[1] He received his master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M in 1981 and 1986, respectively.

[4] A 30-year veteran of higher education, Bell started his career as an assistant senior engineer for Mobil Research and Development Corp. in Dallas.

He directed the University of Alabama's Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies from 1998 to 2002.

[2][4] During Bell's tenure there and earlier at the University of Kansas, where he served as dean of its College of Engineering, those institutions opened new facilities, and student recruitment, retention and success were emphasized.

He was presented the T. Morris Hackney Faculty Leadership Award for the UA College of Engineering in 2001, and, in 2005, he received the Richard S. Woodbury Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.