President: Prof Sarah Cartmell
University of Manchester
sarah.cartmell@manchester.ac.uk
Sarah’s research is in the area of healthcare technology. Her group develops new biomedical materials, new medical devices and tissue engineering approaches in the area of orthopaedic and woundcare.
She has been an active member of TCES for nearly 20 years. She was TCES membership secretary 2006-2011 and TCES secretary role from 2011-2021, being elected President in July 2021.
Secretary: Dr Lisa White
University of Nottingham
lisa.white@nottingham.ac.uk
Lisa White’s expertise is in biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications with a particular focus on developing extracellular matrix biomaterials for bone and nervous tissue applications. Lisa has a keen interest in the use of supercritical fluids for biomaterials development and her team also develop polymeric microparticle systems for growth factor and protein delivery and to aid cell engraftment
Treasurer: Prof Nick Forsyth
Keele University
n.r.forsyth@keele.ac.uk
Nick, Dean of Research and Professor of Stem Cell Biology at Keele University has been a Council member since 2015. Nick’s research interests span a wide range of regenerative medicine aspects including cell therapy, fundamental stem cell biology (adult and pluripotent), biomaterials, and culture conditions with a focus on respiratory disorders, tendon repair, and diabetes
Membership Secretary: Dr Helen Berry
University of Leeds
H.E.berry@leeds.ac.uk
Helen Berry is a Lecturer in Cardiovascular Regenerative Devices and Therapies at the University of Leeds. Her research centres on understanding tissue regeneration within acellular scaffolds for the repair and replacement of damaged tissues. Integrating expertise gained from the medical device industry, she also investigates translational challenges such as bioprocessing and sterilisation, with the aim of facilitating the clinical adoption of novel medical technologies. Helen was elected to the TCES committee in 2022.
TCES Net & Awards: Prof Nicholas Evans
University of Southampton
N.D.Evans@soton.ac.uk
Nick works on drug delivery and mechanobiology applied to bone and skin repair. He has been attending TCES events since 2005 and currently co-ordinates TCES Net, TCES awards and looks after the website.
External Relations: Prof James Phillips
University College London
jb.phillips@ucl.ac.uk
James is a nervous system tissue engineer and uses cell, drug, gene and biomaterials therapies for regenerative medicine and modelling application in the CNS and peripheral nerves. He is a TCES Committee member with particular responsibility for external relations.
Dr James Armstrong – Conference Liaison
University of Bristol
james.armstrong@bristol.ac.uk
James Armstrong is Associate Professor of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at the University of Bristol, where he leads an interdisciplinary research group developing new technologies and biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This includes the design and implementation of acoustic bioassembly tools, 3D bioprinting methods, structured and responsive biomaterials, and machine learning algorithms. The team collaborate with academic and clinical experts to apply these approaches to in vitro modelling (e.g., patient-derived cancer organoids, neural organoids, neurovascular tissue models) and clinical tissue repair (musculoskeletal regeneration, cardiac grafts).
Student Recruitment: Dr Stephen Richardson
University of Manchester
S.Richardson@manchester.ac.uk
Steve’s research focusses on multipotent and pluripotent stem cell differentiation, biomaterial interaction and application in musculoskeletal tissue engineering, with a focus on cartilaginous tissues such as the intervertebral disc. He has been attending TCES meetings since 2002 and was TCES treasurer from 2014-2023
Travel Bursary Co-ordinator: Prof Jonathan Dawson
University of Southampton
jid@soton.ac.uk
Jon Dawson is a Principal Investigator and EPSRC Research Fellow at the University of Southampton developing nanoclays for regenerative applications. He is currently serving on the TCES committee and ECR representative.
Industrial Liaison: Dr Hadi Mirmalek-Sani
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
hadi.mirmalek@gmail.com
Hadi has a background in stem cell biology and tissue engineering but is now the Programme Manager for viral vector (gene therapy) manufacturing at the UK’s Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, jointly overseeing their in-house VV development programme. HMS’s role as Industrial Liaison is as a bridge to industry, and through his role at the Catapult, to support the TCES community in translation of their work into the clinic.
Awards Review: Dr Vanessa Hearnden
University of Sheffield
v.hearnden@sheffield.ac.uk
Vanessa Hearnden is lecturer in Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials at the University of Sheffield. Her research looks at soft tissue wound healing, with a focus on the regenerative properties of adipose tissues and its effects on scarring and wound healing.
Vanessa Hearnden was elected to the TCES committee in 2018 and has an interest in connecting our vibrant research community while promoting the work of early career researchers in the field.
Newsletter Co-ordinator: Dr Mahetab Amer
University of Leeds
mahetab.amer@manchester.ac.uk
Mahi is at the University of Manchester, leading a group which focuses on studying and employing 3D material-cell interactions for skeletal tissue engineering and in vitro disease modelling applications. She has been attending TCES since 2014 and was elected to the TCES committee in 2022.
Postgraduate Representative: Emma Kelly
University of Glasgow
e.kelly.2@research.gla.ac.uk
Postdoctoral Representative: Dr Hoda Eltaher
University of Nottingham
hoda.eltaher@nottingham.ac.uk
Hoda works on drug/gene delivery for regenerative medicine and biomedical applications. She has a particular interest in developing composite hydrogels/nanofibers with particulate drug carriers for bone/skin regeneration. Her current role at the university of Nottingham involves gene delivery for regenerative, lung gene therapy and immunization applications. Hoda has been elected as the PDRA Representative since 2022.
Dr Caroline Taylor – Postdoctoral Representative
University of Sheffield
c.s.taylor@sheffield.ac.uk
Caroline is a research fellow at the University of Sheffield. Her research focus is the development of in vitro human nerve injury models to study nerve regeneration, disease and disorders. She works with materials and drugs to develop better nerve guidance conduits. She also works in cardiovascular medical device testing and developing osteochondral implants to promote in situ repair of traumatic and early osteoarthritic cartilage defects.
Dr Marco Domingos
University of Manchester
marco.domingos@manchester.ac.uk
Marco Domingos is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Manchester. His research lies at the intersection of engineering, materials science, and biology, with a focus on biofabrication for healthcare applications. Based at the Henry Royce Institute in Manchester, his group focuses on the development of advanced biomaterials and 3D bioprinting technologies for use in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and disease modelling. A key focus of their work is the fabrication of functional, cell-laden constructs that closely replicate native tissue environments to improve understanding of biological processes and advance therapeutic development.
Professor Eirini Velliou – Role to be decided
University College London
e.velliou@ucl.ac.uk
Eirini is a bioengineer/tissue engineer with specific focus on developing biomaterial based advanced dynamic cancer 3D models. To date, she has led the development of advanced pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and skin cancer models, including novel treatment screening within those models. She is also working on engineering complex multi-phase 3D models of mixed microbial (bacterial) communities, to map the development of microbial environmental stress adaptation and antimicrobial resistance.
President Emeritus: Prof Mark P Lewis
Loughborough University
M.P.Lewis@lboro.ac.uk