Michael I. Miller, PhD is a highly accomplished biomedical engineer who currently serves as the Director of the Johns Hopkins University Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) which has ranked No. 1 in the country for BME since 1992 by the annual U.S. News and World Report.

While the contributions his work has made to the field of medicine cannot be overstated, including generating the first neural codes for cochlear implants, Michael says he was never really that focused on what he wanted to do after college, and was not that aware of biomedical engineering as a field before he was encouraged to visit the graduate schools at Johns Hopkins.

Having always enjoyed math and physics, this nudge was serendipity as it allowed him to do things that were analytical and quantitative, and apply his knowledge to the field of biology, where he felt he could make a difference.

Read Michael's full Pioneer Spotlight here

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The key takeaways from Michael's spotlight are:‍

1. Art opens your mind to new ideas

2. To be successful, focus on the essentials while creating a welcoming space for ambition

3. Exhibit behavior that is worth emulating