October 24, 2025
Meet our new faculty: Ben Levy
Ben Levy, physics | Photo by Rick Smith
My research focuses on: I am a medical imaging physicist focused on ultrasound. Ultrasound is a versatile, cost-effective, and safe imaging modality with a wide variety of applications, ranging from emergency medicine and cardiology to prenatal care. Challenges arise, however, when the object of interest has similar acoustic properties to the surrounding tissue. For example, some kinds of blood clots and tumors do not show up with standard ultrasound techniques.
I am working to develop a new type of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging called magnetomotive ultrasound or “MMUS” In MMUS, magnetic nanoparticle tracers may be used to label items of interest within the body. An external magnetic field is then applied, which sets the particles in motion. This motion can be detected under ultrasound, thus giving us a means of identifying magnetically labeled regions that would not otherwise be visible.
Work in my lab spans tabletop experimentation, bench chemistry, image processing, and computation. I am always excited to mentor students, so feel free to read more and reach out if you are interested!
This fall, I am teaching: This fall I am teaching PHYS 152: Accelerated Physics II: Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics, as well as one laboratory section of PHYS 133: Physics II: Electricity, Magnetism, and Waves.
What students can expect from me: I emphasize communication and collaboration in the classroom. If you are in one of my courses, you won’t just be sitting back while physics washes over you—you’ll be leaning forward (or even standing up!) and doing physics. Together, we will create a stronger, more exciting learning environment than I ever could alone.
Getting to know me: I am an avid distance runner, so if you see me running around town, don’t worry—I’m probably not being chased by a bear. On weekends I enjoy the adventure of finding new trails to run or hike—let me know if you have any suggestions! Also, I recently got into the model train hobby. I am currently building a small, N-scale (that’s 1:160) layout depicting a mountainside scene in northwestern Washington state.
