Insigneo Newsletter - June 2025

Welcome to our monthly Insigneo newsletter!  

Our monthly e-newsletter keeps you up to date with events, funding, success stories and information. We hope you will find it useful! 

Insigneo showcase - full programme

This full day event is an opportunity for our members, funding agencies, regulatory agencies, industrial colleagues, and other academic groups in the UK to meet and see first-hand the innovative research produced by our Institute.

You can now view the full programme for the day here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/insigneo/overview/events/insigneo-showcase-2025

If you have not already registered, please make sure to RVSP by 13 June.

The day is planned as an in-person event but we are offering an option to listen to the talks online if you are unable to travel to Sheffield, UK.

Medical technology innovation in Yorkshire: translational funding opportunities

Come to the University of Sheffield to find out how we work with medtech companies and how your business could benefit and innovate to compete in a changing market. 

In collaboration with the University of Leeds, our Yorkshire Medtech EPSRC Place Based Impact Acceleration Account funding is available to support the Yorkshire MedTech industry by bringing together researchers and businesses to translate university research into new clinical products and services. 

The main purpose of this event is to showcase a range of success stories from industry-academic collaboration, frequently in partnership with healthcare providers, and to signpost potential new partners to funding opportunities (including institutional knowledge exchange funds and EPSRC PBIAA funding for Yorkshire businesses).

This is also a networking event where new relationships can be formed, as well as an opportunity for you to invite partners, or potential partners, from industry to learn about how they can work with you and the University to drive innovation towards improved technologies for health.

You will hear about the benefits of collaboration from many industry partners including Fitbit, GE HealthCare, Paxman, Eventum Orthopaedics, Abbot, VitriTech and a Sheffield biopolymer spin-out PHaST. Academics and clinicians will also be presenting.  

Who should attend: Industry leaders including research managers, along with academics and healthcare professionals with an interest in technology innovation for human health and wellbeing. 

Insigneo student membership

We are pleased to announce that we are launching a new Student Membership for undergraduate and postgraduate taught students at the University of Sheffield to join the Insigneo Institute's research community. The membership will provide students with opportunities to learn about and get involved in Insigneo research through being a part of our network.

As part of our launch, we are pleased to share profiles of some of our new student members in the 'new member' section below.

Ansys European In Silico Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Summit 2025

Insigneo Research Theme Director for Computational Modelling in Medicine, Professor Enrico Dall'Ara from the School of Medicine and Population Health, will give a talk on 'Predicting Bone Adaptation - Combining In Silico and In Vivo Studies in Preclinical Settings' at the 2nd Ansys European In Silico Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Conference, taking place in London on 26 June. 

The 2025 European In Silico Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Conference will showcase engineering and scientific achievements by illuminating what's possible through simulation.

Industry leaders will showcase how simulation is transforming drug manufacturing, process engineering, drug delivery and in silico clinical trials.

Explore cutting-edge in silico methodologies that accelerate clinical trials, optimize manufacturing processes, and enhance drug delivery device design.

Connect with experts, gain insights from leading speakers, and engage in discussions to advance innovation in pharmaceutical development.

Save the date: Insigneo/Sano Modelathon: Computational modelling to improve management of ischaemic stroke, Sheffield/Kraków

13 - 16 January 2026

The Modelathon is back! Based on the concept of a hackathon where different teams work on a challenging problem to ‘hack’ computer code, the Modelathon uses computational modelling and simulation rather than ‘hacking’ and will focus on the role of multiscale modelling (0D, 1D, 3D) in improving the management of ischaemic stroke.

If you are interested in taking part, please contact Norman Powell: n.j.powell@sheffield.ac.uk

Professor Amaka Offiah elected as Vice-President, Clinical Radiology

Congratulations to Insigneo member Professor Amaka Offiah, Professor of Paediatric Musculoskeletal Imaging in the School of Medicine and Population Health and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Radiologist at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust,  who has been elected as the  Royal College of Radiologists' incoming Vice-President, Clinical Radiology. 

Professor Offiah will head the Clinical Radiology Faculty for a three-year term ensuring  it is positioned to lead the specialty across the UK and overseas.

Read more about Amaka's new role here: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/news-policy/latest-updates/professorspeciality-amaka-offiah-elected-as-vice-president-clinical-radiology/

POSTnote: Consumer wearable devices and disease prevention

Insigneo Research Theme Director for Healthcare Data/AI Tim Chico, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in the School of Medicine and Population Health, and his South Yorkshire Digital Health Hub team have given evidence to the UK Parliament’s POSTnote on consumer wearable devices and disease prevention. The report looks at the evidence on how wearable devices could help support the government's 10 Year Health Plan by preventing, detecting, and mitigating diseases. 

Read the report: https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0741/

Professor Alex Rothman to receive Michael Davies Early Career Award for Contribution to Clinical and Cardiovascular Science 2025

Professor Alex Rothman has been selected to receive this year’s ‘Michael Davies Early Career Award for Contribution to Clinical and Cardiovascular Science 2025’ at the British Cardiovascular Society Annual Conference.

This is grounded in the crucial work Professor Rothman and his team have dedicated to gaining a deep mechanistic understanding of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and finding safe and effective therapeutics agents for PAH. 

Phd viva success!

Congratulations to the following Insigneo members on passing their vivas recently:

• Dr Eve Lennie, School of Medicine & Population Health,  Development of spinal cord PET-MRI for translational neuroscience applications
• Dr Zhicheng Lin, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, (photo above) Deep Learning-Based Automatic Segmentation of Skeletal Muscles and Generalisation Study
• Dr Fiona Gibson, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
• Dr Elizabeth Holmes, School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Insigneo Early Career Researcher community

Our Early Career Researcher ECR group is open to all Insigneo Members who are PhD students, postdocs, fellows, lecturers and those who self-define as an ECR.

Find out more and join

If you are not already a member of the Insigneo Institute and would like to join you can read more about the benefits and apply here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/insigneo/membership. 

Insigneo Early Career Researcher (ECR) - Career Development Seminar

For our next hybrid session, on Wednesday 18 June at 12 pm, we have two speakers:

• Professor Martyn Paley, who is currently an Emeritus Professor of BioMedical Imaging (MR Physics) in Academic Radiology, University of Sheffield. 
• Dr Jake Salmonsmith, who currently works as a Knowledge Exchange manager for the Faculty of Science at the University of Sheffield

ECR fellowship/grant writing Workshop

We run regular ECR fellowship/grant writing workshops (every ~2 months).

The aim is to allow ECRs to discuss with their peers any fellowship/ grant applications they might be preparing and to receive feedback in an informal setting. During each session we have one to two members presenting their work, followed by a round table discussion. This group is reserved for Insigneo ECR members who are seriously considering or are in the process of writing their first grant or applying for a fellowship. Please contact Damien Lacroix (d.lacroix@sheffield.ac.uk) or Neil Stewart (neil.stewart@sheffield.ac.uk) to express your interest in participating.

Opportunity for an ECR to join our committee as the lead for social events!

In this role, you will play a key part in fostering community connections by organizing engaging social and networking events.

If you’re passionate about building a vibrant community and have creative ideas for bringing people together, we’d love to have you on board.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us by emailing Sarah Black (sarah.black@sheffield.ac.uk).

The Insigneo ECR Committee
(Malwina Matella, Neil Stewart, Juntong Lai, Hazem Toutounji, Sarah Black, Sarah Hollely, chaired by: Damien Lacroix)

We would like to introduce some of our new members who have joined the Insigneo Institute recently. 

Find out more about Insigneo membership and our members here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/insigneo/membership 

I completed my Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering at Fatih University, Istanbul Turkey and my Bachelor's in Genetics and Bioengineering at Fatih University, Istanbul Turkey. 

Currently, I am looking at the Development of Reactive Printed Biosensors for Pathogen Detection in Food Processing, aimed at Monitoring and Ensuring Food Quality and Safety.

Professor Adewale Adebajo MBE is the EDI and PPI Strategic Lead for the NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre.  In addition, he is a Consultant Rheumatologist and Associate Medical Director in South Yorkshire as well as Honorary Professor in Rheumatology Health Service Research at the University of Sheffield (School of Medicine and Population Health).  He is a Visiting Professor at Keele University.

He has over 25 years of experience working both in research and clinically in the field of musculoskeletal conditions.

Professor Adebajo has extensive experience in promoting inclusivity in health research and was awarded an MBE for services to Inclusive Research in recognition of this in 2020. He is a member of the Board of the United Kingdom National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Centre for Engagement and Dissemination having previously been a long serving member of NIHR INVOLVE. He is a coauthor of the United Kingdom Standards for Public Involvement in Research and EDI Lead for NIHR Devices for Dignity HealthTech Research Centre (HRC).

