Muyinatu A. Lediju Bell, PhD
John C. Malone Associate Professor & PULSE Lab Director
Dr. Muyinatu A. Lediju Bell (informally known as “Bisi”) is the John C. Malone Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Bell earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering (biomedical engineering minor) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, received a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, conducted research abroad as a Whitaker International Fellow at the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital in the United Kingdom, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Engineering Research Center for Computer-Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology at Johns Hopkins University. She has published over 140 scientific journal articles and conference papers, delivered over 85 invited talks (including keynote and plenary presentations), and holds patents for SLSC beamforming, photoacoustic-guided surgery, and deep learning for beamforming. Dr. Bell is the recipient of numerous awards, grants, and fellowships, including the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, MIT Technology Review’s Innovator Under 35 Award, the NSF CAREER Award, the NIH Trailblazer Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, Maryland’s Outstanding Young Engineer Award, the ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, the SPIE Early Career Achievement Award, and the IEEE Ultrasonics Early Career Investigator Award. She is a 2022 Fellow of AIMBE (one of only four out of 1,500 in the preceding decade to receive this honor as an assistant professor) and a 2023 Fellow of SPIE.
Dr. Bell leads a highly interdisciplinary research program that integrates optics, acoustics, robotics, electronics, and mechanics, as well as signal processing and medical device design, to engineer and deploy innovative biomedical imaging systems that simultaneously address unmet clinical needs and significantly improve the standard of patient care. As the director of the Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic Systems Engineering (PULSE) Lab, Dr. Bell develops theories, models, and simulations to investigate advanced beamforming techniques for improving ultrasonic and photoacoustic image quality. In parallel, she designs and builds novel light delivery systems for photoacoustic imaging and incorporates medical robots to improve operator maneuverability and enable standardized procedures for more personalized medicine. The technologies developed in her lab are then interfaced with patients to facilitate clinical translation. These technologies have applications in neurosurgical navigation, cardiovascular disease, women’s health, and cancer detection and treatment.
Education
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 2012
B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006
Professional and Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University, 2017-present
Interim Assistant Research Professor, Johns Hopkins University, 2016
Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University, 2012-2016
Academic Visitor, Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, UK, 2009-2010
Research Interests
- ultrasound imaging
- photoacoustic imaging
- image quality improvements
- advanced beamforming methods
- light delivery systems
- laser-tissue interactions
- medical robotics
- image-guided surgery
- technology development
- clinical translation
Honors and Awards SPIE Fellow Johns Hopkins Catalyst Award IEEE Ultrasonics Early Career Investigator Award Elected to AIMBE College of Fellows SPIE Early Career Achievement Award IEEE UFFC Star Ambassador Lectureship Award Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow Outstanding Young Engineer, Maryland Academy of Sciences & Maryland Science Center Allan C. Davis Medal, Maryland Academy of Sciences ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award NSF CAREER Award NIH Trailblazer Award Johns Hopkins Discovery Award National Academy of Engineering, U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, Invited Participant MIT Technology Review, Innovator Under 35 NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award Best Paper Award Honorable Mention, IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship UNCF/Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship UNCF/Merck Graduate Dissertation Fellowship Whitaker International Fellowship Duke Endowment Fellowship NIH Medical Imaging Training Program, Duke University Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship MIT Ilona Karmel Prize in Engineering Writing Pi Tau Sigma, Mechanical Engineering Honor Society Tau Beta Pi, Engineering Honor Society
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