The Department of Bioengineering Welcomes Professor Andrew Webb

The Department of Bioengineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is excited to welcome professor Andrew Webb to our faculty team, starting his appointment on June 1st of this year. An internationally recognized expert in MRI technology, Webb strengthens the department’s research portfolio in advanced imaging. 

Imaging, specifically magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is one of Webb’s key areas of expertise. Beckman and Carle jointly house a 7T MRI system, a high-field instrument that enables imaging at resolutions not possible with conventional clinical scanners. As professor Webb puts it, “the 7T is really the Formula 1 of the MRI world, in the sense that it is capable of unparalleled performance.” This gives Webb and the University of Illinois the ability to answer questions that would otherwise be unanswerable by a standard MRI machine. Webb’s unique expertise with this equipment will have a multiplying effect on the faculty already established here: “There are many fantastic researchers who have more clinically-related questions which are ideally suited to the 7T, and might benefit from having custom-designed hardware to obtain the best data.”

Cutting-edge MRI technology is ideal for research, but sadly even basic MRIs are too often inaccessible for people with a medical need. “It’s a sobering fact that more than 70% of the world’s population has zero access to MRI,” explains Webb. “Even in high-income countries such as the USA and Europe there are enormous disparities in the level of accessibility of MRI facilities, particularly in rural areas.” In his role at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Webb and his team are working to bring MRI to those underserved populations by designing smaller, low-field MRI systems which are cheaper and easier to set up. Webb plans to continue this work, saying “I hope that we can bring these types of projects to Illinois, and integrate the principles of ‘frugal engineering innovation’ into the engineering curriculum.”

MRI isn’t the only research area Webb is excited to explore at Illinois. “Artificial intelligence and large datasets are topics which are changing the way that we think about imaging in general,” says Webb. However, he encourages exercising caution when it comes to this emerging field, saying “the area has produced some of the most profound improvements, as well as some of the worst hype and rubbish science, in the past decade. Rather than jumping on the bandwagon, there are real opportunities to concentrate on unique aspects where AI can improve healthcare where it is needed most, in under-resourced areas.”

Webb’s addition promises to benefit the Department of Bioengineering’s educational mission as much as its research. Webb is looking forward to mentoring students, shaping  curriculum and enhancing the senior design capstone program, saying “I hope we are able to establish some long-term educational and research programs by integrating low-cost MRI hardware and image processing software into senior design and capstone projects.” Webb said he was excited to get back into education after spending the past decade at LUMC, where opportunities to teach were more limited. 

Webb’s return to Illinois strengthens the department’s leadership in imaging research, expands opportunities for student engagement and supports the department’s mission across research and education. Professor Webb’s work will play a pivotal role in expanding the department’s impact as it continues to define the future of bioengineering.