In addition, he is the Board strategic Patient and Public Involvement Lead for the NIHR Multiple Long term Conditions Steering Group. He is an EDI Adviser for the NIHR School for Public Health Research,

Professor Adebajo is the Editor In Chief of the international journal “Clinical Rheumatology” and he has numerous book chapters, editorials, reviews and other peer reviewed publications. He is a founding member of the Editorial Board of the first international journal that is co-produced by professionals and lay persons solely for the purpose of Patient and Public  Involvement and Engagement related research (Research in Involvement and Engagement.

Professor Adebajo sits on various grant awarding bodies locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Professor Adebajo is a member of the Medical Research Council ethnicity advisory group – Black in Biomedical Research Advisory Group, He is also a member of the Sheffield Health Equity Group.

In his public life, he is the Board member with responsibility for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Barnsley Football Club Charitable Trust. He is also an active member of several stroke and musculoskeletal charities.

My research focuses on the role of AP-1 transcription factors in cancer cell motility and proliferation. Via immunofluorescence and live imaging, I aim to study the effects that Fra-1 has on cancer cell behaviour in order to increase our understanding of proliferative signalling in cancer biology.

Prior to my Masters, I studied Neuroscience and was able to carry out a placement at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour. In Germany, I researched magnetoreception in birds and the neuronal mechanisms required for this sensory modality.

While these may seem unrelated, both gave me an interdisciplinary background which has helped me in my current project and hopefully my future career.

Overall, I aim to continue down the academic route, researching histopathology and advancing current treatments, and driving innovations that benefit both society and economy.

As part of his PhD Studies, he prepares antimicrobial polymer nanoparticles using readily-available materials and scalable methods. 

Hubert is also looking for interdisciplinary collaborators to assess the potential of his antimicrobial nanomaterials in 2D- and 3D- in-vitro models as well as in in-vivo settings.

My research to date has led me to be the Principal Investigator on two large multi-centre studies focused on visual difficulties after stroke.

Last year, I presented on myasthenia gravis and associated eye muscle weakness at a major ophthalmology conference, where I was awarded Best Free Paper by an Orthoptist. I am currently undertaking an NIHR-funded Integrated Practitioner & Clinical Academic Internship Programme, investigating a novel imaging technique of the anterior eye that may help detect inflammation. The initial phase involves scanning healthy participants to establish a baseline, with the longer-term goal of applying artificial intelligence to differentiate between healthy and abnormal findings.

I am keen to expand my knowledge of AI in healthcare, explore current applications, and understand how it may shape future clinical practice. I look forward to joining the community and exploring potential avenues for collaboration.

He is the Lead Engineer for Manufacturing Intelligence at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), part of the University of Sheffield.

Marco has wide R&D and industrial experience in Discrete Event Simulation, factory flow modelling, cost modelling, and cost prediction strategies focused on products, resources, and investments estimation. He is also an expert in trade studies to isolate the best/most balanced solution and decision-making techniques.

Full profile

I will be commencing sub-specialty training in neuroradiology in September 2025.

My research focuses on evaluating AI devices for clinical use in radiology. This includes curating labelled imaging datasets, benchmarking model performance in real-world patient cohorts, and head-to-head testing of commercial tools. I am currently leading projects assessing classification devices for head CT studies and chest radiographs. My work spans multiple radiology sub-specialties and is supervised by Dr Chris Johns, Prof. Andy Swift, Prof. Nigel Hoggard, and Dr Sanjoy Nagaraja.

As a member of the Royal College of Radiologists’ AI Faculty, I contribute to the development and delivery of AI education at a national level. I am also a member of the trainee editorial board for Radiology: Artificial Intelligence and regularly act as a reviewer for other journals in the field. 

I come from an engineering background, where I completed a BEng, MEng, and PhD in Mechatronics and Robotics at the University of Leeds. The main aim of my PhD was to establish the context in which real-world gait data is collected, and as such my research interests are centred around gait analysis, sensor systems, and machine learning.

Currently, I am working on implementing wearable sensors for capturing digital mobility outcomes in people with neurological conditions, which can aid in differential diagnosis and the monitoring of disease progression. I look forward to meeting, learning from, and engaging with the Insigneo research community.

I completed my undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Russian, then worked as a business software developer for two years before completing postgraduate training in Computer Science and Engineering, working with the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center on developing natural language processing (NLP) methods to support and inform the U.S. Social Security Administration's disability benefits programmes. I completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh before joining the Information School as a Lecturer in Data Science in 2022. In December 2024 I started a new role as the Theme Lead in AI for Health at the Centre for Machine Intelligence and joined the School of Computer Science.

My research explores equitable AI and data science for human well-being, including intersections of data and disability, health NLP, and policy and practice of responsible AI. I have published extensively across these topics in computer science, health informatics, and social science venues, and am leading funded projects in responsible AI practice and disability informatics.  I organise the workshop series on AI for Function, Disability, and Health, and received the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) Doctoral Dissertation Award for my work on NLP and disability.

I am a member of the UK Young Academy and currently serve as its Co-Chair. I am proud to be a queer researcher in data science, and I serve as a Non-Binary Role Model at the University of Sheffield. I have previously been involved in organising events through Queer in AI, and I am passionate about supporting LGBT+/queer students and staff in the academic community.

Full profile

 I work collaboratively to support our BRC themes in their translational research, aiming to bridge the gap between new discoveries and the development of improvements to patient care. Additionally, I work closely with our Imaging and Engineering for Health theme to provide dedicated support. My work includes budget management, annual reporting to NIHR, project coordination, grant applications, strategy development and implementation alongside much more.

Previously, I gained a first-class BSc in Psychology. Learning about neuroscience and imaging throughout my undergraduate caught my interest and led me to complete an MSc in Neuroimaging for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Manchester. Here, I completed a research dissertation using voxel-based techniques to analyse grey matter atrophy and white matter structural connectivity in multiple sclerosis.

Biomedical Engineering is an exciting field because it allows me to work on projects that can make a real difference to people's lives. For me, it’s not just about gaining technical knowledge, it’s about contributing to the future of healthcare.

Currently, I’m working on my research project titled "Variable Stiffness of a Catheter." This project looks at the factors affecting catheter stiffness and explores how we can optimise its design to improve its effectiveness in medical procedures. Through my research, I’ve developed key problem-solving skills, academic writing abilities, and critical thinking skills. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that my work could contribute to making medical devices more efficient and safer for patients.

My past experience includes working as a Manufacturing Intern for Relaxo, where I optimised production efficiency and guaranteed quality compliance. In addition, I have some experience with IoT engineering from my time at Emertxe, where I worked on dependable system implementation.  Furthermore, I have contributed to studies on machine learning modelling for welding and additive manufacturing microstructures.

Prior to my MSc, I earned a BSc (Hons) in Physics from the University of Delhi, where I worked on optical property simulations and electronic band structure analysis.

Outside of studies, I like to watch movies and play cricket. As someone who is interested about connecting engineering and sustainable energy solutions, I hope that my work will contribute to the advancement of fusion energy technology.

In 2011, I was awarded a University of Nottingham Advanced Research Fellowship to pivot my research to focus on the impact of paternal nutrition on sperm quality and adult offspring cardiovascular and metabolic health in the mouse. Following this, I continued my paternal programming research under an Aston University research fellowship defining the sperm and seminal fluid-specific mechanisms linking paternal diet with offspring health.

In 2017, I joined the University of Nottingham as an Assistant Professor where I continued to determine how paternal diet impacts on male reproductive fitness and post-fertilisation development.

In 2024, I joined the University of Sheffield as a Senior Lecturer and continue to investigate parental lifestyle associations with reproductive health and offspring development. We currently use mouse models to understand how paternal diet shapes sperm quality and epigenetic status, post-fertilisation development, fetal growth and adult offspring health and wellbeing.  We are interested in a range of processes from fundamental and clinical reproductive and developmental biology, through cardio-metabolic homeostasis and bone health. 

Full profile

Do you have news to share with us?

If you would like us to include information and/or events to this newsletter please email: info@insigneo.org (the newsletter will be issued during the 2nd week of the month, excluding January and August). 

Insigneo members - please let us know when your students are graduating so that we can celebrate their success!

Please ensure that you submit items for inclusion with a minimum of one week's notice.

Guest Lectures, Conferences & Seminars

Please see our useful resource detailing Training and Development Opportunities relevant to Insigneo research themes, including events, conferences and seminars from the University and across a huge range of institutions and organisations. Please note that some are internal to the University of Sheffield.

