Background
- Born in Hilversum, The Netherlands.
- Secondary education Hogere Burger School, Jonkerweg.
- Higher education at Hogere Technische School, Amsterdam and Cranfield Institute of Technology.
- Contract R&D BHRA Fluid Engineering (1978-1982) and Cranfield Institute of Technology (1983-1987).
- Joined Loughborough University in 1988 as Lecturer in Fluid Mechanics at Loughborough University.
Research interests
Applications of theoretical and experimental tools in transport - phenomena to healthcare and life sciences:
(i) Respiratory drug delivery:
- pressurised metered dose inhalers, nebulisers, dry-powder inhalers
- atomisation, aerosol formation
- drug deposition and degradation processes
- aerosol characterisation
- interaction of pharmaceutical aerosols and airways
(ii) Regenerative medicine:
- modelling of transport processes in the production of engineered intervertebral disc tissues
- mechanical signalling
- scaffold production processes
(iii) Ventilation and homeostatic functions of termite mounds
External activities
- Professional affiliations: Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Member, Eur Ing (Netherlands National FEANI) and Member of KIVI NIRIA (Netherlands Engineering Institution), Member American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Member of ILASS-Europe (Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems), Member TERMIS (Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society).
- Keynote lectures: 11th Int Conf Portable Inhalers, London 2003; 14th Int Conf on Portable Inhalers, London, 2005
- Invited lectures/presentations: Vortex Flowmeters short course, Cranfield, 1984; Introduction to Fluid Mechanics and Instrumentation short course, Cranfield 1984-1987; Introduction to Fluid Flow Calculations short course Cranfield, 1984-1987; Advanced Flow Calculations for Turbomachinery short course, Cranfield, 1986,1987; Fluid Dynamics and Internal Flow Systems, Rolls-Royce plc, Derby 1997-present; Flow Measurement Workshop, Cambridge University, 2005, 2007; Respiratory Drug Delivery VII, Palm Harbor at Tarpon Springs, Florida, 2000; Drug Delivery to the Lungs XIII, London, 2002; Respiratory Drug Delivery IX, Palm Desert, California, USA, 2004; Respiratory Drug Delivery X, Boca Raton, Florida, 2006.
- Referee for Proceedings of Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Part C Journal of Basic Engineering and Part D Journal of Automotive Engineering).
- Collaborative Research: Modelling of pharmaceutical metered dose inhalers (AstraZeneca, 2002, 2004-2005), Visualisation studies of vortex nozzle inhaler (Kos Pharmaceuticals, Morrisville, NC, USA, 2003-2004), Formulation of plasmid DNA and aerosolisation using mesh nebulisers (Prof. M. Hoare, University College London, 2005-present), Modelling of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Automotive Gear Boxes (Romax and University of Munich).
- Commercialisation of Research: findings of the visualisation studies for Kos Pharmaceuticals’ directly led to the re-design of their inhaler, which is currently undergoing FDA Phase 2 trials as the world’s first pMDI-based inhaled rh-insulin product.