Leading Team | Researchers | Project partners
Prof. Richard Hall
Principal Investigator
University of Leeds
Professor Hall has an undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Leeds and was awarded a PhD from the University of Lancaster. He rejoined the University of Leeds as a jointly appointed Lecturer in the Schools of Mechanical Engineering and Medicine. His appointment is now solely within the School of Mechanical Engineering. The appointment to Professor was made in 2006. Richard is a member of the Institute of Physics and a Chartered Physicist.
Professor Rebecca Shipley
Lead UCL
Research and Innovation Lead
University College London
Becky Shipley is Professor of Healthcare Engineering at UCL, and Director of the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering. Her research interests lie in mathematical and computational modelling in medicine and biology with an emphasis on multidisciplinary approaches which integrate data from biological experiments, medical imaging and patients. Becky works in application areas spanning cancer, tissue engineering and human physiology. In 2017 she co-founded the UCL Centre for Nerve Engineering, which brings together physical, engineering, life and clinical scientists to tackle nerve injury repair. Her research has been awarded numerous prizes, including the Rosetrees Trust Interdisciplinary Prize 2016 for research at the interface of mathematics, computer science and medicine (with Prof. Simon Walker-Samuel).
In 2020, Becky co-led the UCL-Ventura programme to design and manufacture non-invasive breathing aids at scale for treating COVID-19 patients. Within 4 weeks, 10,000 devices had been manufactured by Mercedes AMG HPP and devices have been provided to over 130 NHS hospitals. The design and manufacturing instructions were made available globally at no cost and the devices are now being used in over 30 countries. The team was awarded numerous prizes including the Royal Academy of Engineering President’s Special Awards for Pandemic Service (2020), the Health Service Journal Awards 2020: Acute Sector Innovation of the Year. Becky was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021.
Since 2018, Becky has been Director of the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering which brings together engineers, medical and clinical scientists to develop medical and digital technologies. She is also Non-Executive Director at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust.
Related Activities
Becky’s research involves multidisciplinary collaboration with teams spanning mathematicians, engineers, biologists, biochemists, clinicians. Throughout, she aims to develop mathematical and computational models, benchmarked against biological, imaging or patient data, which provide insights into physiology and predictive tools to inform future therapies. Example projects include:
• Mathematical Modelling Led Design of Tissue-Engineered Constructs: A New Paradigm for Peripheral Nerve Injury Repair (NerveDesign) (EPSRC link)
• CHIMERA: Collaborative Healthcare Innovation through Mathematics, EngineeRing and AI (EPSRC link)
• Assessing Placental Structure and Function by Unified Fluid Mechanical Modelling and in-vivo MRI (EPSRC link)
• Understanding and Improving the Delivery of Nanoparticles to Tumours (CRUK)
Dr Rob Hewson
Lead Imperial
Training Lead
Imperial College London
Rob Hewson is a Reader in Aircraft Design in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London. He has two main areas of active research, which are multiscale design optimisation and tribology. His work in multiscale structural optimisation has received industrial funding from Airbus, the EPSRC and the Royal Academy of Engineering, the latter funding an Industrial Fellowship with Airbus in 2017-2018. The work on structural metamaterials has resulted in the developed software being licenced for commercial exploitation. Rob is a co-investigator and training lead for the EU MSCA ITN BioTrib network and was co-investigator on the EU grant LifeLongJoints. He has also received research funding from the EPSRC, Leverhulme Trust and the BG Group. He previously developed and ran the Department of Aeronautics largest MSc programme as well as being co-lead for one of Imperial’s largest Continuing Professional Development course, the broad subject of which was aircraft design. When not chasing after or being chased by his young children, Rob enjoys eating, walking and gardening, he used to have a pilots licence, and he likes programming, especially when he should be doing admin.
Prof. Michael Bryant
OncoEng+ Global Network Lead
University of Leeds
Dr Michael Bryant CEng FHEA is an Associate Professor in Tribology and Corrosion Engineering in the Institute of Functional Surfaces (iFS), School of Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on tribological and surface interactions of materials used in biomedical applications with a strong publication record within the area of tribology and surface analyses. He has strong ties with industry, academic and regulatory (MHRA expert for tribology and corrosion) groups. Research is currently funded as PI and Co-I through the EPSRC, Wellcome Trust, Royal Society, EU H2020 and Industry (> £5.5m). He was awarded the IMechE Duncan Downson Prize and Sir Thomas Hawksley gold medal in 2018.
