Members

SymBio-X Lab Group Photo, Fall 2025
SymBio-X Lab • Fall 2025 • Vanderbilt University

Principal Investigator: Dr. Yayun Du

Google Scholar LinkedIn Link View My CV

PI Dr. Yayun Du is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University, with an affiliation to the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE). Dr. Yayun Du got her Ph.D. in Robotics and System Control (Minor: Solid Mechanics) from University of California, Los Angeles. From 2022 to 2024, Dr. Du was a postdoctoral scholar at the Rogers Group at Northwestern University, where she led 5 projects, focused on developing multimodal and multiparametric wearable and implantable sensors with integrated edge AI for monitoring cardiopulmonary (e.g., aortic stenosis, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure), neurological (e.g., sleep studies, delirium, coma, and epilepsy), and vocal system health, as well as for disease diagnosis and drug delivery. Her work has led to the deployment of four types of sensors across seven hospitals, benefiting hundreds of users globally, from neonates to the elderly, in countries including China, Canada, Mexico, the U.S., and the U.K.

Currently, Dr. Du involves in commericializing the sensors she developed and serves as an Associate Editor for ICRA 2025. She has submitted several first-authored manuscripts to prestigious journals that are forthcoming. Dr. Du has also published in top robotics journals and conferences, including the IEEE-Robotics and Automation Letters (RAL), IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), and IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). Her work was a finalist for the Best Paper Award in Agri-Robotics and the Best Paper Award in Robot Mechanisms and Design at IROS 2021 (selected 4 out of 1261 for each category).

Selected Honors and Awards

Postdoc Scholars

Kaixuan(Kysha) Xu
Kaixuan(Kysha) Xu (Ph.D.)
  • Date Joined: Jan 2026
  • Concentration: Analytical chemistry and electrochemical sensing
  • "I'm passionate about bridging the gap between complex analytical chemistry and wearable technology to empower clinicians and athletes alike."

Graduate Students (Two are joining)

Tengyue Wu
Tengyue Wu (M.S., incoming Ph.D.)
  • Date Joined: Jan 2025
  • Concentration: Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Project/Team: Firmware and Application Design
  • "My goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the whole engineering system and work on things that are meaningful to people—something that can actually contribute to scientific progress."
Tianxiang He
Tianxiang He
  • Date Joined: Jan 2026
  • Concentration: Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Project/Team: Multimodal Sensing, Learning & Control, Medical Robotics
  • "My goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the whole engineering system and work on things that are meaningful to people—something that can actually contribute to scientific progress."
Devon A Pytel
Devon A Pytel (M.Eng.)
  • Date Joined: Aug 2025
  • Concentration: ViSE Engineering
  • Project/Team: Sensor Development
  • "Driven by a deep appreciation for the impact of medical intervention, my goal is to contribute meaningful research at the intersection of engineering and surgery to improve patient outcomes and advance the future of care."

Undergraduate Students

Htet Htet Paing
Htet Htet Paing
  • Date Joined: Nov 2025
  • Year: 2nd Year
  • Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Project/Team: Circuit Design
  • "As a child, I was curious about how my mom's blood pressure monitor worked. Today, at Symbio-X lab, I'm contributing to the design and development of wearable and implantable bio electronic sensor systems, that bring physiological monitoring closer to everyday life."
Kaylyn Sethakosee
Kaylyn Sethakosee
  • Date Joined: Nov 2025
  • Year: 2nd Year
  • Major: Biomedical Engineering
  • Project/Team: Circuit Design
  • "My goal is to learn and build technologies that push the boundaries of what is possible, improving patient outcomes and enhancing everyday life."
Wonhyo J(Jonathan) Lee
Wonhyo J(Jonathan) Lee
  • Date Joined: Nov 2025
  • Year: 3nd Year
  • Major: Biomedical Engineering
  • Project/Team: Signal Processing and Machine Learning, Wearable Tech
  • "I joined the lab to explore how machine learning and non-invasive wearables reshape data collection and analysis to improve people’s lives."
Mankun (Michael) Yang
Mankun (Michael) Yang
  • Date Joined: Jan 2026
  • Year: 2nd Year
  • Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Project/Team: Circuits Design & Sensor Development
Eric Wang
Eric Wang
  • Date Joined: Jan 2026
  • Year: 2nd Year
  • Major: Computer Science
  • Project/Team: Backend Development
  • "I joined the Du lab to get hands on experience and to try cool things."
Camryn Phillips
Camryn Phillips
  • Date Joined: Jan 2026
  • Year: 2nd Year
  • Major: Biomedical and Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Project/Team: Circuit and Hardware Design

High School Students

Zoe Eveland
Zoe Eveland
  • Date Joined: Aug 2025
  • Project/Team: Robtics and Learning
  • "I joined Dr. Du's lab because I wanted learn about various elements of robotics and its applications while being able to contribute to technology that will help people in need."

Alumni

back