Bioengineering Professor Brad Sutton Named Founder Professor in Bioengineering

Bioengineering professor Brad Sutton was officially named Founder Professor in Bioengineering during an investiture ceremony on Tuesday, March 31 at the Beckman Institute.

Founder Professorships are supported through the Grainger Engineering Breakthroughs Initiative, a $100 million investment from The Grainger Foundation that strengthens multidisciplinary research and supports recruitment and retention of world‑class faculty.

“This honor means a lot to me,” said professor Sutton. “This award is especially meaningful because it was made possible by The Grainger Foundation. The Grainger Foundation has had a significant impact on my time at Illinois, from supporting the recruitment of other senior faculty to the renovation of Everitt Laboratory."

In his speech at the investiture, Dean of The Grainger College of Engineering and professor of bioengineering Rashid Bashir noted, “Each investiture marks not only an extraordinary achievement, but also the beginning of a new chapter, one that anticipates future breakthroughs made possible through the generosity of donors and the enduring strength of this institution. On behalf of The Grainger College of Engineering, let me say that we are extremely proud of professor Sutton and his accomplishments.”

Professor Sutton’s research focuses on pushing the boundaries of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to capture clearer images of the brain. He has optimized MRI’s entire imaging process, from the initial data collection to the methodology used to construct the final image. Professor Sutton credits his remarkable success to the interdisciplinary faculty around him. “The significant impact I have had comes from collaborations with the excellent neuroscientists at Beckman Institute and other excellent faculty in imaging on campus.”

Much of professor Sutton’s educational and professional career is rooted at Illinois, where he graduated with a B.S. in general engineering in 1998 before completing his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan. In 2003, he returned to Illinois as a research scientist at the Beckman Institute, joining the Department of Bioengineering at The Grainger College of Engineering three years later. Professor Sutton values the culture at Illinois, saying “it is an institution that does not hold back from complexity, constantly pushes for excellence, and surrounds you with people who are so smart that it keeps you humble.”

Since the Department of Bioengineering’s founding, professor Sutton has played a key leadership role. He helped shape the department’s curriculum, encouraging students to think about the body in new ways. He was instrumental in developing the Bioengineering undergraduate curriculum, as well as helping to launch the department’s first-in-the-nation undergraduate degree in neural engineering. Professor Sutton also contributed to the creation of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the world’s first engineering-based medical school.

“Professor Sutton’s impact on research and our community is extraordinary,” said professor Mark Anastasio, former Department Head of Bioengineering at Illinois. “Just as importantly, Brad has been a selfless builder of programs, curriculum, and shared research infrastructure. He is not only a superb scholar, but a generous colleague whose leadership has elevated everyone around him.”

As the landscape of science and healthcare evolves, professor Sutton believes the Department of Bioengineering and The Grainger College of Engineering are uniquely suited to address emerging challenges. “I am excited to see some of our research tools start to open up new insights in the brain and body in clinical application areas,” he said. “We have the first and only 7T ultrahigh field MRI system in the state of Illinois, owned jointly with Carle Foundation Hospital. It impacts both the research we can do and the clinical information accessible from MRI.” 

The Master of Ceremony was professor Shuming Nie, Interim Department Head of Bioengineering and Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering. “Professor Sutton is a remarkable individual and scholar, and his academic contributions go beyond magnetic resonance imaging,” said Nie. “He was one of the pioneers in adapting Nvidia’s graphics cards (GPU) for accelerated computing and imaging processing. I only hope that Brad bought lots of Nvidia stocks 15 years ago.”

Looking ahead, professor Sutton remains committed to advancing research and education at Illinois. “This has been the ideal place to grow and learn and I consider myself lucky to be a part of it.”