Our multidisciplinary field encompasses a wide range of topics, including the development of medical devices such as prosthetics, imaging equipment, diagnostic tools, biofluid mechanics, biomaterials, and rehabilitation, biomechanics, and drug delivery systems as well as computational modelling, therapeutics, bioinformatics, and regenerative medicine to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs. Our research efforts aim to enhance the precision and efficacy of medical interventions, and advances we develop in biomedical engineering are pivotal for addressing complex health challenges, offering innovative solutions for disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, and ultimately enhancing the quality of life for patients
Areas of Expertise
Digital twins, physiological modeling, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, hemodynamics, respiratory mechanics, biomechanics, intensive care medicine, system identification, integrating modeling and healthcare solutions.
Additional expertise in sports medicine, sports biomechanics, and novel sensors and medical devices to equity of access to care.
Research Interests
Intensive care medicine, diabetes, chronic respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
Current Postgraduate Opportunities
Open to discussion on any project areas of interest to students, please contact Prof Chase directly.
Project Title: Several Projects
Project summary: Metabolic systems, Diabetes, cardiovascular systems, respiratory systems, and health automation
Funding/stipend: Scholarships available
Application deadline: No deadline, contact Prof Chase directly
Areas of Expertise
Numerical methods, Optimisation, Practical identifiability, Model-based analysis, Complex modelling exercises, Physiological modelling.
Research Interests
Bioengineering, Biomechanics, Haemodynamics, Endocrine dysfunctions
Current Postgraduate Opportunities
Various projects are instigated at inconsistent times throughout the year.
Areas of Expertise
Nonlinear Vibrations & Bifurcations, Coupled Oscillators, MEMS Oscillators and Dynamics, MEMS in Fluids & Fluid-Structure Interactions, Experimental Continuation Methods (Control-Based), Multi-Physics Modelling
Research Interests
Sound Detection Technology, Cochlear Implant Technology, Bio-Sensors, Bio-Acoustic Monitoring, Reservoir Computing using Nonlinear MEMS
Current Postgraduate Opportunities
Project Title: Future Cochlear Implants
Project summary:Recent research intentions to advance cochlear implant performance include the realisation of a totally implantable cochlear implant (TICI). Such a TICI solution promises to reduce deafness discrimination, increase device performance through a reduction in power consumption, and maximise device utility by removing the external device which restricts activities. Our research intentions propose a device which operates in the perilymph of the scala vestibuli to leverage three key advantages: i) to make use of the natural sound pressure level gain of the ossicular chain, ii) to utilise the effect of fluid damping to reduce oscillator resonant frequencies, and iii) to minimise the required change in surgical procedure.
Project Title: Point-of-care Insulin Sensor
Project summary: This research project pertains to the development of a biomolecule sensor technology platform. In particular, for the purpose of measuring insulin in real time and at the point-of-care (POC, meaningnear or at the site of patient care, outside the traditional laboratory). We aim to achieve insulin detection from a blood sample, using the complex nonlinear dynamic landscape of a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) biosensing device.
Project Title: MEMS Array Dynamics in Fluids
Project summary: This project is part of ongoing fundamental research in the field of coupled oscillators in fluids. We investigate small to large-size arrays for bound and unbound fluid conditions, with fixed and moving boundary conditions. Associated applications are the study of hair-cell motions inside the human cochlea as well as the vestibular tubes.
Areas of Expertise
Computational fluid dynamics, biofluids, inverse problems, fluid-structure interactions
Research Interests
Blood clots and thrombosis (related to cardiovascular diseases)
Current Postgraduate Opportunities
Project Title: Characterising the biomechanical properties of blood clots
Project summary: The aim is to model (numerically and with analogue experiments) the dynamics of blood clots to improve our understanding of their biomechanical properties.
Funding/stipend: ME: 22k + fees (domestic only) PhD: apply for a scholarship.
Application deadline: Apply any time
Areas of Expertise
Fluid mechanics and tissue mechanics
Research Interests
Arterial hemodynamics, Head impact analysis and cranial fracture mechanics, Injury mechanics/biomechanics
Areas of Expertise
Bioengineering, Fluid Mechanics, Heat and Mass Transfer and Thermodynamics within a wide range of applications, including combustion systems, plasma sources, refrigeration systems, electrospraying, physiological modelling, biomedical device R&D and forensics.
Research Interests
Mechanobiology, biomechanics and mitigation of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) in contact sport players, Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer of vapour deposition processes and Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for thermal management of electronic equipment, Bloodstain pattern formation simulation and reconstruction in Augmented Reality (AR) for virtual crime scene analysis
Current Postgraduate Opportunities
Open to working with prospective postgraduates on their proposed research topics
Project Title: Mitigation of Impact Forces for Rugby Players
Project summary: The goal of this research is to monitor incidence, assess outcomes, and examine the potential of novel rugby headgear to mitigate collision impact forces for junior rugby players. This transformative study is designed to disrupt current understanding of traumatic brain injury prevention for children playing rugby in New Zealand.
Funding/stipend: Collaborative, ongoing research with Sports Science and SHARRC
Project Title: Rugby Headgear as a Medical Device
Project summary: The combination of additive manufacture and the ability to engineer the variable properties of foam filaments in 3D space may enable a unique ability to precisely design the deceleration and energy absorption properties required for the complex geometries and loading conditions seen in contact sport headgear.
Funding/stipend: Collaborative, ongoing research with Sports Science and SHARRC
Areas of Expertise
Medical devices, Biomechanics, Biomaterials, and diagnostic sensors for improving people's lives
Research Interests
Wireless, implantable sensor system to measure the progress of spinal fusion, MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical-systems) sensors, Biomaterials for implantable sensors (postgrad-led), Biomechanics, including gait analysis and rehabilitation, Smart climbing holds for improving athlete performance in sport climbing (postgrad-led), Designing point-of-care devices for detecting biomarkers in the blood, Sensors for monitoring stress fractures in racehorses (postgrad-led, BIC sponsored), Wireless communication and power using ultrasound (postgrad-led), Hybrid EMG/EEG control of upper limb prosthetics (postgrad-led), Improving the comfort and usefulness of virtual reality environments, and Implementing means of improving the systems for training, design, donation, repair, and disposal of medical devices in developing countries
Current Postgraduate Opportunities
Project Title: Ongoing
Project summary: There are no current funded opportunities with Debbie, but she is regularly applying for new funding. Some funding requires a named student, and Debbie supports students with their own research interests, so please contact her directly to discuss how to apply and if she is available to supervise. additional postgraduates.
Funding/stipend: Seeking funding
Project Title: Biomarkers of a Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)
Project summary: This is a joint project with the Christchurch Heart Institute. We are currently applying for funding to support a PhD student (3 years) and a post-doc (2 years).
Funding/stipend: Applying for funding
Application deadline: If successful with grant proposal, Jan 2025
Project Title: Biomechanical Gait Analysis for Stroke Recovery Using Instrumented Treadmill and Augmented Reality (AR)
Project summary: This is a joint project with the HIT Lab and is part of the Sports, Health, and Rehabilitation Research Cluster (SHARRC)
Funding/stipend: No current funding available but is part of an initiative to develop SHARRC’s research impact.
Application deadline: November 2024
Areas of Expertise
Biopolymers, bioceramics and metallic biomaterials, In vitro and in vivo testing of biomaterials, Design and mechanical testing of orthopaedic devices, Porous materials; bioactive coatings, Biocorrosion
Research Interests
Magnesium-based orthopaedic biomaterials and craniofacial device design; encapsulants for nutraceuticals/pharmaceuticals; drug delivery systems; bioaerogels for bioactives delivery
Current Postgraduate Opportunities
Project Title: Magnesium-based orthopaedic device design
Project summary:
Craniofacial bone fracture fixation devices (e.g. mini/micro-plate/micro-screw systems) are typically manufactured using titanium (Ti) alloys due to the inertness of Ti in the body. The Ti fixation devices become integrated with the surrounding host bone unless removed with the additional cost of a second surgery. However, the mismatch in the mechanical stiffness between Ti (E=110 GPa) and bone (E=10-20 GPa) is known to cause stress shielding of the bone, reducing new bone formation, delaying fusion and increasing the risk of implant loosening. Thus, there is a strong interest from orthopaedic surgeons in having access to devices that are based on degradable biomaterials that are safely resorbed in vivo once physiological function is restored.
Mg-based alloy systems are creating a paradigm shift in bone fracture fixation as the devices completely biodegrade in the body, with a small number of orthopaedic devices now approved for use in humans. Mg alloys provide a unique combination of biocompatibility, bone-like stiffness (E=44 GPa), load-bearing (~150-200 MPa), and biodegradability – a combination that is not possible with conventional titanium devices. In this project we will explore innovative devices based on Mg alloys for the healing of craniofacial defects.
Funding/stipend: Funding is being sought
Application deadline: Apply any time
Project Title: Next generation bioaerogels
Project summary: The primary goal of prebiotic and probiotic supplements is to selectively enhance and deliver beneficial bacteria to the gut microbiome in order to restore the microflora balance. However, current methods of encapsulation provide highly variable efficacies in terms of potency due to the processing conditions, product storage, and physiological conditions within the gastrointestinal tract. The colon harbors the majority of the gut microflora although the pathway for probiotics to reach the colon is challenged by low pH found within the gastrointestinal tract. For instance, the pH can reach as low as 1.0 in the stomach, rising to 6.6 in the proximal small intestine and 7.5 in the ileum before falling sharply to 6.4 in the cecum, which is inhibitory to most bacteria, including probiotics. The goals of the research are to investigate novel methods of probiotic encapsulation and delivery that enhance the potency, efficacy and release characteristics of probiotics as nutritional supplements. We will combine our own detailed knowledge of processing of novel proteins and polysaccharide materials with our leading edge knowledge in prebiotics and probiotics science to innovate the oral delivery of probiotic bacteria to the gut microbiome. The vision is to create synbiotics (prebiotics + probiotics) with new types of encapsulant materials.
Funding/stipend: Funding is being sought
Application deadline: Apply any time
Areas of Expertise
Tissue engineering, Bioprinting, In vitro brain model
Research Interests
Develop 3D scaffold for 3D tissue engineering, particularly 3D in vitro brain model for brain diseases using 3D bioprinting, 3D electrospinning, microfluidics.
Current Postgraduate Opportunities
Project Title: Develop biofunctional 3D in vitro brain model for brain diseases
Project summary:Design and fabricate advanced 3D scaffolds using advanced micro/nano fabrication methods, such as bioprinting, electrospinning, microfluidics with biodegradable polymers/hydrogel, which would lead to a bio-functional in vitro brain model for the development of understanding and treatment of brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
Fundin/stiped: Self-funded
