Megan Bell always had a clear interest in biomedical engineering, but not necessarily the specific direction she would pursue. Her undergraduate degree at the University of Rochester focused on biomechanics, a natural fit for someone drawn to the field. But one class changed everything – a neuroengineering course taught by Dr. Laurel Carney. Rather than seeing it as just another class, Megan recognized it as an opportunity to explore an emerging area with genuine clinical potential. This new passion fueled Megan to seek mentors here at BU in the area, ultimately landing her in the lab of Assistant Professor Matthias Stangl.
Megan’s current research uses intracranial EEG from freely moving participants to understand how theta waves in the hippocampus encode for the location and distance of others in the cognitive map. The work is fundamentally about understanding how the brain represents space, but it has direct implications for neurodegeneration. “This work will help create a fundamental understanding of normal human hippocampal activity and could help us understand what goes wrong in Alzheimer’s disease where spatial navigation and memory degrade.” Working with neural data is inherently challenging though, and Megan relies on her peers and mentors to solve problems in the lab. This willingness to leverage collective expertise reflects not just pragmatism, but a philosophy about how good research happens.
A Focus on Professional Goals
Beyond her primary research, Megan has invested in understanding biomedical devices and instrumentation. Through a biomedical instrumentation course held in BTEC, she gained hands-on experience in circuit and instrument design—skills that extend beyond her current project and support her longer-term vision. She’s particularly excited by emerging neuromodulation technologies. That clinical focus informs Megan’s professional goals. She aims to take on leadership roles within the medical device industry, supported by the training she is receiving in biological mechanisms, engineering constraints, and project management here at BU.
Looking ahead, Megan hopes to continue building connections with peers and mentors while deepening her technical skills. Her advice to undergraduates is straightforward: identify a research focus area that excites you, then seek out labs and mentors aligned with those interests. That intentional approach has served her well—and it’s the foundation for the career she envisions in medical devices, designing technologies that restore function and help people live more fulfilling lives.