Distinguished Professor Ranu Jung will give the spring 2024 address for the UA ENGAGE National Science Foundation' Advance Program at the U of A, a grant focused on supporting faculty in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — and across campus. The keynote will be held from 3-4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the Hembree Room, second floor of Willard J. Walker Hall.

Jung is the founding executive director and endowed chair for the U of A's Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research, associate vice chancellor and Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering.

Titled "Who-Am-I? What should I do?," Jung's address will reflect on civil engineer Richard Blanco's poem "Once Upon a Time Surfside Miami." The presentation is open to all, with a reception for faculty and staff to follow. An RSVP by March 22 is preferred, but not required.

Jung's research is at the cutting edge between engineering and neuroscience, developing devices that lead to scientific advances with clear pathways to clinical application. A champion for innovation and entrepreneurship, her team developed the first wireless, implantable neural-interface system for restoring sensations to individuals with upper-limb amputation and received FDA approval to conduct a first-in-human trial.

A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Inventors, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering Society, Jung holds 14 U.S. patents and has authored more than 130 publications. Jung received her doctoral and master's degrees in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and her bachelor's with distinction in electronics and communication engineering from National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India. She joined the U of A in December 2021.

U of A ENGAGE is funded by a $1 million NSF ADVANCE grant from the National Science Foundation to better recruit and retain faculty within the STEM departments. The three major aims of the grant are to empower, connect and attract multifaceted faculty to sustain excellence across disciplines, training and experiences.