This week, six BEng/MEng Biomedical Engineering students were selected to present their final year projects at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Healthcare Technologies Student and Early Career Awards.

Queen Mary's representation included four poster presentations and two oral presentations, given by Saskia Hale, Lujain Musafir, Haipeng Liang, Linxiaohai Ning, Semhar Misghina, and Aylish Moore.

Two of the students were recognised with prizes on the night. Aylish Moore clinched 1st prize for the Vicon Best Oral Bioengineering Presentation Award, and Semhar Misghina was named as the 1st runner-up in the same category.

Speaking about the motivations behind her award-winning project, Aylish said: “My project is titled ‘Understanding the Internal Biomechanics Induced by Different Pessary Designs: A Computational Study’. My interest in pelvic floor dysfunction peaked during my year in industry, which led me to define the direction of my project when I returned to university. I thoroughly enjoyed working on my final-year project. To be given the opportunity to present my work at the IMechE event was an honour, and being awarded 1st prize out of the undergraduate presentations motivates me to continue my research in this area of women’s health. I would like to thank Prof Himadri Gupta for his support throughout this project.”

Semhar shared how the experience solidified her decision to commit to her upcoming PhD: “Becoming a runner-up was a great honour. My project, supervised by Dr Caroline Roney, delved into atrial digital twins and their potential to predict atrial fibrillation inducibility. This opportunity allowed me to share my findings and network with fellow researchers, offering invaluable insights into the broader landscape of biomedical engineering and cardiology. It solidified my commitment to advancing the transformative impact of digital twins in healthcare, and I am looking forward to embarking on this journey in my upcoming PhD.”

Prof Zion Tse, the Director of the Centre for Bioengineering and an IMechE fellow, said, "We are immensely proud of our students who have demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication in their respective projects. Their achievements are a testament to Queen Mary’s commitment to driving forward innovation and excellence in biomedical engineering."

Prof Yi Sui, Director for Research, added, "It's truly inspiring to witness the next generation of biomedical engineers from our institution present their research on a national stage. These achievements are just the beginning for our students, and the future holds much promise."

The School of Engineering and Materials Science thanks Dr Caroline Roney, Prof Elizabeth Tanner, Dr Stefaan Verbruggen, Dr Christopher Chapman and Dr Thilina Lalitharatne, who ensured that the students were well-prepared for this event.

For more information about the event, please visit the IMechE website.

Updated by: Zion Tse