PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Bone regeneration relies on more than bone growth; it depends on a complex dialogue between immune and skeletal cells. When this communication falters, healing slows or fails. This PhD will explore how mechanical and topographical cues such as stiffness, nano-roughness, and viscoelasticity govern immune–bone interactions through mechanotransduction pathways. The goal is to design bio-instructive materials that actively direct immune and bone cells toward regeneration. These will be characterised using AFM and rheology, followed by immune–osteogenic co-culture studies to evaluate mechanotransductive signalling. The resulting data will inform mathematical models linking material mechanics to biological responses, enabling the sustainable design of next-generation regenerative materials. This interdisciplinary project combines mechanical, materials, and biomedical engineering, offering training across fabrication, nanomechanical analysis, and computational biology. It contributes to more predictive and reproducible approaches in regenerative medicine, reducing reliance on animal models and advancing mechanobiology-informed materials design.