Soft Bio-Integrated Electronics for Unconventional Neural Interfaces
Neuroscience Seminar Series

Abstract:
My research focuses on the development of flexible and stretchable biocompatible electronics in the form of wearable and implantable platforms. Conventional rigid systems face fundamental limitations in interfacing with biological tissue due to large mismatches in Young's modulus, often resulting in poor signal fidelity and elevated noise levels. To address these challenges, my group has been developing soft, low-modulus electronic systems that form conformal contact with skin or neural tissue, enabling the reliable acquisition of high-quality signals and effective tissue actuation.

This talk will highlight recent advances in soft neural interfaces designed for unconventional brain -machine interfaces. In particular, I will discuss multimodal platforms that integrate electrophysiological recording and stimulation modalities within a single soft, bio-integrated system. These approaches open new opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders and pave the way for next-generation neuroscience and medical technologies.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Ki Jun Yu has served as an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Yonsei University since 2017. He received his B.S. (2008), M.S. (2012), and Ph.D. (2015) degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) from the University of Illinois at Urbana -Champaign (UIUC), all under the mentorship of Prof. John A. Rogers. He subsequently continued as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UIUC, also under Prof. Rogers's supervision.

Dr. Yu's research focuses on the development of soft bio-integrated electronic systems for biomedical applications. He has published over 97 journal papers in leading journals, including Nature, Science, Nature Materials, Nature Electronics, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Communications, and Science Advances. His work has been cited more than 18,500 times, with an h-index of 53.

In recognition of his research excellence, Dr. Yu received the Outstanding Achievement Professor Award (Research Category) from Yonsei University in 2023 and was named a Yonsei Yoon Jae Lee Fellow in 2024. Since 2019, he has also served as a Hwalchun Distinguished Professor. As an educator, he has been honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award for seven consecutive years (2018 -2024) within the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He also received the Best Teaching Award across the College of Engineering for three consecutive years (2018 -2020), which culminated in the Best Teaching Award (2020) --the Hall of Fame in Education at Yonsei.

His current research group leads pioneering efforts in transparent neural interfaces, multifunctional wearable electronics, and closed-loop implantable bioelectronic medicine.

Contact

  Larry Cheng
  Huanyu.Cheng@psu.edu