Trailblazing Engineer

Dr. Joseph Bull is the H. Chik M. Erzurumlu Dean of the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University. He is the first Native American Dean of Engineering in the country. Dr. Bull's work primarily centers on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, related biomedical devices, and edema, addressing fundamental biofluid mechanics problems that may enable new clinical therapies or diagnostics.

As a Native American faculty member (an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, a federally recognized tribe of the Lenape), and a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Bull has a substantial history of working to improve racial equity and diversity.

His work in this area has been recognized by many in the field, including by his receiving the Raymond J. and Monica E. Schultz Outreach and Diversity Award from the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan in 2016. In his leadership work as Dean, he challenges the STEM community to rethink its inclusion strategies, advocating for a system that values and integrates the unique perspectives and practices of Native Americans.