Mission and unique positioning

The PhD in Health Sciences Engineering (HSE) is a pioneering course of study designed to train the next generation of biomedical scientists and engineers to transform medicine through innovation and engineering technology.

This unique program integrates precision engineering with the breadth and depth of medicine and biomedical principles together with training in entrepreneurship and commercialization to prepare future leaders and entrepreneurs to solve society’s most intractable diseases and improve the quality of life

This program is offered jointly by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) and is based at the Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine (CEPM). Students will receive an engineering PhD degree that will be awarded jointly by both institutions

Graduates will be trained to:

• Transform medicine through innovation in engineering
• Identify critical unmet needs through immersion in clinical environments
• Apply engineering design to solve critical problems in multiple domains impacting human health
• Be future leaders and entrepreneurs to solve society’s most intractable diseases

Multi-campus setting:

• First year at RPI in Troy, NY
• Years 2 and onwards at CEPM and ISMMS, in New York City, NY

Requirements, deadlines, application link, FAQ

Because the HSE PhD program is offered jointly by ISMMS and RPI, applicants must satisfy the specific admissions requirements of both institutions.

The HSE PhD Program uses a holistic evaluation system that relies on an assessment rubric based on the applicants’ prior education, GPA, research experience, personal statement, publications, recommendation letters, and other factors. The Program seeks applicants with a strong background in Engineering or the Sciences

Admission requirements for HSE

Minimum Admission Requirements:

• Completed online graduate application (Applications need to be submitted through RPI)
• Undergraduate or graduate degree in Engineering or Science
• 3 letters of recommendation (contact information required)
• Transcript(s) and degree(s)
• Personal statement
• Resume or CV
• GRE scores are not required

Requirements for International Students:

• Degrees and transcripts must be in English. If your degree or transcript is in a foreign language, it needs to be translated into English.
• TOEFL or equivalent required only for International applicants from countries where English is not the official language (may be waived for students who received or will receive a degree from an accredited institution in the US or other country where English is the official language)

For additional details, please refer to the RPI website.

The HSE PhD program is offered jointly by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai through the newly established Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine (CEPM).

Students will spend their first year at the RPI campus in Troy, NY, immersed in Engineering coursework, lab rotations and teaching assistantships or fellowships. Students will spend Years 2 and onwards at the Sinai and CEPM campuses in New York City, immersed in biomedical courses, clinical rotations and shadowing.

Campus Locations:

RPI Campus: 110 Eighth Street Troy, NY 12180

ISMMS: 1470 Madison Ave New York, NY 10029

CEPM: 619 West 54th St New York, NY 10019

Timeline, coursework, credits

The HSE PhD program is expected to have a duration of 5 years.

The joint PhD program involves a unique first year immersion in Engineering at the RPI campus in Troy, NY, followed by immersive training in medicine, through biomedical courses, clinical rotations and clinical shadowing in Years 2 and onwards at CEPM and Sinai campuses in New York City. Immersion in entrepreneurship and commercialization will begin in Year 1 through the Biodesign and Inventor Studio I & II courses, and will continue in Years 2 and onwards through further coursework and industrial/hands-on internships.

Immersions will create a ‘translational mindset’ at the onset of the program that will be reinforced during the PhD program through elective courses, clinical rotations/shadowing, grand rounds and health hackathons.

Students will begin their research assistantship and doctoral dissertation research at the primary mentor/PhD research advisor’s lab at CEPM or Sinai campus in the summer after their first year.

Courses:

• Four modular core courses on fundamentals of Precision Medicine that emphasize Engineering Design, translation and commercialization
• BioDesign and Inventor Studio courses to identify unmet health needs in CEPM research areas and invent technologies to address the needs in a target market
• Three concentration electives from a broad set of courses available at RPI or Sinai
• Electives can be chosen from graduate courses offered at RPI and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in consultation with the graduate student advisor or program directors.

Year 1: Location: RPI Campus at Troy, NY

• Immersion in Engineering and Entrepreneurship through coursework
• Immersion in Entrepreneurship & Commercialization via coursework (Biodesign & Inventor Studio I & II)
• Lab rotations at RPI
• TA or Fellowship at RPI

Year 2: Location: CEPM/ISMMS Campuses in New York City, NY

• Immersion in Medicine through coursework
• Immersion in Entrepreneurship & Commercialization via coursework and via internships
• Clinical rotations and shadowing related to PhD (Neuro, Cardio, Ortho, Immuno, etc)
• Development of PhD research proposal with primary mentor
• PhD qualifying exam
• RA and PhD research in primary mentor’s lab at MSSM/CEPM

Years 3-4: Location: CEPM/ISMMS Campuses in New York City

• Immersion in Entrepreneurship & Commercialization via hands-on internships
• RA and PhD research in primary mentor’s lab in primary mentor’s lab at Sinai/CEPM

Year 5+: Location: CEPM/ISMMS Campuses in New York City

• RA and PhD research in primary mentor’s lab in primary mentor’s lab at Sinai/CEPM
• PhD Defense and Graduation

Research in the Health Sciences Engineering Program is highly interdisciplinary and can be broadly categorized into the following Research Tracks:

Neuroengineering

Vision: Engineering of the nervous system to alleviate a wide range of neurological symptoms, e.g. minimally invasive control and regulation of neural circuitry.

Encompasses: Neuroscience, Nanorobotics, neuroimaging, neural interface technologies.

Immunoengineering

Vision: Engineering of the immune system to treat a wide variety of illnesses such as cancer, infectious diseases, auto-immune diseases, and others

Encompasses: cancer immunotherapy, infectious disease, Micro-physiological Systems, Immunogenomics, nanomedicine

Reparative & Regenerative Medicine

Vision: Engineering of therapies and technology for precision and personalized tissue repair and regeneration

Encompasses: Cellular Engineering, Epigenetics/genomics, orthopedic biomechanics, tissue engineering

Starting in Year 2, students will perform their research assistantship, including their doctoral dissertation research, under the guidance of a primary mentor at Mount Sinai or CEPM as well as a co-mentor from RPI. One or more potential primary mentors will be identified during the admissions process for students who are selected for interviews (based on the student’s research interests and interest from the potential mentor). Applicants to the HSE PhD Program will have an opportunity to meet with potential mentors during the interview process. The student will identify a co-mentor from RPI or Sinai in Year 1.

CEPM faculty members who may serve as primary mentors can be viewed here.

Subsidized housing is available for all matriculated students, both during Year 1 at RPI and during Years 2 and onwards at Mount Sinai.

All admitted students will receive funding support throughout the PhD program. Funding in Year 1 will be in the form of a teaching assistantship or a fellowship. Funding in Years 2 and onwards will be in the form of a research assistantship at the lab of their primary mentor (PhD research advisor).

Please visit the CEPM Leadership page.

How to apply, contact options

Application Deadline for Fall 2026: January 15, 2026

All applications need to be submitted through RPI’s Application Portal.

For any questions, please contact:

Shams Rashid, PhD

Shams.Rashid@mssm.edu

HSE PhD Graduate Student Advisor

CEPM

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai