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Author: Elise Pegg

Metabiomaterials Symposium at the European Society for Biomaterials

Is your research in the space where metamaterials meet biomaterials? Would you like to visit Antwerp in September?  If so, submit a research abstract to the Metabiomaterials symposium at the European Society for Biomaterials Conference!

Abstract submission deadline is 31st of March 2026, submit your abstract here: https://esb2026.org/abstracts/.

The session will be chaired by Dr Elise Pegg (Newcastle University) and Dr Caroline Taylor (University of Sheffield), with a keynote talk from Dr Sophie Cox (Birmingham University).

Larry Hench Award 2026 nominations open

The UKSB is delighted to invite applications for this year’s Larry Hench Young Investigators Award.

The Larry Hench Young Investigators Prize is a £500 prize to a promising young research scientist in recognition of outstanding and innovative contributions in a selected field of biomaterials research, and in remembrance of such a key figure in this field – Prof Larry Hench (1938-2015).

Application forms and details on the criteria and eligibility are all provided on the UKSB website (www.uksb.org.uk/uksb-prizes/). The closing date for applications is Friday the 27th of February 2026 at midday.

Ulster PDRA and PhD opportunities

Dr Adrian Boyd (Senior Lecturer in Biomaterials, Ulster University) has a range of exciting PDRA and PhD opportunities available based at the Belfast  and Derry/Londonderry campuses as part of the North West Centre for Advanced Manufacturing 2 (NWCAM2) project. Click on the links at the end of this post for further details and how to apply.

As key members of the NWCAM2 team, the PhDs and PDRAs will support and deliver research and innovation projects with industrial partners across key themes such as additive manufacturing; digital manufacturing; and future materials. Cross-border collaboration is crucial due to the shared challenges in the region’s Health and Life Sciences sector, particularly around sustainability, technological adoption, productivity, and market competitiveness. These research projects will be conducted across a wide geographical area of Northern Ireland and Ireland where the companies are located and therefore, the postholder would be expected to undertake the necessary travel to fulfill the requirements of the role.

The NWCAM2 project, which is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), is led by Catalyst, in partnership with Atlantic Technology University (ATU), North West Regional College, Ulster University, Trinity College Dublin and Irish Manufacturing Research Centre. NWCAM2 is a cross border innovation initiative seeking to help 30 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the health and life sciences sector to embed and accelerate sustainable manufacturing in their businesses.

European Society for Biomaterials updates

There are some important deadlines coming up from the European Society for Biomaterials, here is a quick summary:

The ESB also highlights the following events which may be of interest:

British Society for Matrix Biology, Spring Meeting, 14th-15th April 2025

The British Society for Matrix Biology (BSMB) is holding their spring meeting in Nottingham on the 14th and 15th of April in 2025 on the University Park Campus. The meeting will include a diverse range of national and international speakers will present their recent research on “Extracellular matrix, immunity and infection””, and in associated matrix research.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Prof Judith Allen (University of Manchester, UK)
  • Prof Janet Lee (Washington University in St. Louis, USA)
  • Prof Kristian Riesbeck (Lund University, Sweden)
  • Dr Giampiero Pietrocola (University of Pavia, Italy)
  • Prof Tracey Hussell (University of Manchester, UK)
  • Prof Charles Frevert (University of Washington in Seattle, USA)
  • Dr Helene Moreau (Institut Curie, France)
  • Prof Oliver Fackler (University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany)
  • Prof Anna Blom (Lund University, Sweden)
  • Prof Luisa Martinez-Pomares (University of Nottingham, UK)

Registration and abstract submission for oral and poster presentations will open on 1st January 2025. In the meantime, please keep an eye on the BSMB and meeting websites for updates, and to find more information about the event, including venue, accommodation, travel and meeting schedule.

Finally, consider becoming a member of the BSMB, if you aren’t already, to enjoy discounted registration fee and qualify for relevant bursaries if you are an early career researcher.

Please contact Dr Anna M. Piccinini, University of Nottingham (anna.piccinini@nottingham.ac.uk) if you have any queries.

Early Career Forum – opportunity to have your say

Are you interested in joining the UKSB ECF committee? Are there topics you would like covered as part of a series of early career workshops?

Our focus is to represent the interests of the younger members of the UKSB by promoting scientific/social events, sponsoring national/international conferences, and advertising work/research/faculty positions. All non-faculty UKSB members can join the UKSB – ECF without additional fees; eligible scientists automatically join the UKSB – ECF as members of the UKSB. All UKSB members are encouraged to raise awareness of ECF to new eligible members (e.g., students, postdocs., fellows, etc).

We are committed to promoting education and training in the biomaterials field at national and international level, to provide a forum for discussion, communication, and collaboration between the ECF members, to organize meetings, workshop, and events related to biomaterials, and to advertise academic and industrial positions and possibilities for ECF members.

Please fill in the form below to join and to give your thoughts on topics organised.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbmLYR-SFEjgyhjI9bCH9RWt-BXs87dwRdMCrdJS4b4xhI3w/viewform?usp=sf_link

Industry survey

The UKSB is seeking feedback from industry so that we can strengthen links between academia and industry. If you are an industry member then we would be extremely grateful if you could complete our survey using the link below, and we would welcome all members to reach out to any contacts within biomaterials industries and ask them to take a moment to have their say.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Ij1-N6FOLUKwrY_MiUBrnteRb8BYxldPtwG7_oskw_JUNlZTQ0hCV1MwRVlINFNIR0pBMlZVNEhUUC4u

Senior Lecturer/Professor in Tissue Engineering/Biomaterials

The University of Sheffield is seeking to appoint a senior academic with expertise in skeletal and/or connective tissue engineering to join a thriving and diverse team in the School of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Sheffield (www.sheffield.ac.uk/dentalschool). The ideal candidate will be a talented and enthusiastic team member ready to support the delivery of undergraduate teaching and postgraduate programmes and conduct internationally competitive research including high-quality PGR supervision.

Key information:

  • Faculty: Health
  • Department: School of Clinical Dentistry
  • Closing date: 29th July 2024

For more information please click on the following link to see the job description:

https://jobs.shef.ac.uk/sap/bc/webdynpro/sap/hrrcf_a_posting_apply?PARAM=cG9zdF9pbnN0X2d1aWQ9NjY4MkY0ODI4M0Q5MTkxN0UxMDAwMDAwQUMxRTg4NzgmY2FuZF90eXBlPUVYVA%3d%3d&sap-client=400&sap-language=EN&sap-accessibility=X&sap-ep-themeroot=%2fSAP%2fPUBLIC%2fBC%2fUR%2fuos#

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