Staff
Professor David Williams OBE FREng BSc PhD DEng CEng FIMechE

Emeritus Professor of Healthcare Engineering
- +44 (0) 1509 227668
- d.j.williams@lboro.ac.uk
- TW.2.04, Wolfson Building
- Research publications
Background
- Educated at UMIST (BSc 1975, DEng 2001) and Cambridge Universities (PhD 1981);
- Student Apprentice GKN (1971-1975);
- Assistant Engineer Metal Box (1979-1980);
- Ford of Britain Fellow (1980-1983) then Lecturer in Manufacturing and Design (1983-1988) Cambridge University Engineering Department and Fellow of Downing College; Associate Cambridge Consultants (1987-1992);
- Professor of Manufacturing Processes Loughborough University (1989-1999);
- Head of Department of Manufacturing Engineering (1991-1995);
- Director of Prime Faraday Partnership (1997-1999);
- Manufacturing Technology Director, Bespak Europe then Technical Director Bespak Operations (1993-2003);
- Professor of Healthcare Engineering Loughborough University from 2003;
- Director of the Research School of Health and Life Sciences (2006-2013);
- Honorary Historical Consultant Royal Armouries from 2009;
- Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine (2010-14);
- Visiting Professor University of Huddersfield (2013-2017);
- University Academic Research Challenge Lead Health and Wellbeing (2014-2015);
- University Academic Lead in Defence Medicine (2015-2017);
- Visiting SIMTech Fellow Singapore (2016-2017);
- Emeritus Professor from 2019.
Honours
- OBE for services to science and engineering in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, 2014
- Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, 2002
Research Interests and Activities
- Translation and Commercialisation of Medical Technologies;
- Manufacturing Technology for Cell and Tissue Based Therapies;
- Rehabilitation and Regeneration;
- Defence Medicine;
- History of Precision Manufacturing, particularly Gunmaking.
External Activities
- Journal editorships
- Editor of International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (1988-2006); Founding Editor Journal of Electronics Manufacturing (1991)
- Honorary Editor of the Journal of the Arms and Armour Society from 2015
- Journal editorial board membership
- Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing; Revue Internationale d’Ingenierie des Systemes de Production Mechanique; CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, Royal Armouries Arms and Armour Journal, Journal of the Historic Breechloading Smallarms Association
- Learned society engagement
- Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering 2002; Member of Royal Academy of Engineering Membership Panel 1 (2004-2007); Fellow of CIRP 2000 (Emeritus 2019); Member of Royal Academy of Engineering Membership Panel 9 - Medical & Bioengineering (2018-2021).
- Professional affiliations
- Chartered Engineer, CEng; Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, FIMechE; Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, FSA; Member Institute of Directors, MIOD; Senior Member of the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (USA)
- Major Recent conference activity
- Chair Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 1stManufacturing the Future Conference 2012;
- Recent Invited and Keynote Presentations:
- New Zealand Invited Visitor Otago University 2009
- Invited Lecture, FESAC International Conference, Royal Armouries, 2010
- Invited Lecture, IFF Stuttgart 50th Anniversary Conference, 2010
- Invited Presentation, 2nd International Conference on Stem Cell Bio-manufacturing Georgia Tech, Atlanta 2010
- Manufuture Invited Presentation and Session Chair, Wroclaw, 2011
- Cell Therapy Bioprocessing Conference Invited Presentation, Reston, USA, 2011
- Invited Presentation, Regenerative Medicine Workshop, Hilton Head, USA, 2011
- Invited Presentation, Erlangen Co-operation Forum Cell Based Therapie,s 2012
- Invited Keynote, UK-Spain Workshop on Translational Regenerative Medicine, Madrid, 2012
- Invited Presentation, Bayerisches Armeemuseum, Ingolstadt, 2012
- Wroclaw University of Technology Visiting Professor Scheme Lecture, 2013
