December 17, 2024

Prof. Dr. Banu Onaral, a pioneering biomedical engineer, visionary academic leader, and global innovator, passed away peacefully on December 17, 2024, at the age of 75.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Dr. Onaral was the daughter of Şükûfe Demirağ and Mehmet Kum (1922–2011). Her mother, Şükûfe, was the daughter of Turkish industrialist and aviation magnate Nuri Demirağ, a prominent figure in the early years of the Turkish Republic’s industrial and entrepreneurial efforts. Her father, Mehmet Kum, stood out as one of Turkey’s earliest aircraft construction engineers and pilots, having trained at what is now Istanbul Technical University and interning at the acclaimed Nuri Demirağ Aircraft Factory. This lineage immersed Dr. Onaral from childhood in an atmosphere of innovation and intellectual pursuit.

Dr. Onaral was raised in a family that highly valued education, exploration, and progress. She received her secondary education at the Notre Dame de Sion French Girls’ High School in Istanbul. Alongside her sisters—Bilge Kum, Mesude Kum Ötigen, and the late Meral Kum Kösebay—she grew up in an environment that encouraged learning, resilience, and an international outlook that would shape her life’s work.

After completing her early education, Dr. Onaral earned a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Boğaziçi University in 1973 and 1974, respectively. She continued her academic journey in the United States, obtaining her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. In 1981, she joined the faculty of Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she rose to become the H. H. Sun Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Her pioneering leadership led to the transformation of Drexel’s Biomedical Engineering and Science Institute into the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems in 1997, where she served as Founding Director until 2014. In her later years, she served as Senior Presidential Advisor for Global Innovation Partnerships, guiding Drexel’s international collaborations and entrepreneurial initiatives.

Dr. Onaral’s academic focus encompassed complex systems, biomedical signal processing, and functional optical brain imaging. She established several interdisciplinary research initiatives, including the CONQUER (Cognitive Neuroengineering and Quantitative Experimental Research) CollabOrative, to advance the application of functional optical brain imaging in healthcare, cognitive performance, and human-system integration. Her work, funded by NSF, NIH, ONR, DARPA, DHS, FAA, and the U.S. Marines, reflected the breadth of her influence—stretching from biomedical technology and mental health to national security and global innovation ecosystems. A dedicated mentor, she supervised countless graduate students, fostering new generations of scientists and engineers.

The honors Dr. Onaral received throughout her career attest to her exceptional impact. She won the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, the EDUCOM Best Educational Software Award, and the NSF Faculty Achievement Award. She was a Fellow of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and was a Founding Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She served as President of IEEE-EMBS, where she shaped the vision of one of the largest biomedical engineering societies in the world, and helped organize influential international conferences and strategic scientific panels.

With a deep commitment to translational research and entrepreneurship, Dr. Onaral guided the establishment of the Coulter-Drexel Translational Research Partnership Endowment. She played a key role in connecting academic innovation with the entrepreneurial and investment communities, accelerating the transition of medical technologies from bench to bedside. Internationally, she forged enduring partnerships in China, Israel, Italy, Spain, and Turkey, fostering a global network of innovation, dual-degree programs, and research collaborations.

In her final days, Dr. Onaral remained deeply engaged with research and inquiry. Even as she faced her own illness, she continued to learn, study, and observe, using her personal experience as both a patient and a technology developer to inform clinical processes. By providing insights from the inside out, she sought to help medical researchers and clinicians understand the patient’s perspective more fully, ultimately striving to improve care, compassion, and outcomes for future patients.

The funeral service for Dr. Onaral will be held on Thursday, December 19, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that those wishing to honor her memory consider making a donation to Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği (CYDD) on her behalf, supporting the organization’s mission to foster education and service opportunities.

Dr. Onaral’s personal life reflected her family’s rich heritage of creativity and exploration. She is survived by her husband, Ibrahim Onaral, and her son, the Philadelphia soul singer Mutlu Onaral, known as “Mutlu.” Through his music and artistic expression, the family’s legacy of innovation, international collaboration, and cultural exchange continues.

Dr. Banu Onaral will be remembered not only for her transformative contributions to biomedical engineering and global innovation but also for her generosity as a mentor, her visionary leadership, and her enduring dedication to improving human health and well-being. Her life’s work—rooted in a remarkable family lineage and expanded through her own extraordinary achievements—will continue to inspire future generations of thinkers, inventors, and leaders worldwide.

Drexel University has also established the Professor Banu Onaral Endowed Fund for Global Innovation Partnerships (GIP) in recognition of Dr. Onaral’s longstanding commitment to fostering synergistic global academic and innovation partnerships. Gifts to this Endowed Fund will support the next generation of biomedical engineers. Donations fund undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students engaged in research, innovation, and service abroad, advancing fields like neurotechnology, immune engineering, and cell and gene therapy. To make a gift to the endowed fund, please visit our giving page here.