Dr Giuseppe Tronci

Profile

I joined the University of Leeds, School of Dentistry in 2011 as a Research Fellow within the WELMEC Centre of Excellence in Medical Engineering. Working with colleagues in the Schools of Dentistry and Design, I developed a Hydrogel of Functionalised ateloCollagen (HyFaCol) technology for advanced wound management, which has been patented in the US and Europe. In 2013, I was appointed as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Leeds Clothworkers' Centre for Textile Materials Innovation for Healthcare (CCTMIH, School of Design), developing protein-friendly fibre spinning approaches for integrated medical devices. During this appointment, I secured a Wellcome Trust-ISSF award to support a three-month research visit at the University of Michigan Department of Chemical Engineering (US), working on new orthogonal photochemistries for skeletal repair. In 2016, I started my Lectureship in Healthcare Materials (CCTMIH, School of Design) with a joint appointment with Leeds School of Dentistry (since 2018), prior to being promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. I currently serve as the Deputy Director of CCTMIH, where I am pursuing the translation of HyFaCol for human use and developing new material-based concepts for oral care, bone regeneration and infection control.

I gained my bachelor's (Laurea 2003) and master's (Laurea Magistrale 2005) degrees in Biomedical Engineering, both at Polytechnic University of Turin (IT). As part of my master's degree program, I carried out my final dissertation project at EPFL Powder Technology Laboratory (CH) via an Erasmus scholarship. In 2006, I embarked on a PhD programme at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Institute of Biomaterials Science (DE), within a DFG-sponsored Collaborative Research Centre with the Charité Medical School in Berlin. I was awarded a doctorate in Materials in Life Sciences by the University of Potsdam (DE, 2010). Further to my PhD, I gained a PGCert in Professional Innovation Management from the University of Leeds Business School in 2014.

My research profile lies at the interface of biomaterials science, macromolecular science, and textile technology. I have direct experience on the design of high-value bio-/polymer-based-materials with structure-induced functions and their manufacture into industry-compliant and clinically-relevant formats (e.g. fibres, coatings, hydrogels). I am an academic supervisor within the University of Leeds EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (CDT TERM) and co-/supervise several PhD students.

Research interests

• Design of biomimetic systems for wound healing and musculoskeletal care
• Antibiotic-free antimicrobial chemistry
• Structure-property relationships and material multifunctionality
• Creation of bespoke material geometrics based on defined macromolecular systems
• High-value manufacture of medical devices
• Translational research

Qualifications

• PhD in Materials in Life Sciences, University of Potsdam (DE)
• Laurea Magistrale (MSc eq.) in Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin (IT)
• Laurea (BSc eq.) in Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin (IT)
• PGCert in Professional Innovation Management, Leeds University Business School (UK)

Professional memberships

• Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC)
• Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (MIMMM)
• International Association for Dental Research
• European Society of Biomaterials
• Frontiers in Biomaterials Science (Review Editor)

Student education

• Module leader – Biomaterials for Regenerative Dentistry (DSUR5218M)
• Lecturer – Dental Materials (DSUR5212M)
• Module leader – Healthcare Materials and Products (TEXT5310M)
• Lecturer & research supervisor – Research Dissertation (TEXT5116M)