Insigneo events

4 June
Insigneo Mechanobiology/MCB external seminar: Biomechanical hallmarks and vulnerabilities of metastatic cancer cells, 1pm, Alfred Denny Conference Room.
Speaker: Prof Vicky Sanz-Moreno, The Institute of Cancer Research
"Biomechanical hallmarks and vulnerabilities of metastatic cancer cells"
Professor Victoria Sanz-Moreno's lab combines cell biology, OMICs, mouse models, patient material and digital pathology to investigate how cytoskeletal dynamics in cancer cells control local invasion, dissemination, survival and metastatic outgrowth. Host: Vic Hart

9 June
Professor Iain Wilkinson Award for Innovative Research in Medical Imaging & Seminar

23 June
Insigneo Seminar: Humanoid robots for tissue engineering applications

3 July 
Medical technology innovation in Yorkshire: translational funding opportunities

4 July
Insigneo Showcase 2025, Sheffield - RSVP 13 June 2025

22 July
Insigneo generative AI in healthcare workshop 

15 September
Insigneo Smart Devices and Sensors workshop

A selection of Insigneo seminar recordings are available to view on our YouTube channel.

Other events

11 June
DRN/Mechanobiology external seminar: Crafting robust patterns in developing tissues under mechanical stress, 1pm, Alfred Denny Conference Room.
Speaker: Dr Giulia Paci, UCL
"Crafting robust patterns in developing tissues under mechanical stress"
Animal tissues develop into functional 3D structures while experiencing constantly changing mechanical forces. How do they establish and maintain robust developmental patterns under such conditions? In this talk, I will present a dual approach to address this question, combining high-resolution 3D imaging and mechanical perturbations of dissected tissues with a novel high-throughput, organism-level assay in Drosophila larvae. Host: Helen Matthews

11 - 12 June
4th Child Health Technology (CHT) Conference

23 June
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) Presentations - Add to calendar

24 June
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) Workshops - Add to calendar

25 June
Biomaterials Translation Workshop 2025, Manchester

26 June
Ansys European In Silico Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Summit 2025

4 - 5 September
BioMedEng25, Glasgow

18 November
4^th Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) Annual Meeting

For a full list of upcoming events visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/insigneo/overview/events

Vacancies

Research Associate in Experimental Bone Biomechanics (closing date: 30 June 2025)
Research Associate in Computational Bone Biomechanics (closing date: 30 June 2025)

Publications

SPRINGing forward: Advancing RNA editing efficiency and precision with engineered ADAR2 (Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids) N.Melzer, S. G. Meuth, I. Barbaric, J. Krutmann, A. Rossi

Altered vertebral biomechanical properties in prostate cancer patients following androgen deprivation therapy (Bone) F. G. Gibson, M. A. Paggiosi, 
C. Handforth, J.E. Brown, X. Li, E. Dall'Ara, S. W. Verbruggen 

Pulmonary MRI in Newborns and Children (Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging) N. J. Stewart, N. S. Higano, L. Wucherpfennig, S. M.F. Triphan, A. Simmons, L. J. Smith, M. O. Wielpütz, J. C. Woods, J. M. Wild 

Single View Techniques for Modelling Coronary Pressures Losses. Comment on Tsigkas et al. Rapid and Precise Computation of Fractional Flow Reserve from Routine Two-Dimensional Coronary Angiograms Based on Fluid Mechanics: The Pilot FFR2D Study. J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13, 3831 (Journal of Clinical Medicine) D. J. Taylor, T. Newman, J. Gunn, P. D. Morris 

Electrocardiograpic responses during spontaneous hypoglycaemia in people with type 1 diabetes and impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (Diabetic Medicine) P. Novodvorsky, A. Bernjak, E. Downs, A. Smith, M. F. Arshad, A. I. Oprescu, R. M. Jacques, J. Lee, S. R. Heller, A. Iqbal

Optimization of sensitivity, resolution, and phase-retardance stability in all-fiber Jones Matrix optical coherence tomography system (Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE) N. K. Soni, D. G. Revin, J. Ahmad, S. J. Matcher

A RP-HPLC-UV method for the dual detection of fluconazole and clobetasol propionate and application to a model dual drug delivery hydrogel (Analytical Methods) R. A. Macartney, A. T. R. Fricker, A. M. Smith, S. Fedele, I. Roy, J. C. Knowles

Yeast-Driven and Bioimpedance-Sensitive Biohybrid Soft Robots (Cyborg and Bionic Systems) M. Soliman, F. Forbes, D. D. Damian 

Comparing the predictions of CT-based subject-specific finite element models of human metastatic vertebrae with digital volume correlation measurements (Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology) C. Garavelli, A. Aldieri, M. Palanca, E. Dall’Ara, M. Viceconti 

Adipose tissue and adipose-derived stromal cells can reduce skin contraction in an in vitro tissue engineered full thickness skin model (Adipocyte) V. L. Workman, A.‑V. Giblin, N. H. Green, S. MacNeil, V. Hearnden