Alper Bozkurt
Distinguished Professor

Biography
Dr. Alper Bozkurt joined NC State in August 2010. His research interests include development of microscale sensors, systems and methodologies to unlock the mysteries of biological systems with an aim of engineering these systems directly or developing new engineering approaches by learning from these systems.
Dr. Bozkurt currently serves as the McPherson Family Distinguished Professor in Engineering Entrepreneurship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State University. He received a doctorate in electrical engineering from Cornell University and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Drexel University. He is the founder and Director of the Integrated Bionic MicroSystems (iBionicS) Laboratory at NC State, where his team explores novel bionic interfaces with cockroaches, sphinx moths, plants, mussels, birds, canines, horses, lemurs, and humans. He envisions a future where biological organisms play a meaningful role in the cyber-physical understanding and management of our ecosystems. On the human health side, Dr. Bozkurt's team's innovative biomedical devices have been applied in areas such as brain-machine interfaces, cognitive augmentation, sleep performance monitoring, asthma and diabetes management, and the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Dr. Bozkurt's recent research achievements on the Internet of Bionic Things have been covered by several media agencies, including BBC, CNN, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Science Channel, Newsweek, and Reuters. The innovations resulting from his team’s work have led to the spin-off of six companies from NC State University. In parallel with his studies, he also worked as an official consultant for the Disney movie G-Force , produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and participated in the Smart America Challenge organized by the White House Presidential Innovation Fellows. Bozkurt is a recipient of the Calhoun Fellowship from Drexel University, the Donald Kerr Award at Cornell University, the Chancellor's Innovation Award (three times), the Outstanding Global Engagement Award, and the William F. Lane Outstanding Teacher Award at NC State University and several IBM Faculty Awards. He has also received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation and the IEEE Sensors Council Young Professional Award. In 2015, he was included in Popular Science Magazine's "Brilliant 10" list. Dr. Bozkurt’s team has received best paper and presentation awards from the U.S. Government Microcircuit Applications & Critical Technology Conference, IEEE Sensors Conference, IEEE Body Sensor Network Conference, FLEX Conference, and ACM Animal-Computer Interaction Conference.
Dr. Bozkurt served as an Associate Editor for IEEE Sensors Journal. He currently serves as the Co-Director of the National Science Foundation Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) and the Co-Director of the Institute of Connected Sensor Systems (IConS) at NC State University.
(More information about these research is available at Dr. Bozkurt's website).
Education
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Ph.D.
2010
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Cornell University, Ithaca -
Master's
2004
Biomedical Engineering
Drexel University, Philadelphia -
Bachelor's
2001
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Bogazici University, Istanbul
Research Focus
Expert In
Microfabrication , Implantable Biomedical Devices , Biosensor , Biosensing
Involvement
-
NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST)
Co-Director -
NC State Institute for Connected Sensor Systems (IConS)
Co-Director
Highlighted Awards
- NSF CAREER Award (2016)
- William F. Lane Outstanding Teaching Award (2014)
- University Faculty Scholars (2020)
Awards & Honors
- 2025, McPherson Family Distinguished Professorship in Engineering Entrepreneurship
- 2024, Best Paper Award ACM Animal Computer Interactions Conference
- 2023, 2015, 2013 - NC State Chancellor’s Innovation Fund Award
- 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015 IBM Faculty Award
- 2023 - NC State Outstanding Global Engagement Award
- 2020 - University Faculty Scholar
- 2019 - Best Paper 3rd Place Award, IEEE Sensors Conference
- 2018 - FLEX Conference Innovators of the Future Award (2nd place)
- 2018 - Drexel University 40 Under 40 List
- 2016 - IEEE Sensors Council Young Professional Award
- 2016 - NSF CAREER Award
- 2015 - Best Paper Award, IEEE Body Sensor Networks Conference
- 2015 - NC State William F. Lane Outstanding Teaching Award
- 2015 - Popular Science Brilliant 10 List
- 2014 - Best Paper Award, The Government Microcircuit Applications & Critical Technology Conference
- 2008 - Best Poster Award in Cornell Nanoscience Facility Annual Meeting
- 2008 - Donald Kerr Award from Cornell University
- 2007 - Official consultant for the Disney Movie “G-Force” produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
- 2001 - Calhoun Fellowship from Drexel University
Recent News

A personal approach to the biology of stress
Posted on November 21, 2024 | Filed Under: Research
An NC TraCS pilot award unites researchers from medical and engineering backgrounds to develop a wearable device for tracking stress.

ASSIST and IConS Researchers Part of NSF Convergence Accelerator Grant
Posted on February 20, 2024 | Filed Under: Faculty and News and Research
It seems almost impossible to imagine replicating the impressive olfactory sensing abilities of animals. Indeed, jewel beetles can detect a burning tree 50 miles away, and dogs can sniff out substances at concentrations of one part per tril …

Alper Bozkurt and Team Win $4.3M Grant
Posted on October 25, 2023 | Filed Under: News and Research
A multidisciplinary team led by researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) has received a $4.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Integrative Strategies for Understandin …
Media Mentions

Injectable Microchip Tracks Animal Health
March 12, 2024
Around the world, many pets and working animals are microchipped. It’s a simple process: A tiny transponder with an identification number is enclosed in a rice-grain-sized cylinder and injected under the skin, so that if an animal is lost it can be identified. This new devices does more, including tracking and reporting heart rate, breathing, movement, and temperature sensing in a 4-mm-wide package.

NC State innovation on display at CES 2024 in Las Vegas
January 11, 2024

Stress Monitors for Plants Can Spot Dehydration
December 11, 2023
In a forthcoming paper to be published in IEEE Transactions on AgriFood Electronics(TAFE), James Reynolds, a postdoctoral research scholar at NC State’s iBionicS Lab and first author of the paper, and fellow researchers at North Carolina State University explored how plant tissue’s impeding of electrical current can be monitored to identify plants under stress with relative immediacy—less than an hour, in some cases.