for biomedical engineers has rapidly grown. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that between 2021 and 2031, the employment of biomedical engineers is expected to expand by an astounding 10%. This number is about five times the job outlook of mechanical engineers (2%) in the same timeframe. Notably, biomedical engineering boasts a higher percentage of female professionals compared to many other engineering disciplines. The market is pushing a need for more biomedical engineers, cultivating an exciting opportunity in medicine, and opening a door for endless applications.

Application

Furthermore, this discipline has a wide field of application in the workforce. Biomedical engineers can work in laboratories where they engineer tissues and work hands-on with biological agents. Exciting lab opportunities include exploring the complex sciences of DNA, publishing lab studies, and forging new paths to life-saving treatments. Those who work directly in chemical and biological lab environments do so at facilities of places like academic research institutions and regenerative medicine companies. Alternative employment positions at various other companies also provide a more lab-focused career than mechanical. However, many biomedical engineers seek jobs that have more design work and prototyping than cellular engineering.

Biomedical engineers can also be involved with more mechanical work, designing robots and other devices; used in the body or operating rooms. For example, Medtronic and Johnson and Johnson are major medical technology and pharmaceutical companies that utilize biomedical engineers to research, develop, and manufacture products that interact with the human body. With knowledge in biology and physics, biomedical engineers study complex systems, such as blood flow through artificial organs. Prosthetics and implantable devices are other products that biomedical engineers have been a part of in recent years.

With a wide variety of applications, these engineers are welcome in many areas of engineering, giving them lots of flexibility.

BioMed's Are Here to Stay

Engineers carry invaluable characteristics such as their perspectives, curiosity, and creativity. These skills and problem-solving traits are directly applied to the growing technologies in the medical industry and prove biomedical engineers to be an indispensable part of medical advancement. As the understanding of the human body and its complex systems push forward, the knowledge of engineering and medicine becomes increasingly valuable. The demand for biomedical engineers will persist, ensuring their indispensable role in driving the frontiers of medical innovation.

Image: Courtesy of Rice University.  2023 Design Showcase, Engineering student Travis Dowd explains a team project to a judge.