Alper Bozkurt

Dr. Alper Bozkurt is the McPherson Family Distinguished Professor in Engineering Entrepreneurship at NC State University's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He also serves as Co-Director of the NSF-funded ASSIST Center and IConS Institute, leading interdisciplinary research in bionic microsystems. His work integrates bioMEMS, microelectronics, and robotics to create interfaces with biological organisms, including insects, plants, and humans.

Bozkurt holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and master's from Drexel University. His research focuses on implantable biomedical devices, biosensors, and cyber-physical systems. Notable projects include wearable health monitors for stress, asthma, and Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and biohybrid systems like cyborg insects and plant stress sensors.

His team’s innovations have spun off six companies and earned global recognition, including Popular Science’s “Brilliant 10” (2015) and NSF CAREER Award (2016). Recent grants include a $4.3M NSF Convergence Accelerator project to develop locust-inspired olfactory robots.

Awards: William F. Lane Teaching Award (2014), Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (multiple years), and IBM Faculty Awards. He consults for Disney’s G-Force and collaborates with the White House Smart America Challenge.

Labs: iBionicS Lab explores neural interfaces, biophotonics, and biohybrid systems. Current efforts target wearable tech for ecosystem management and medical diagnostics.