Background:

Prof. Chen's aspiration is to consolidate her internationally recognised expertise in biointerface engineering to create a real lasting and widely recognised impact in this area, aiming at addressing fundamental scientific questions of cell-materials interactions and applying the knowledge to biofilm control and accelerating the treatment of diseases. Her research aims to address global challenges in healthcare and net-zero using experimental and modelling approaches. She was the Interim PGR Director/Deputy Research Director for the School of Engineering at Newcastle University. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Microscope Society and a member of UKRI Talent Panel College.

She has an established international reputation as is evidenced by journal papers, research income (£9.15M in total with £2.44M as PI) and a range of external recognition from editorial roles to keynote/invited conference talks. She is the Principal Editor of the Journal of Materials Research, and Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.

She actively collaborates with clinicians and industrial partners to maximise the impact of her research. As primary supervisor, she has supervised over 20 post-doctoral research associates (PDRAs) and PhDs. All of them have secured permanent academic jobs (e.g. lectureships in the UK), research posts at top universities (e.g. University of Oxford, ETH, Zurich), and industrial jobs (e.g. Nikon ltd, ANSYS ltd).  She delivered over 80 invited lectures and presentations at prestigious conferences and seminars, such as International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies (Singapore), Isaac Newton Institute at University of Cambridge. 

Qualifications:

• PhD (Newcastle University)

Key awards:

1. 2013-2019: A New Frontier in Design: The Simulation of Open Engineered Biological Systems, one of the only five prestigious Frontier Awards (c.a. £5.58 millions) funded by EPSRC (EP/K039083/1), strategic Co-investigator and team leader for the theme of Biomechanics and Flow within the project. Within this Frontier Award grant, I am the line manager and supervisor of 3 PDRAs.
2. 2018-2020: Multiscale characterization of complex materials using a combination of atomic force microscopy and optical coherence tomography funded by EPSRC (EP/R025606/1), PI, £487k).
3. 2022-2025: Biofilm Resistant Liquid-like Solid Surfaces in Flow Situations, funded by EPSRC (overall PI, £935.3k in total, with £457.5k to my team).

Professional affiliations:

• Member of EPSRC Peer Review College
• Full member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honour Society
• Materials Research Society
• Europe Society of Biomechanics
• Tissue and Cell Engineering Society
• Institute of Physics

Outline of main research interests:

• Nanomechanics: Nanoindentation; Nanotribology
• Rheology and microfludics: rheology of soft materials and solutions, Microfluidic device and characterisation and its applications
• Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilm Mechanics
• Multiscale biomechanics in both experimental and modelling techniques
• The physics of biofilm formation
• Develop methods to inhibit biofilm formation or destroy biofilms
• Cancer diagnosis
• Surface wetting and Droplet dynamics

PhD opportunities

PhD positions in bio-inspired anti-fouling surfaces, marine fouling control, biophysics of bacteria and biofilms to tackle anti-microbial resistance, computational tissue engineering, and cancer diagnosis.

Current teaching responsibilities:

• MPP509: Advances in Biomaterials

I have published extensively with a focus on top journals in computational modelling, bioengineering and materials engineering. Selected papers are listed below. The full list can be found on my Google Scholar.

Selected publications:

• Charlton, Samuel; Bible, Amber;Secchi, Eleonora;Morrell-Falvey,Jennifer; Retterer,Scott;Curtis,Thomas;Chen,Jinju;Jana,Saikat. Microstructural and rheological transitions in bacterial biofilms, Advanced Science, 10 (2023) 2207373
• R Han, XQ Feng, P Stoodley, W Vollmer, J Chen. Deciphering the adaption of bacterial cell wall mechanical integrity and turgor to different chemical or mechanical environments. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 2023, 640, 510-520.
• Yang Wenjian, Luo Ma, Gao Yanfei, Feng Xiqiao, Chen Jinju. Mechanosensing model of fibroblast cells adhered on a substrate with varying stiffness and thickness. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids2023, 171, 105137.
• Dawson J, Coaster S, Han R, Gausden J, Liu HZ, McHale G, Chen J. Dynamics of Droplets Impacting on Aerogel, Liquid Infused, and Liquid-Like Solid Surfaces. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces2023, 15, 2301–2312
• Xia Y, Jayathilake PG, Li B, Zuliani P, Deehan D, Longyear J, Stoodley P, Chen J.Coupled CFD-DEM modelling to predict how EPS affects bacterial biofilm deformation, recovery and detachment under flow conditions. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 2022, 119 , 2551–2563.  
• Luo M, Yang W, Cartwright TN, Higgins JMG, Chen J. Simultaneous Measurement of Single-Cell Mechanics and Cell-to-Materials Adhesion Using Fluidic Force Microscopy. Langmuir2022, 38(2), 620-628.
• Zhu Y, McHale G, Dawson J, Armstrong S, Wells G, Han R, Liu H, Vollmer W, Stoodley P, Jakubovics NS, Chen J. Slippery Liquid-Like Solid Surfaces with Promising Antibiofilm Performance in both Static and Flow Conditions. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces2022, 14(5), 6307-6317.
• Chinnaraj SB, Jayathilake PG, Dawson J, Ammar Y, Portoles J, Jakubovics NJ, Chen J. Modelling the combined effect of surface roughness and topography on bacterial attachment. Journal of Materials Science & Technology 2021, 81, 151-161.
• Jayathilake P, Jana S, Rushton S, Swailes D, Bridgens B, Curtis T, Chen J. Extracellular Polymeric Substance Production and Aggregated Bacteria Colonization Influence the Competition of Microbes in Biofilms. Frontiers in Microbiology 2017, 8, 1-14.
• Cao Y, Su B, Chinnaraj S, Jana S, Bowen L, Charlton S, Duan P, Jakubovics NS, Chen J. Nanostructured titanium surfaces exhibit recalcitrance towards Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation. Scientific Reports 2018, 8, 1071.
• Hunt NC, Hallam D, Karimi A, Mellough CB, Chen J, Steel DHW, Lako M. 3D culture of human pluripotent stem cells in RGD-alginate hydrogel improves retinal tissue development. Acta Biomaterialia 2017, 49, 329-343.

View all publications »

External Collaborators: 

• Oak Ridge National Laboratories
• University of Tennessee
• Ohio State University
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Sheffield
• Newcastle University
• Nanyang Technological University
• Freeman Hospital

External roles and appointments:

• Principal Editor of the Journal of Materials Research
• Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports
• Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces