Muyinatu A. Lediju Bell, PhD
Assistant Professor & PULSE Lab Director
Dr. Muyinatu A. Lediju Bell (informally known as “Bisi”) is an assistant 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 60 scientific journal articles and conference papers, holds a patent for SLSC beamforming, and 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, and the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship.
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 techniques and technologies developed in her lab are then interfaced with patients treated at the Johns Hopkins Hospital 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
2019
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow
Outstanding Young Engineer, Maryland Academy of Sciences & Maryland Science Center
ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award
2018
NSF CAREER Award
NIH Trailblazer Award
Johns Hopkins Discovery Award
National Academy of Engineering, U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, Invited Participant
2016
MIT Technology Review, Innovator Under 35
2015
NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award
Best Paper Award Honorable Mention, IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics
2013
Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
UNCF/Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship
2011
UNCF/Merck Graduate Dissertation Fellowship
2009
Whitaker International Fellowship
2006
Duke Endowment Fellowship
NIH Medical Imaging Training Program, Duke University
2005
Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship
MIT Ilona Karmel Prize in Engineering Writing
2004
Pi Tau Sigma, Mechanical Engineering Honor Society
mledijubell@jhu.edu