- Keynote World Congress in Regenerative Medicine, Leipzig, 2013
- William K Mong Distinguished Lecturer University of Hong Kong, 2013
- Invited Presentation, North Carolina State University, 2015
- Keynote Presentation, Bioman Conference, Boston, 2015
- Invited Presentation, SIMTech, Singapore, 2016
- Keynote Presentation, 4th Belgian Symposium on Tissue Engineering, Leuven, 2016
- Canadian Guild of Antique Arms Historians' 50th Anniversary Meeting Guest Speaker, Dundurn Castle, Ontario, Canada, 2017
- Recent Advisory Roles
- Technology Strategy Board Assessor & Panel Member Technologies for Health (2008); Stroke (2010); and Dementia (2010);
- Independent Member of DSAC 2008-2012;
- Independent Member Wellcome/DoH Healthcare Innovation Challenge Fund Panel 2009-2010;
- Chair VINNOVA Sweden National Manufacturing Research Review 2009;
- Deputy Chair NHS i4i Late Stage Funding Panel from 2010;
- Research Council for Norway Generalist Evaluator Centres for Research-based Innovation 2010;
- Chair EPSRC Synthetic Biology Panel 2010;
- FORFAS Ireland National Research Prioritisation Exercise International Review 2011;
- Chair EPSRC Civil Engineering Platform Grant Panel 2012;
- Member Biomedical Catalyst Fund Large Awards Committee 2012-2019;
- IDA Irish Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Centre Technology External Review Panel Member 2012;
- Higher Education Funding Council for England Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee Member 2013-2015;
- Department of Health Regenerative Medicine Expert Group Member 2013-15;
- Chair EPSRC Manufacturing for Health Panel 2014;
- Vinnova Sweden Strategic Research Area Initiative Expert Evaluator 2014-2015;
- Research Council Norway Panel Chair and Generalist Evaluator, Centres for Research-based Innovation 2015;
- Member Defence & National Rehabilitation Centre National Workstream Steering Group 2015-2017;
- Member Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships Steering Group 2015-2018;
- The Electrospinning Company, Harwell, Scientific Advisory Board Member from 2015;
- Vinnova Sweden Competence Centre Competition Generalist Evaluator and Panel Chair 2016-2017;
- FloDesignSonics, Wilbraham MA, USA, Scientific Advisory Board Member from 2016;
- Member European Research Council Consolidator Award Panel Life Sciences 7 (Translation) from 2016;
- A-STAR Singapore Visiting Expert to PharmBio Cluster 2017;
- Generalist Evaluator for Norwegian (RCN) Centres for Research-based Innovation (SFI) 2018-2019;
- Enterprise Ireland PMTC Career-FIT Opportunities Panel 2018;
- A-STAR and NRF Singapore Funding Panels in Regenerative Medicine 2018;
- Member Royal Academy of Engineering Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowships Panel from 2018;
- Member NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre Scientific Advisory Group from 2018;
- Member UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Panel Pool from 2018;
- Scientific Advisory Board Member, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, Nottingham University from 2019;
- External Scientific Advisor Injury & Reconstruction Biomechanics Test Suite, Imperial College, from 2019
- Collaborative Research
- Principal Investigator: £7.1m EPSRC Life Sciences Interface Doctoral Training Centre in Regenerative Medicine: http://www.dtcregen-med.com/
- Principal Investigator £5.8M EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine, www.epsrc-regen-med.org
- Principal Investigator £2.7M EPSRC ETERM Landscape Fellowship Programme
- Loughborough Principal Investigator MRC UK Regenerative Medicine Pluripotent Stem Cell Platform £7.7M (including equipment award) www.ukrmp.org.uk/hubs/cell-behaviour-differentiation-and-manufacturing/
- Commercialisation of research
- Sabbatical leave Lucas Advanced Vehicle Systems (1995); Non Executive Director Medlink East Midlands (2005-2006)
Awards
- Institution of Mechanical Engineers Thatcher Brothers Prize, 1993
- Institution of Mechanical Engineers Donald Julius Groen Prize, 1993
- Institution of Chemical Engineers Donald Medal, 2017