Michelle L. Oyen, PI
Michelle L. Oyen is a Lecturer in Mechanics of Biological Materials in the Mechanics and Materials Division and the Engineering for the Life Sciences group in the Cambridge University Engineering Department. She holds a B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering and an M.S. Degree in Engineering Mechanics, both from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. degree in Biophysical Sciences and Medical Physics from the University of Minnesota. She joined Cambridge Engineering in 2006 following an appointment as Research Scientist at the University of Virginia Center for Applied Biomechanics. She is a member of the Materials Research Society and the ASME Bioengineering Division, a principal editor for the Journal of Materials Research, a moderator of iMechanica and a founding committee member and webmaster for the new UK-based Bioengineering Society.
Matteo Galli, post-doc
Dr Galli is collaborating with Dr Michelle L. Oyen. The project has the objective of establishing a methodology for the assessment of the time-dependent response of biomimetic bone-like nanocomposites and polymer-based nanocomposites. Both viscoelastic and poroelastic appraoches have been considered. The characterization of the material behaviour is carried out according to a combined experimental-numerical multiscale approach. His publications may be found on his website
Oliver Hudson, PhD student
Novel wood-polymer composites for sustainable building
Oliver is working as part of a collaborative project with the Departments of
Chemistry and Architecture to develop novel wood composites for use as
sustainable, structural, building materials. The project has the objective
of the creation and utilisation of innovative timber impregnation
technologies that lead to low energy methods for improving the structural
properties of fast growing, porous woods while adding additional benefits
such as increased material utilization, reduced processing requirement,
reduced in-situ maintenance requirement and an ecologically efficient end of
life disposal. His work is currently focusing on accurately quantifying the
embedded energy differential across virgin, engineered and modified woods
that meet structural grades, the mechanical testing of UK grown species that
are impregnated in order to improve their structural properties and the
development of both modified and un-modified short rotation coppice (SRC)
composite beams.
Tamaryn Shean, PhD student
Small-scale Mechanical Characterisation of Adhesive Systems
Tamaryn is working on analytical and experimental understanding of the complexities of viscoelastic (time-dependent) – adhesive interactions in synthetic and biological systems. Adhesion is a complicated physical phenomenon in which two or more bodies are connected by chemical or physical interactions. Time-dependance in materials is a regularly occurring phenomena, due to weak interactions. Synthetic adhesives are specialist thin film materials; this thin film geometry leads to difficulties when large-scale testing is the only technique employed for mechanical characterisation. Natural adhesive systems are both viscoelastic and adhesive employing structure and compliance to form optimised detachable and reusable systems. Due to the diversity in these systems there is a need for improved mechanical characterization techniques for understanding viscoelastic – adhesive materials, which presents an ideal opportunity for development of complex small-scale testing techniques (such as nanoindentation) and analysis methods.
Daniel Strange, PhD student
Spinal Disc Tissue Engineering
Daniel is developing a novel tissue engineering implant to be used for the
treatment of back pain. Back pain is often thought to arise because of the
degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Current treatments, such as
discectomy and spinal fusion, have been shown to reduce pain in the short
term but have questionable long term outcomes as they significantly alter
the biomechanical properties of the spinal segment. Tissue engineering is an
emerging field which aims to produce a functional tissue replacement that
encourages the body to regenerate tissue and heal itself. The aim of this
project is to develop a scaffold which mimics the structure and mechanical
properties of the intervertebral disc. It is hypothesized that because cells
have been shown to change their behaviour in response to mechanical load, a
scaffold with a physiologic structure will encourage cells to express
themselves in a manner relevant to their local stress state resulting in an
implant biomechanically similar to a healthy intervertebral disc.
Project students
Current M.Eng. students
- Aran Desan, Instrumentation and Design for a Clinical Indentation Diagnostic Probe
- Natasha Williams, Indentation of Functionally-graded Tissue Mimics
Past M.Eng. students
- Graham Macaree (currently employed as a structural engineering at Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Washington, USA)
- Tamaryn Shean (current PhD student)
- Kirsty Main (PhD student at University College, London)
- Dan Strange (current PhD student)
- Rosanne Furniss (soon to be employed in an engineering consultancy)
Undergraduate summer students, (UROPs)
- Wesley Chua (medicine) 2007, 2008, 2009
- Tarun Gupta (medicine) 2008
- Kirsty Main 2008
- Henry Pairaudeau 2009
