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Center for Manufacturing Ultrasound Systems for Intelligent Care

Advancing life-improving, intelligent ultrasound technologies that unite innovation with accessibility for high-quality healthcare.

The NSF-I/UCRC cMUSIC, supported by the National Science Foundation and cMUSIC members, will focus on manufacturing ultrasound systems for intelligent care including sensing, imaging, therapy and drug delivery, building from the complementary strengths of researchers at North Carolina State University (including researchers from the UNC & NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), working in close collaboration with industry partners.

composite image of four logos, left to right, top to bottom: National Science Foundation, NC State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

cMUSIC Vision

The vision of cMUSIC is to advance life-improving, intelligent ultrasound technologies that unite innovation with accessibility for high-quality healthcare.

cMUSIC Mission

The mission of cMUSIC is to work with industry partners to provide international leadership and train next-generation scientists in the fundamental ultrasound technology and its translation to intelligent care.  The research portfolio will focus on the manufacturing of intelligent ultrasound systems and the exploration of new functionalities that could enable transformative advances in sensing, imaging, therapy, and drug delivery technologies, supporting and driving growth across the manufacturing, electronics, and medical sectors.

cMUSIC Impact

The convergence of data-driven healthcare, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing presents a timely opportunity to transform ultrasound technology into an integrated platform for intelligent care. As the demand for accessible, low-cost, and non-invasive healthcare solutions continues to grow, cMUSIC will address critical challenges in manufacturing scalability, device functionality, and system integration by uniting expertise in materials, electronics, and biomedical engineering to enable the next generation ultrasound systems.

cMUSIC will be established through the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) program that develops long-term partnerships among industry, academia, and government. cMUSIC will be catalyzed by an investment from NSF and will be primarily supported by industry Center members, with NSF taking a supporting role in the development and evolution of the Center. cMUSIC is established to conduct research that is of interest to both the industry members and the Center faculty. cMUSIC contributes to the nation’s research infrastructure base and enhances the intellectual capacity of the engineering and science workforce through the integration of research and education. 

Benefits of Membership

As a member of the cMUSIC Industry Advisory Board, you will have access to leading-edge developments in intelligent ultrasound research. You will have the opportunity to vote for, and provide direction to, research projects that directly reflect the needs of your organization and of potential end-users of the resulting technologies. You will have access to the interdisciplinary knowledge base from academic researchers and the chance to engage with other Industrial Advisory Board members to explore potential opportunities. Highlights of membership benefits include, but are not limited to:

  • Access to top ultrasound talent including interdisciplinary university professors, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students
  • Access to world-class facilities dedicated to unique ultrasound technology development, manufacturing, characterization and translation tests.
  • Opportunity to network and collaborate with other leading Industrial Advisory Board members to explore joint venues of research collaboration.
  • Leverage R&D investments including IUCRC program funding benefit of 23:1 ($1 in member contributions has a median leverage of approximately $23 in an IUCRC) and low overhead rate (~ 10% vs. > 50%)
  • De-risk R&D in ultrasound materials, process, device, system and applications
  • Quarterly project reports (two written, two oral per year), along with continuous informal interaction and timely access to papers and intellectual property generated by the cMUSIC.

Participating Faculty

NC State University

Chuyi Chen

Chuyi Chen
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: Duke University, 2021
  • M.S.: Nanjing University, 2016
  • B.S.: Nanjing University, 2013

Development of advanced acoustofluidic manipulation devices and systems for biomedical and healthcare applications at the microscale.

Paul Dayton

Paul A. Dayton
William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor, Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (NC State/UNC)

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D., The University of Virginia, 2001
  • M.E. The University of Virginia, 1998
  • B.S.: Villanova University, 1995

The Dayton lab focuses on applications of biomedical ultrasound and cavitation enhancing agents for healthcare and industrial applications.

Caterina M. Gallippi

Caterina M. Gallippi
William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor, Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (NC State/UNC)

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: Duke University, 2003
  • B.S.E.: Princeton University, 1998

Ultrasound elasticity imaging, tissue motion estimation, image and signal processing.

Jingjie Hu

Jingjie Hu

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Associate Faculty, Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (NC State/UNC)

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: Princeton University, 2018
  • B.S.: University of Michigan Ann Arbor, 2013

Mechanical behavior of biomedical and biological materials, biomaterials, cell mechanics, adhesion, nanotechnology, vascular intervention, cancer detection.

Xiaoning Jiang

Xiaoning Jiang

  • Dean F. Duncan Distinguished Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Adjunct Professor, Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (NC State/UNC)

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: Tsinghua University, 1997
  • M.S.: Tianjin University, 1992
  • B.S.: Shanghai Jiaotong University, 1990

Design, fabrication and characterization of piezoelectric ultrasound transducers and arrays for sensing, imaging and therapy.

Marie Muller

Marie Muller
Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: University of Paris, 2006
  • M.S.: University of Paris, 2004
  • B.S.: Sorbonne University, 2003

Quantitative ultrasound, non-invasive monitoring of chronic diseases.

Ömer Oralkan

Ömer Oralkan
McPherson Family Distinguished Professor in Engineering Entrepreneurship, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: Stanford University, 2004
  • M.S.: Clemson University, 1997
  • B.S.: Bilkent University, 1995

My research interests are at the interface of electrical engineering and the life sciences, particularly on using integrated circuits and underlying technologies to implement medical devices and supporting systems for diagnostics and therapy. More specifically, my current research focuses on developing devices and systems for ultrasound imaging, photoacoustic imaging, image-guided therapy, biological and chemical sensing, and ultrasound neural stimulation using micromachined ultrasonic transducers.

