Dr Harriet Lea-Banks is a Lecturer in Biomedical Ultrasound in the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering at UCL. Her research develops focused ultrasound for non-invasive brain therapy, combining transcranial focused ultrasound, MRI guidance and ultrasound-responsive nanodroplets to modulate neural activity and deliver drugs to specific brain regions. Current projects include neuromodulation for treating hypertension, the use of nanodroplets as in situ reporters of pressure in the brain, and AI-driven design of nanomedicines.

She completed an MEng in Acoustical Engineering at the University of Southampton (2014) and a DPhil in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oxford (2018). She then worked at Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, and held an Assistant Professor appointment at the University of Toronto, before joining UCL in 2025.