Get to Know Bioengineering Professor Yuan Yang

Professor Yuan Yang has been in the Department of Bioengineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2023. In addition to being a professor of bioengineering, Yang holds an appointment at the Carle Foundation Hospital. His laboratory, the Illinois-Carle Joint Neural Engineering and Rehabilitation Laboratory (JNERL), focuses on advancing neural engineering and rehabilitation technologies.

In this Q&A, we’ll learn more about professor Yang, his research, and what his team is accomplishing here at Illinois.

Tell me a little bit about your research background. What led you to choose bioengineering?

I come from a multidisciplinary engineering background that naturally led me to bioengineering. I completed both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical engineering, followed by a Ph.D. in signal and image processing with a focus on brain-computer interfaces. During my postdoctoral training in biomechanical engineering, I began integrating these areas with clinical applications.

Over time, my work evolved toward understanding how the brain controls movement, especially after injury. Bioengineering appealed to me because it allows me to combine engineering principles—like signal processing, machine learning, neuroimaging, and biomechanics—with clinical neuroscience to solve real-world health problems. Ultimately, my goal has been to build a bridge between engineering and medicine to improve patient outcomes in neurorehabilitation.

What was initially attractive to you about Illinois and the bioengineering program here?

Illinois stood out to me for its strengths in imaging and data science, which are central to my research. It provides world-class resources for brain imaging, especially the 7 Tesla human MRI, as well as opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Its close partnership with Carle Health creates a unique environment for translational research.

What really attracted me was the ability to work closely with clinicians here and directly connect engineering innovations to patient care. That combination—strong engineering, strong clinical integration, and a collaborative ecosystem—is quite rare, and makes Illinois uniquely suited for the kind of work I do.

Why have you focused on sensorimotor impairments and neurological disorders?

There are both scientific and personal reasons. Scientifically, the neural mechanism underlying sensorimotor impairments—especially after stroke—is still not fully understood, particularly how the brain reorganizes after the injury, and how sensory and motor systems interact during recovery. On a personal level, my grandmother suffered a stroke and lost her ability to move and speak before she passed away. That experience had a profound impact on me and motivated me to pursue research that could help people recover from similar conditions. 

Stroke is a leading cause of sensorimotor disability. Over 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke annually, with one occurring roughly every 40 seconds. Globally, 1 in 4 adults over 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime. A deeper understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying post-stroke sensorimotor impairments is urgently needed to guide the development of effective treatments to help millions of stroke survivors.

What are some of the projects you’ve been working on in your laboratory?

My lab focuses on three major research directions supported by NIH, NSF, and the American Heart Association. First, understanding brain reorganization (both functionally and anatomically) after stroke using multimodal imaging (EEG, fMRI, diffusion MRI) and AI. Second, developing precision neurostimulation technologies, such as targeted non-invasive brain stimulation. Finally, we are building closed-loop systems that integrate real-time brain data to personalize rehabilitation strategies. We also work on related projects such as wearable devices, engineering-based sound therapy for rehabilitation, and AI-driven modeling of brain networks.

What have been some of your most interesting or surprising results?

One key finding is that recovery after stroke is highly individualized, which explains why standardized treatments often have limited effectiveness.

Additionally, early clinical testing of our individualized non-invasive brain stimulation has shown measurable improvements in motor function, supporting the potential of personalized neuromodulation therapies.

What are some projects you hope to work on in the future?

My long-term goal is to enable precision rehabilitation where treatments are tailored to each individual’s brain network.

Moving forward, I aim to advance AI-powered closed-loop neurostimulation systems, expand clinical trials, and extend these approaches to other neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

What are some of the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration in your work?

Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential. Engineers, neuroscientists, and clinicians each bring unique expertise that allows us to translate discoveries into real clinical applications.

This integration is also critical for training students to work across disciplines.

What are some of the projects your graduate students are working on?

My students are working on projects including machine learning for brain imaging, EMG-based rehabilitation, 7T MRI studies, non-invasive brain stimulation modeling, and closed-loop neurotechnology systems.

What else would you like people to know about you and your research?

My work is ultimately about impact—helping patients recover and return to normal life. I am also deeply committed to education, mentorship, and community engagement. In addition to our lab work, we have NSF-sponsored summer programs to train clinical degree students in medical engineering research and to educate high school teachers to translate our knowledge to local STEM education.