Kara Peters

Kara Peters

  • Distinguished Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Postdoctoral Affairs, College of Engineering

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: University of Michigan, 1996
  • M.E.: University of Michigan, 1992
  • B.S.: University of Virginia, 1991

Design and testing of optical fiber based acoustic sensors and instrumentation for imaging and structural health monitoring.

Gianmarco Pinton

Gianmarco Pinton
Professor, Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (NC State/UNC)

Degrees and Research Interests

  • PhD Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 2007
  • MS Mathematics, Duke University, 2007
  • BS Physics, Duke University, 2001
  • BSE Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 2001

We develop ultrasound imaging tools, such as super-resolution imaging or functional imaging that improve image quality in the brain, liver, and lung as well as designing and implementing neuromodulation tools. We also design and implement scientific computing tools and methods for machine learning in imaging as well as transcranial propagation, neuromodulation, therapeutic interventions.

Jong Eun Ryu

Jong Eun Ryu
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: University of California, LA, 2009
  • M.S.: KAIST, Korea, 2006
  • B.S.: KAIST, Korea, 2004

Nanomechanics of Ferroelectronic Materials, Flexible Packaging Integration, Heterogeneously Integrated Packaging Design for Reliability

Nitin Sharma

Nitin Sharma
Associate Professor, Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (NC State/UNC)

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: University of Florida, 2010
  • M.S.: University of Florida, 2008
  • B.S.: Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, 2004

Closed-Loop Control of Assistive Devices for Rehabilitation, Nonlinear And Adaptive Control, Optimal Control and Learning, Functional Electrical Stimulation, Neuromodulation, Physiological Muscle Activity Sensing using Ultrasound Imaging and Electromyography.

Rohan Shirwaiker

Rohan A. Shirwaiker

  • James T. Ryan Distinguished Professor, Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
  • Co-Director of Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: Penn State University, 2011
  • M.S.: Penn State University, 2007
  • B.S.: Mumbai University, 2005

3D biofabrication, tissue engineering, biomedical device design, sustainable protein biomanufacturing.

Huaiyu Wu

Huaiyu Wu
Assistant Research Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degrees and Research interests

  • Ph.D.: North Carolina State University, 2022
  • M.S.: Shandong University, 2016
  • B.S.: Shandong University, 2013

Linear array ultrasound transducer design, optimization, and fabrication; Piezo composite for high frequency applications.

Yong Zhu

Yong Zhu

  • Andrew A. Adams Distinguished Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Departments of Electrical and Computing Engineering; and Materials Science and Engineering

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: Northwestern University, 2005
  • M.S.: Northwestern University, 2001
  • B.S.: University of Science and Technology of China, 1999

Basic and applied problems at the intersection of Mechanics of Materials and Micro/Nano-technology, including nanomechanics, micro/nano-electromechanical systems, and nanomaterial-enabled soft, wearable electronics and soft robotics.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Yun-Sheng Chen

Yun-Sheng Chen
Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

Degrees and Research interests

  • Postdoctoral Fellow: Stanford University, 2018
  • Ph.D.: University of Texas at Austin, 2012
  • M.S.: University of Central Florida, 2008
  • M.S.: National Sun Yat-Sen University, 2001
  • B.S.: Chung Yuan Christian University, 1998

Developing multimodality imaging technologies that integrate light and ultrasound for advanced diagnostics and therapeutics.

Rakesh Kumar

Rakesh Kumar
Professor and John Bardeen Faculty Scholar, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: University of California at San Diego, 2006
  • B.S.: Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 2001

Energy efficient computer architecture, system-level design automation.

Michael Oelze

Michael Oelze

  • Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Nearing Scholar, Grainger College of Engineering
  • Health Innovator Professor, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: University of Mississippi, 2000
  • M.S.: University of Louisiana, Lafayette, 1996
  • B.S.: Harding University, 1994

Ultrasound Imaging, ultrasound devices and hardware, beamforming applications, quantitative ultrasound, therapeutic ultrasound.

Cunjiang Yu

Cunjiang Yu

  • Founder Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Affiliate Professor of Bioengineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Science and Engineering

Degrees and Research Interests

  • Ph.D.: Arizona State University, 2010
  • M.S.: Southeast University, China, 2007
  • B.S.: Southeast University, China, 2004

Bio electronics and sensors, flexible electronics, wearable electronics, implantable electronics.

Planning Workshop (April 9-10, 2026)

The NSF IUCRC cMUSIC planning workshop is scheduled for April 9 and 10, 2026 at StateView Hotel, Raleigh, NC.

Please register for this event by February 27, 2026. No registration fee is applied for attending this event.

Registration

Agenda

Thursday, April 9, 2026

  • Registration
  • Breakfast and Networking
  • Welcome Remarks
  • cMUSIC Introduction
  • NSF I/UCRC Presentation by the NSF Program Director
  • Coffee Break
  • Project Proposal Presentations
  • Lunch
  • Project Proposal Presentations
  • Coffee Break
  • Industry Workshop
  • Project Presentations)
  • Break
  • Social/Poster Session
  • Dinner

Friday, April 10, 2026

  • Breakfast and Networking
  • Review and Discussion
  • Center Response to Feedback from Industry Workshop
  • Coffee Break
  • NSF Closed Session with Industry
  • Summary and Closing Remarks
  • Lunch
  • Ultrasound Lab Tours

Contact

Xiaoning Jiang

Xiaoning Jiang

  • Dean F. Duncan Distinguished Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering

xjiang5@ncsu.edu
https://mae.ncsu.edu/jiang

Michael Oelze

Michael Oelze

  • Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Nearing Scholar, Grainger College of Engineering
  • Health Innovator Professor, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

oelze@illinois.edu
https://publish.illinois.edu/oelze-us-lab/