Jongwon Lim, bioengineering Ph.D. graduate and Professor Joe Greene Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Dean Rashid Bashir, has just received the BMES-CMBE Postdoctoral Researcher Travel Award. Recognizing “the abstract’s significance, innovation, technical content, and clarity”, this award gives postdocs a chance to present their research at the BMES-CMBE conference in January. “Receiving the BMES-CMBE Postdoctoral Researcher Travel Award is a tremendous honor for me,” said Lim. “It recognizes not only our group’s efforts in advancing next-generation diagnostics, but also the broader importance of rapid, accessible testing technologies for global health.”
Written by Ben Libman
Jongwon Lim
The Department of Bioengineering continuously produces research that is recognized by our peers as impactful and transformative. Jongwon Lim, bioengineering Ph.D. graduate and Professor Joe Greene Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Dean Rashid Bashir, has just received the BMES-CMBE Postdoctoral Researcher Travel Award. Recognizing “the abstract’s significance, innovation, technical content, and clarity”, this award gives postdocs a chance to present their research at the BMES-CMBE conference in January.
“Receiving the BMES-CMBE Postdoctoral Researcher Travel Award is a tremendous honor for me,” said Lim. “It recognizes not only our group’s efforts in advancing next-generation diagnostics, but also the broader importance of rapid, accessible testing technologies for global health.”
Lim’s research involves using CRISPR, the gene-editing tool, to diagnose diseases. Previously, CRISPR-based diagnostics relied on pre-amplification because the reaction speed was inherently slow, making it necessary to generate many copies of the pathogen’s DNA to produce a detectable signal. As a result, CRISPR was often used as a redundant assay to provide additional specificity rather than serving as a standalone diagnostic method.
Lim’s team has built a new CRISPR-based blood test that can detect dangerous pathogens without making millions of copies of the disease’s DNA, making the test faster, simpler, and workable outside large laboratories. His team continues to refine this technique, reducing the false positive rate and readying it for clinical application.
Conferences like BMES-CMBE are a rare opportunity for experts in the field to congregate and can lead to connections that would otherwise be impossible. “Presenting at this conference is an exciting opportunity to share our work on next generation diagnostic assays and connect with researchers who are advancing rapid molecular detection, point-of-care systems, and translational healthcare technology,” said Lim. This year’s BMES-CMBE conference will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico. “Aside from the excitement of presenting, I am looking forward to experiencing the vibrant culture and history of San Juan. I have heard wonderful things about the food, music, and natural beauty of Puerto Rico, and I hope to explore the city and local cuisine during my visit.”
Lim is grateful for the support he’s received from Bioengineering at Illinois along the way. “The Department of Bioengineering has supported my growth at every stage. They have consistently encouraged my research journey through programs and awards, including the Bioengineering Graduate Student Research Symposium and support for conference travel. I am very grateful for the many opportunities, mentorships, and support that have strengthened my development as a future faculty member.”
Lim wants to emphasize the network of mentors and colleagues that have helped him along his journey. “Among this year’s Rising Stars awardees are my mentors Professor Hua Wang at Illinois Bioengineering [and Material Science and Engineering] and Professor Jina Ko at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, among the postdoctoral travel award recipients is Tamara Rossy, who is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of my mentor Professor Ritu Raman at MIT.
“Seeing mentors and colleagues I admire receiving similar recognitions makes this experience even more meaningful. It also reminds me how relationships in the scientific community grow over time. I am excited to use this opportunity to actively connect with more trainees, faculty, and future collaborators. I look forward to seeing how these relationships continue to grow and intersect in the coming years.”
The BMES-CMBE conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico will take place January 3-6, 2026.
Jongwon Lim is a bioengineering Ph.D. graduate and Professor Joe Greene Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Dean Rashid Bashir. He is affiliated with the Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Lab.