Zhipeng Deng – 2025 ACCA award winner

Zhipeng Deng zhipeng.deng@bristol.ac.uk

I am a PhD student in the Armstrong Group working in Translational Health Sciences at the University of Bristol. My research focuses on developing injectable granular hydrogels that can stimulate endogenous vascularization and regeneration of non-union bone fractures. The Adam Curtis Collaboration Award enabled me to visit the laboratories of Prof. Dave Adams and Dr. Emily Draper to evaluate the complex rheological properties of my composite biomaterials. During a two-week placement at the University of Glasgow, I received comprehensive training on rheometry and conducted detailed rheological characterizations—including strain sweeps, frequency sweeps, time sweeps, viscometry, and shear recovery—on my hydrogel systems. These experiments generated high-quality datasets that are now being prepared for publication.