Dr. Bell spent 23 years at Digital Equipment Corporation as vice president of research and development, where he was responsible for Digital's products. He was the architect of various mini- and time-sharing computers and led the development of DEC's VAX and the VAX Computing Environment. Bell has been involved in, or responsible for, the design of many products at Digital, Encore, Ardent, and a score of other companies. He has been involved in the design of about 30 multiprocessors.

Dr. Bell has a SB and SM degree from MIT (1956-57) and honorary D. Eng. from WPI (1993). During 1966-72 he was Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon University. In 1986-1987 he was the first Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation's Computing Directorate. He led the National Research and Education Network (NREN) panel that became the NII/GII, and was an author of the first High Performance Computer and Communications Initiative.

Dr. Bell is the author of numerous books and papers about computer structures and startup companies. In April 1991, Addison-Wesley published High Tech Ventures: The Guide to Entrepreneurial Success, and Computer Structures with Allen Newell and Dan Siewiorek. Bell is on the boards and technical advisory boards of Ambit Design, Cirrus Logic, Diamond Exchange, Fakespace, Magnifi, Pictranet, University Video Communications, Silicon Sorcery, Vanguard Group. He is a director of the Bell-Mason Group supplying expert systems for venture development to startups, investors, governments, and intrapreneurial ventures. He is a founder and Overseer of The Computer Museum, Boston and the new Computer Museum History Center at Moffett Field.

He has received a substantial number of awards from professional organizations, and the local and federal governments.