Professor Nicholas Ovenden
OncoEng Data Management Lead
University College London
Nick is interested in using applied mathematics to solve real problems in healthcare and industry via interdisciplinary research. His research typically involves tackling challenging aspects of fluid and solid mechanics that utilise asymptotic and perturbation techniques, in combination with accurate numerical computation. Recent research projects include controlling the mechanical properties and vascularisation of engineered nerve tissue, bubble growth in tissue, and modelling the effectiveness of ultrasound contrast agents. He currently co-leads the biomechanical modelling group in the EPSRC-funded CHIMERA Mathematical Sciences in Healthcare Hub, which uses mathematical models and statistical approaches to guide clinical decision making for critically-ill patients.
Co-Investigators
Dr Greg de Boer
University of Leeds
Dr Greg de Boer is a Lecturer in Aeronautical & Aerospace Engineering at the School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds. His background is in the computational mechanics and modelling of fluids and solids with specific focus on tribology and design optimisation. Dr de Boer has investigated the role of surface topography in elastohydrodynamic tribological contacts by developing a multiscale method to couple the disparate scales of lubricated bearings. He furthered this research to investigate different sliding interfacial designs from journal bearings to mechanical seals. More recently he has investigated poroelastic lubrication and the hydration mechanisms of articular cartilage in human joints, this research has facilitated the design of cartilage-like materials capable of exhibiting the high load bearing capacity of natural tissues. His research in biotribology also includes joint replacement technology and the associated biomechanical design of effective implant devices. Dr de Boer is an Associate Editor of the Proceedings of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers Part J Journal of Engineering Tribology, a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Research activities & facilities
Dr de Boer has active research in biotribology investigating the next generation of joint replacement technology for which he co-supervises 3 ESR’s as part of the MSCA European Training Network ‘BioTrib’. He is also contributing to the co-supervision of a research assistant funded by an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award and DePuy Syntheses on the measurement of joint replacement modular tapers. As part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fluid Dynamics and Doctoral Training Partnerships, Dr de Boer is the lead supervisor for PhD projects investigating the poroelasticity of cartilage and the role of hydration mechanisms in maintaining continuous low-friction operation of articulating joints. In total he has 15 PhD students as lead and co-supervisor and several industrial collaborations for taught student research projects. His research team has access to state-of-the-art High Performance Computing facilities through the University of Leeds funded ARC-4 computer cluster. Additionally, his researchers have access to and expertise in several licenced and open-source software packages for the computational analysis of solids, fluids, and to conduct design optimisation.
Additional activities
Dr de Boer is leading PhD projects using computational analysis for solids and fluids across a range of applications including viscoelastic turbulence, corrosion mass transport mechanisms, and the cooling of gas turbine blades. He also co-supervises PhD projects using computational modelling for to investigate viscoelastic contact mechanics, robotic vial inspection, hyperloop vehicle design, hydrogen combustion mechanisms, geothermal corrosion technology and aerodynamic flow control. In addition, he is the Programme Manager for Aeronautical & Aerospace Engineering in the School of Mechanical Engineering and the academic chair of the Aeronautical & Aerospace Industrial Advisory Board which provides research collaborations and opportunities for taught and research students with several partners including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre.
Mr Vishal Borse
Surgeon (Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust)
I am a Consultant Orthopaedic Spinal Surgeon with a special interest in spinal oncology. My undergraduate and postgraduate training took place in Leeds and included 2 years spent in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds, where I was awarded a Doctor of Medicine for my research thesis “In Vitro Biomechanics of Vertebroplasty.” After completing my higher surgical training, I travelled to Hong Kong and Copenhagen for international spinal fellowships under the expert tutelage of Professors Keith Luk, Kenneth Cheung and Martin Gehrchen. I then returned to Leeds to complete my spinal subspecialist training before taking up the post of Consultant Spinal Surgeon at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. I have presented nationally and internationally on all aspects of spinal pathology and sit on expert advisory panels in relation to pathological spinal fracture. I have a specific clinical interest in improving health related outcomes in patients with cancer affecting the spine through the pathway improvement and implementation and the development of novel technologies.
