Joseph Bell (12 May 1861 – 15 April 1912) was a British engineer who served as first Chief Engineer of Olympic, and subsequently RMS Titanic; he died in Titanic's sinking.

Joseph Bell was the first son of John Bell Sr. and Margaret Watson, both agricultural entrepreneurs. He grew up in Farlam, a small village in the Rural District of Brampton, in the county of Cumberland; he had three siblings: Jane (1864), Richard (1865) and John Jr. (1868). His mother Margaret died shortly after giving birth to her last child.

Joseph Bell initially attended a private Primary school in the village of Farlam and, after the death of his mother, he moved with his father and his brothers to Carlisle, between the districts of Edentown and Stanwix; Joseph and the brothers attended Carlisle's Academy William Harrison. In time, his younger brother John decided to migrate to Australia, embarking on the transatlantic SS Great Britain, while the rest of the family remained in Carlisle.

After leaving Carlisle, Bell moved to Newcastle, serving his engineering apprenticeship as an engine fitter at the Tyneside works of Robert Stephenson and Company.

In 1885, Bell was hired by the White Star Line and worked on many ships that traded with New Zealand and the United States. In 1891 he was promoted to chief mechanical engineer.

Sister Jane married William Hugh Lowthian in 1886 and spent many years living in Ripley, Derbyshire, where he was a bank manager. It was probably at this time that Joseph met Maud Bates, whom he married in 1893; the couple had 4 children: Frances John, called Frank (1896), Marjorie Clare (1899), Eileen Maud (1901), and Ralph Douglas (1908).

In 1911, Joseph found lodging in Belfast, along with his wife and younger son. The two daughters remained at Ripley, cared for by both a housekeeper and their aunt and uncle (Bell's sister and brother-in-law), while the then fifteen-year-old Frank was studying at the Grosvenor College in Carlisle and later did an apprenticeship at the Harland & Wolff shipyards. Bell became one of the White Star Line's most trusted engineers and was sent to Belfast to oversee the construction and installation of the engines of a number of new White Star liners, including the Laurentic and Megantic in 1908 and 1909. He had subsequently taken each of these liners out for their first few voyages, serving as Chief Engineer. During Olympic's building, Bell had remained in Belfast during the whole time, superintending the ship's construction, "making any suggestions which he thought would lead to improvements." He oversaw the installation of the ship's powerplant and served on the ship as Chief Engineer during her maiden voyage. Bell returned to Belfast and Robert Fleming, another White Star senior engineer, was promoted to chief engineer on Olympic. Bell was present as the Titanic's engines were constructed and assembled at the yard Engine Works.

After serving on the Olympic, he transferred to the Titanic, where he was given the post of chief engineer. He did not formally sign on to the ship until the morning of 2 April. On 10 April, after the ship left Southampton, Bell ordered Leading Fireman Frederick "Fred" Barrett to extinguish a fire in one of the coal bunkers, explaining "Builder's men want to inspect that bulkhead." While anchored in Queenstown, White Star Line Chairman J. Bruce Ismay called Bell to his cabin and discussed the matter of the ship's performance.