Three Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) faculty members who are developing advanced medical imaging technologies have been inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. Their work spans next-generation ultrasound, bioinspired camera systems for medical diagnostics, and optical imaging technology for detecting cancer.
Health Innovation Professor Michael Oelze, along with Professors Viktor Gruev and Yang Liu of CI MED’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, were nominated and elected for their contributions to engineering and medicine research, practice, or education. Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions for medical and biological engineers and comprises the top two percent of engineers in these fields.
Michael Oelze
Oelze was honored “for pioneering contributions and international leadership in biomedical ultrasound: quantitative ultrasound, super-resolution imaging, and therapeutic applications.”
His research is at the forefront of developing novel ultrasonic imaging technologies. A Health Innovation Professor at CI MED, Oelze was awarded $2.6 million in federal grant funds to pursue next-gen ultrasound. Oelze’s lab is building a cost-effective system to make ultrafast ultrasound technology more widely accessible for disease diagnosis and medical research. Ultrafast 3D volumetric ultrasound imaging can yield richer diagnostic information, capturing data on both depth and motion in real time.
“AIMBE fellowships are demonstrable evidence that people are having an impact in their research and contributions to the field of biomedical engineering,” Oelze said.
Oelze is a Health Innovation Professor at CI MED. He is also a professor in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Bioengineering and affiliated with the Cancer Center at Illinois and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, also at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Viktor Gruev
Gruev’s work involves imaging sensors inspired by real-life biological processes. “A foundational contribution in this area was my group’s development of the first visible-spectrum, single-chip color-polarization imaging sensor, which made it possible to capture co-registered color and polarization information in the same exposure on a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) device,” Gruev said.
“I hope this recognition helps amplify Illinois’ leadership. I’m particularly motivated to use the AIMBE community to help strengthen the ecosystem that enables biomedical engineering innovations to reach patients,” he said.
In addition to his role at CI MED, Gruev is a professor in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Bioengineering and is affiliated with the Cancer Center at Illinois and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Yang Liu
Liu’s work enables advancements in precision medicine by developing cutting-edge optical microscopy imaging platforms, particularly for cancer detection, prevention, and treatment.
Her lab’s work in advanced microscopy and sensitive imaging probes is complemented by artificial intelligence, robotic automation, and large-scale image informatics. “AI has become an essential tool and is now deeply embedded across nearly every area of biomedical research. AI does not replace this domain knowledge; instead, it amplifies its power,” she said.
Liu is a professor of Bioengineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering and is affiliated with The Cancer Center at Illinois and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Oelze, Gruev, and Liu, along with CI MED Dean Mark Cohen, were among 175 inductees who make up the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2026. Read more about Dean Cohen’s selection as an AIMBE Fellow here. A formal induction ceremony was held during the AIMBE Annual Event in Arlington, Virginia, on April 13, 2026.