2024 Alan T. Waterman Award

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named Dr. Muyinatu Bell as the 2024 recipient of its Alan T. Waterman Award. This award is NSF's highest honor that annually recognizes an outstanding researcher age 40 years or younger and funds his or her research in any field of science or engineering. This year's awardee will receive a $1 million grant over a five-year period for further advanced study in her field. Dr. Bell is an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, best known for inventing the short-lag spatial coherence (SLSC) ultrasound beamformer, which significantly improves ultrasound image quality by reducing acoustic clutter. She has also adapted the SLSC technology to photoacoustic imaging, most recently using it to overcome problems related to skin tone bias. Dr. Bell is a lecturer, mentor and scientific role model committed to engaging a diverse research community by serving in leadership roles on committees and programs aimed at supporting women in physics, computer science and engineering. She is the recipient of NSF awards from the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program and the Smart Health program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.