Prof Alex Frangi
University of Leeds
Prof Alex Frangi is Diamond Jubilee Chair in Computational Medicine at the University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, with joint appointments at the Schools of Computing and Medicine. He is also Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies with a focus on Precision Computational Medicine for In Silico Trials of Medical Devices. He is Alan Turing Institute Fellow, the Scientific Director of the Leeds Centre for HealthTech Innovation, a joint initiative from the University of Leeds and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and the Director of Research and Innovation of the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics. During 2001‑present, he founded and directed the Centre for Computational Imaging and Simulation Technologies in Biomedicine (CISTIB). Prof Frangi has visiting positions at KU Leuven, the Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, CNITECH Chinese Academy of Science (Ningbo), the Zhejiang University of Technology (Hangzhou), Shenzhen University (Shenzhen), and Beijing Institute of Technology (Beijing).
Description
Prof Alex Frangi performs cutting-edge research in areas of fundamental and applied biomedical imaging & modelling with impact in personalized minimally invasive therapies and active and healthy ageing. During 2021, Alex received the IEEE EMBS Technical Achievement Award “For pioneering contributions in model-based image computing and image-based computational modelling in medicine with clinical and innovation impact” and a MICCAI award for “outstanding contributions to computational medical imaging”. Alex has published one of the most comprehensive evaluations of in silico trials for endovascular repair of brain aneurysms https://vimeo.com/578167974.
Additional Activities
Prof Alex Frangi is the Chair of the Avicenna Alliance Taskforce on UK Regulatory Science and Innovation and leads the InSilicoUK Innovation Network (www.bit.ly/InSilicoUK) funded by InnovateUK and supported by Innovate KTN.
Dr. Connor Myant
Imperial College London
I am a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at Imperial College London and group lead in the Advanced Manufacturing Group at the Dyson School of Design Engineering. I am currently module leader for Solid Mechanics 2 (Core 2nd yr module), and Design for Additive Manufacture (3rd/4th yr elective) on the Design Engineering Masters Degree. Prior to starting my lectureship I worked in the ICL Tribology Group, where I held a Junior Research Fellowship studying synovial fluid lubrication of artificial articular joints. I gained my PhD from Imperial College London in 2010 on the development of experimental techniques for investigating lubricated, compliant, bearing contacts. I graduated from the University of Exeter in 2006 with a Bachelors (BEng) in Mechanical Engineering.
Research domains: My research interests are focused on 1) the development of additive manufacturing technology and it’s control systems, including novel slicing methodologies and non-conformal tool path generation; 2) establishing design processes specifically tailored to aid engineers/designers find the optimal design solution fit for AM technology, with particular focus on automated design process for mass customisation of medical products; and 3) formulating novel 3D printable materials and determining the properties (mechanical, tribological, biological). My research is conducted in collaboration with multiple institutions, laboratories and academics. Within the Advanced Manufacturing lab we have expertise in building custom 3D printing equipment, material formulation and testing. We have a range of material extrusion and vat-polymerisation printers.
Additional; Pertinent to OconEng we currently have two synergistic projects; ‘Development of a Mass Customisation Pipeline for Medical Devices Using AI’ and ‘Development of intra-stereolithography apparatus for potential Bio-Printing applications’.
Prof Paul Robinson
Imperial College London
I joined Imperial College in 1988 as a lecturer having previously worked for Buro Happold Consulting Engineers and British Aerospace Space and Communications Division as a structural engineer.
My research interests lie in polymer matrix composites. My earlier work had a particular focus on the susceptibility of these materials to delamination and included the development and investigation of tests for characterising delamination resistance and methods for predicting delamination development in composite components due to static, impact and fatigue loading.
More recently my research has included development and investigation of ductile composite architectures (I was a co-I on the EPSRC Programme Grant High Performance Ductile Composite Technologies), investigation of strategies to improve the compression response of advanced composites (I am a co-I on the EPSRC Programme Grant Next Generation Fibre-Reinforced Composites), morphing structures, and controllable stiffness and shape memory composites (I am a partner in the EU-funded training programme ‘HyFiSyn’).
Dr Matthew Santer
Imperial College London
Matthew Santer is Reader in Aerospace Structures and Director of Postgraduate Research in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College. His research lies in the development of adaptive and deployable systems based around the high-precision nonlinear deformation of compliant structures. His work has been funded by the European Space Agency, the US Air Force, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the Chinese Academy of Space Technology, in addition to by industrial partners including MBDA, Airbus and Airbus Defence and Space. Recent related projects have included the development of actuated lattice-based skins for flow control and drag reduction (EP/R032467), morphing wing systems, and the demonstration of active shock-control systems in transonic flow. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Between 2019 and 2021 he was the Chair of the AIAA Spacecraft Structures Technical Committee.
