Below is a list of suggested projects, this is not exhaustive so if you have another project in mind or would like to explore potential projects, please contact Prof. Oosterbeek. These projects do not have guaranteed funding; fully-funded projects are advertised on the main Vacancies page and on the Departmental website.
Methods for characterising and enhancing the durability of Stereolithograpy (SLA) composites
This project in offered in collaboration with an industrial partner, Stratasys Ltd. It aims to improve the durability and sustainability of stereolithography (SLA) polymers by investigating fatigue, environmental ageing, and composite reinforcement. Experimental methods will be developed to characterise fatigue under combined mechanical and environmental loading, including UV exposure, moisture, water immersion, and thermal cycling, enabling predictive fatigue life models. The project will also evaluate the use of secondary fillers, including recycled ceramic-filled SLA waste, to enhance mechanical performance. Outcomes will include improved understanding of long-term durability, validated fatigue prediction tools, and practical routes for valorising ceramic-filled SLA waste in new composite materials.
AI techniques for rapid prediction and qualification of recycled polymer blends
A key barrier to increased recycling and reduction of polymer waste is the unpredictability and degradation of polymer properties during recycling from varied and low-quality waste streams. This project will develop AI-based workflows, making use of 3D printing, polymer processing, and advanced materials testing (MT2.0) to generate large and rich datasets. These models will predict the properties of recycled polymer formulations from minimal input data, accelerating materials qualification and manufacturing. Industrial collaborators from the plastics industry will provide additional guidance and supervision.
Experimental and multiscale modelling approaches to the mechanics and degradation of additively manufactured foams
Incorporation of gas-releasing foaming agents in 3D printing enables tuning of material density across a component. This project will develop filament- and/or powder-based additive manufacturing methods for foaming materials, focusing on bioresorbable polymers. The behaviour of printed foam structures, including hierarchical porosity, functional gradients, and metamaterial structures will be explored in terms of material mechanics and long-term biodegradation.
Machine learning-based optimisation of powder bed fusion process parameters for bioresorbable composites
Powder bed fusion (PBF) is a 3D printing technique that enables production of highly intricate and detailed structures such as mechanical metamaterial lattices. Such systems are often optimised for a small set of materials like Nylon, rather than the variety of bioresorbable materials used for biodegradable medical implants. This project will develop models, using AI or heuristic material-property based algorithms, to rapidly optimise printing parameters for new combinations of bioresorbable composite materials, enabling rapid tuning of device properties such as drug release, degradation, and mechanics.
Fatigue and degradation in bioresorbable lattice materials
Porous, structured, lattice materialsmade from biodegradable materials are of interest for temporary medical implants. This project will investigate the mechanics of fatigue in lattice materials, the interaction of this process with long-term material degradation, and methods for improving fatigue life through structural/material design. This will build on ongoing work developing combined fatigue-degradation testing techniques, and involve both experimental work and development of theoretical modelling approaches.
A 3D printed, bioresorbable osteotomy wedge
Osteotomy is a surgical procedure used to correct the mechanical axis of a joint and prevent osteoarthritis. Currently bone grafts are often used to fill this space and provide mechanical support, however a synthetic, bioresorbable replacement would be highly advantageous. This project will take advantage of powder bed fusion (PBF) capabilities and newly developed bioresorbable polymers, to develop a suitable prototype device, considering mechanical support and long-term degradation. A collaborating orthopaedic surgeon will provide additional supervision and clinical advice.
Mass transport under mechanical load in bioresorbable particulate composites.
The transport of fluids including water or soluble active agents (e.g. drugs) through a material is essential to the time dependent behaviour of composite materials, including controlled release and bioresorption. Despite this the factors that govern mass transport in particulate composites (diffusion, interfacial wicking, component hydrophilicity) are not well understood. This project will use experimental and modelling approaches to understand the mass transport behaviour of polymer-ceramic particulate composites, and the influence of external loading on this process.
