Interdisciplinary Skills Group

Dr Pola G. Oppenheimer is Reader in Micro-Engineering and Bio-Nanotechnology, and a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at the School of Chemical Engineering and the Healthcare Technologies Institute (HTI). Her high-impact and trend-setting research focuses on nanostructured surfaces developing sophisticated technologies to realise advanced micro-engineered diagnostic devices.

Madeleine Lowery is a Professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University College Dublin and the Head of Subject for Biomedical Engineering at UCD. Her research focuses on the application of engineering methods to understand the human nervous system as it relates to movement, in health and disease, and to design therapies and technologies to improve impaired motor function.

James Wolffsohn is a Professor of Optometry and the Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor at Aston University. His main research areas are the development and evaluation of ophthalmic instrumentation, contact lenses, intraocular lenses and the tear film. He is the academic Chair of the British Contact Lens Association, having been a past president, was a harmoniser and sub-committee chair for TFOS DEWS II and joint-Chair of the International Myopia Institute reports.

Dr Massimo Vassalli is a Biomedical Engineering Reader at the University of Glasgow. In his research Dr Vassalli is committed to adopt physical approaches to disclose details of biological systems (biophysics). In particular, using high sensitivity nanotechnology tools (AFM, MEMS, Optical Tweezers) to characterize mechanical properties of single molecules and to study how mechanical stimuli can influence single living cells (mechanobiology).

Sue Barnett is a Professor of Cellular Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow. She leads the Glial Cell Biology Group within the Institute of Infection Immunity and Inflammation. The group focuses on the use of glial cells for central nervous system (CNS) repair.

Dr Mathis Riehle is a Reader in the Institute of Molecular Cell & Systems Biology at the University of Glasgow. His research investigates the molecular mechanisms of how cells interact with surfaces using devices made by micro- and nanofabrication with a specific chemical, topographic or mechanical surface design.

Dr David France is a Lecturer in the School of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. His research is grounded in the idea that molecules in isolation don’t serve any function, but that interactions with larger systems can generate important effects. The systems he is most interested in are biological, and therefore carbon based, the original definition of the‌ term “organic”.

Georgia Harris is the 2019 CDT student representative from the University of Birmingham. Georgia's researching is dedicated to developing a portable, non-invasive device to diagnose traumatic brain industry through the eye using Raman Spectroscopy.

Chloe Wallace is the 2020 CDT student representative from the University of Glasgow. Chloe is researching new hydrogels for encapsulation and biomedical applications.

Juda Milvidaite is the 2021 CDT student representative from the University of Glasgow. Juda is researching engineering encapsulation materials and methods to preserve organoids and biopsy material.