Image by Ed Brennen Biomedical Engineering Professor Lara Thompson '03, left, and Assistant Professor Yanfen Li have been inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows.
Two UMass Lowell biomedical engineering professors have been inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows.
Lara Thompson ’03 and Yanfen Li were selected for the honor, which recognizes the top 2% of medical and biological engineers. They were formally inducted during the AIMBE annual meeting in April in Arlington, Virginia, alongside 175 members of the 2026 class.
Thompson was recognized by AIMBE for her contributions to rehabilitation engineering, developing technologies and therapies that improve balance, gait and mobility for people with neurological disorders. Her research translates insights about the body’s balance system into clinical applications, including rehabilitation robotics for stroke patients.
The recognition came just months after Thompson returned to her alma mater, where she earned her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering.
“One of the reasons that I came back to UMass Lowell was to start up biomechanics-focused research and contribute to the growth of the Biomedical Engineering Department,” says Thompson, who had spent the previous 12 years at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., where she founded a biomedical engineering program and led a biomechanics research center focused on human mobility.
Image by Ed Brennen Biomedical Engineering Professor Lara Thompson '03, seen here discussing her lab's work with visiting high school students, was named an AIMBE fellow for her contributions to rehabilitation engineering.
Thompson says the recognition speaks to the strength of UML’s program, particularly given its size.
“We’re not a big department in terms of faculty numbers, so I think having two awardees in the same room is notable,” she says.
Thompson, who earned a master’s degree from Stanford University and completed her Ph.D. through the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, was the 2022 recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award, the nation’s highest honor for early-career scientists and engineers.
Li, an assistant professor, was recognized “for her outstanding contributions in advancing equity-driven biomedical engineering education through inclusive pedagogy, faculty mentorship and community-engaged outreach.”
Her work focuses on expanding access to engineering education, particularly for students underrepresented in STEM, through research and programs designed to strengthen students’ sense of belonging and identity in the field.
Image by Ed Brennen Assistant Professor Yanfen Li, seen here leading a STEM conference for faculty last fall, was named an AIMBE fellow for her work in advancing equity-driven biomedical engineering education.
Li has also explored ways to reach students in rural communities and rethink how engineering concepts are taught.
“We try to focus on the students that need it the most,” says Li, who was also recently named Outstanding Teacher at the American Society for Engineering Education Northeast Regional Conference.
While in Washington for the AIMBE meeting, Li visited Capitol Hill, where fellows shared their work with policymakers and advocated for their field.
She says being inducted alongside Thompson made the recognition even more meaningful.
“It’s so nice to be inducted with one of my colleagues,” Li says. “It’s not very common for two people from the same department to be inducted together.”