Email: portico-services@ucl.ac.uk
Help Desk: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/portico/helpdesk
- Senior Lecturer
- Department of Surgical Biotechnology
- Div of Surgery & Interventional Sci
- Faculty of Medical Sciences
An interdisciplinary scientist interested in the material – biological interactions. He completed a PhD (at UCL as part of the Queen Mary IRC in Biomedical Materials) looking at the causes of aseptic loosening of orthopaedic implants. Using this knowledge on cell-material interactions Gavin was recruited by Prof. Larry Hench at Imperial College London investigating the use of bioactive glass for regenerative medicine. It was during this time that Gavin developed an interest in regenerative medicine and the multidisciplinary characterisation of tissue engineered constructs.
Gavin joined Prof. Molly Stevens group (Imperial College London) in 2005 to continue research on tissue engineering, publishing on a variety of topics including stem cells, tissue engineering (including the creation of HIF stabilising materials) and nanoparticle material-biological interactions. He returned to UCL in 2009 to lead a new MSc in Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine and was appointed as an Lecturer at UCL in 2013 and Associate Professor in 2016.
- Biomaterial and Tissue Engineering Group
- Biomaterials for tissue regeneration
- Cancer Nanotechnology
- Cell, Tissue, and Organ Preservation Group
- Centre for Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine
- CoMPLEX Research Group
- Institute of Healthcare Engineering
- Liver Transplantation
- Orthopaedic Outcomes Group
- Soft Tissue Biology & Repair
- Stem Cell Transplantation & Cellular Immunotherapy
- Stem Cells Group
- UCL Centre for Nanomedicine
- UCL Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine
- Wellcome EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences
- Wound Healing


My research is focused on understanding how materials interact within
biological environments, in order to create "better" biomaterials;
materials that have reduced failure rates and have increased functionality
(e.g. promote regeneration). Current areas of research include:
1. Nanomedicine. Understanding how nanoparticle
physicochemical properties change biological interactions in different
biological environments.
2. Bone tissue engineering. Over 20 high impact
publication including Nature Materials.
3. Bioactive glass. Understanding how ions released from
bioactive glasses affect bone formation and remodelling, to creating new
bioactive glasses with therapeutic ion release
4. Materials for Diabetic and Chronic wound healing.
5. The role of hypoxia and HIF in tissue regeneration and cell
survival.
6. Understanding why biomaterials fail
I’ve published ~50 papers on these topics in leading international
journals (e.g. Nature Materials) with an average citation/article of 40. My success has been recognised globally with international research
collaborations (I was appointed Associate Prof. Biomaterials at Nagoya
Institute of Technology (NIT) in 2015), invited talks/keynote at
international conferences (Hosted/Chaired BSNM 2018). My views on medical research have
been solicited and reported in national newspapers/broadcasters (e.g. Daily Mail, Crowd
science).
- Programme lead for the MSc in Nanotechnology &
Regenerative Medicine (~250 graduates).
- Course founder and Director for the BSc/MSci in Medical
Innovation & Enterprise
- Course Director for the iBSc in Surgical Science
- Education Lead (Division of Surgery)
- Module Lead 1) Applied Tissue engineering (PG),
2) Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine, 3) MSc Research Projects, 4) Medical Innovation & enterprise.
- Lecture topics include; Nanotechnology,
nanotoxicity, stem cells, bioceramics, bone tissue engineering, tissue scaffold
design, tissue engineering, biomaterial failure, cell culture, cell-material
interactions, angiogenesis, hypoxia, medical innovations, critical analysis of
research and growing whole organs.
- Module Development: Created modules in Applied
Biomaterials, Transplantation Science, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative
Medicine, Medical Innovation and Enterprise (level I,II & II), Materials in
Science
- Course Development: As Divisional Graduate tutor I
oversaw the creation and development of 8 new courses (4 MSc’s, 3 BSc’s, 1
intercalated BSc) and relaunched the iBSc in Surgical Science. I helped create an innovate cross Medical
Faculty MSc/MRes programme (Human Tissue Repair) and enabled the integration of
Division of Surgery teaching with Faculty UG courses.
- Divisional Post Graduate Teaching Assistant (PGTA) Coordinator.
01-SEP-2016 | Associate Professor in Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicin | Surgery & Interventional Science | UCL, United Kingdom |
MAY-2013 | Lecturer in Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine | Division of Surgery & Interventional Medicine | , United Kingdom |
SEP-2009 – MAY-2013 | Teaching Fellow | Division of Surgery & Interventional Medicine | UCL, United Kingdom |
2007 – 2009 | Research Associate | Materials and Institute of Biomedical Engineering | Imperial College London, United Kingdom |
2006 – 2007 | Lead Research Scientist | RepRegen Ltd. | ICL Bio-Incubator, United Kingdom |
2005 – 2006 | Research Associate | Materials | Imperial College London, United Kingdom |
2003 – 2005 | Research Associate | Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine | Imperial College London, United Kingdom |
2004 | Doctor of Philosophy | Queen Mary College, University of London | |
1998 | Master of Science | University of Wales, Bangor |