Mr Jake Timothy
Surgeon (Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust)
Mr Jake Timothy is a consultant neurosurgeon and spine surgeon and has been for the last 20 years. He has various NHS honorary contracts in Leeds, Birmingham, Oxford and London and specialises in complex spinal surgical techniques. As a consultant at the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust he pioneered minimally invasive techniques in spinal oncology and published in this area. He has worked with Professor RIchard Hall first publishing together in 2008 and they have had a fruitful surgical engineering collaboration together particularly in the field of cement augmentation.
Prof Simon Walker-Samuel
University College London
Simon Walker-Samuel is Professor of Imaging and Biophysics at University College London. His research focus is the development of new imaging techniques for characterising the tumours non-invasively, principally using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He is developing large-scale, complex computer models of cancer, in order to develop improved methods for delivering drugs to hard-to-reach tumours (such as pancreatic cancers). These also act as test-beds upon which to train artificial intelligence algorithms to interpret radiological images and develop new, autonomous MRI scanning approaches. His focus is the translation of these new techniques into the clinic, to improve the personalisation of cancer therapies and to monitor individual patients’ treatment responses.
Dr Sarah Field
Knowledge Exchange Manager
Dr Sarah Field holds an undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of York, and was awarded a PhD in reproductive physiology by the University of Leeds. In her career so far, she has contributed to the success of several University of Leeds spin-out companies, managing technology development from ideation to exit within commercial pathways and Innovate UK grant structures. In particular, Sarah brings project management experience in developing early stage medical devices. In addition, Sarah trained in adult education, and has strong training and group facilitation skills which she has used to good effect to manage the involvement of stakeholders in research. Passionate about developing HeathTech, Sarah is excited to be part of the OncoEng team.
Support
Alice Hardy
Communications Officer
University College London
Alice is Communications & Impact Manager for the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering.
She supports the Institute of Healthcare Engineering by crafting engaging content for the web, publications and events.
Prior to UCL, Alice worked for several years in marketing in the finance and academic sectors.
Isobel Rees
Web Manager
University of Leeds
With an interest in combining engineering knowledge to benefit the healthcare industry, Issy Rees completed a BEng in Medical Engineering in 2021, before starting a PhD in Oncological Engineering. Her PhD revolves around nanoparticle embedded orthopaedic coatings for targeted therapy of osteosarcoma, a primary bone cancer that largely impacts paediatric patients.
With an interest in Oncological Engineering, and prior experience in managing social media sites for societies during her undergraduate degree, Issy took on the role of Web Developer for OncoEng in March 2022.
Robert Elkington
Web Developer
University of Leeds
Rob is a medical engineering PhD student researcher at the University of Leeds developing soft interfaces for a new generation of cartilage preserving knee replacements. He is also a Student Analyst at Creator Fund with a keen interest in MedTech and deep technology that informs the next generation of enabling materials and engineering innovation.
Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering his core research interests span materials science, additive manufacturing, surface engineering and medical devices. He also has extensive lab experience developing innovative enabling technologies including magnetized lubricants, high-pressure liquid crystal imaging techniques, along with an internship developing space-vehicle engine tribology at Mitsubishi in Japan.
Outside of this Rob is a freelance web designer and digital strategist currently working with two large medical device university training networks.
Elizabeth Hayes
OncoEng Administrator
University of Leeds
Elizabeth Hayes is the OncoEng Administrator, in the OncoEng Project Office with Professor Richard Hall, OncoEng Principal Investigator and Dr Sarah Field, OncoEng Knowledge Exchange Manager. She is delighted to be contributing to OncoEng and to be working with such committed colleagues, on this leading edge programme.
Her earlier journey started with undergraduate studies at Durham University, followed by post graduate studies at Edinburgh University. Her career has been largely in the criminal justice field; in clinical practice, then as a national project manager in the Ministry of Justice and working ina range of other countries on multilateral projects. The focus of her work has been new developments and advances in practice and frequent collaborations with academic institutions and health professions towards this.
In most recent times, Elizabeth has been based in the academic sector, on projects with health care applications; Leeds Beckett University School of Clinical and Applied Sciences, St Gemma’s Hospice Academic Unit Leeds, University of Leeds School of Mechanical Engineering.
Always seeking to be engaged in excellence in innovation, that makes real differences to real lives, her aim is to support, as comprehensively as possible, the activities in OncoEng, towards the prgramme’s successful outcomes
