Grants

CBET-EPSRC Scheme EP/W016036/1

• Droplet impact on fluid Interfaces: 3D effects across scales

• Award: £765,769 in total, £472,464 on the UK side, active 10/2021 - 09/2024, with Prof. Daniel Harris (PI, Brown University) and Prof. Alfonso Castrejon-Pita (Co-I, University of Oxford).

EPSRC Small Grant Scheme EP/V051385/1

• A new hierarchical modelling framework for active control: making waves in interfacial flow-based technologies

• Award: £49,182, active 03/2021 - 02/2022, with Dr. Susana Gomes as Co-Investigator.

We are surrounded by situations that depend on a controlled outcome in our day-to-day lives, ranging from controlling the evacuation of crowds, to efficient drug delivery, or designing efficient cooling systems inside high performance computing centres. The aim of this proposal is to develop a systematic modelling approach with control at its heart at multiple simplification levels, accounting for the physical effects of a chosen actuation mechanism. The simplified models will not only provide us with a framework where controls can be rigorously derived, but also facilitate the translation of their action closer to the real-world scenario in an integrated manner for the first time.

University Challenge Seed Fund 16684

• A new dual-channel needle for the extraction of oocytes during the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) process

• Award: £12,000 (Round I) + £85,500 (Round II), active 03/2021 - 09/2022, with partners at the University of Oxford (John Radcliffe Hospital and Department of Engineering Science), Vitrolife and Paragon.

• Reduction to practice funding for International Patent Application PCT/GB2020/052316, filed 09/2020.

IVF techniques have revolutionised the field of reproductive medicine. Despite the popularity of IVF, the live birth rate (LBR) remains low. It is accepted that oocyte (egg) yield is linked to LBR. Follicular flushing was introduced in an attempt to improve oocyte yield. However, a recent comprehensive review suggested no improvement in oocyte yield or LBR with flushing, likely because the flushing technique is suboptimal. We have developed a new follicular flushing needle, which we have shown increases oocyte yield in silico by more than 30% through redirection of the flushing fluid flow. The UCSF funding represents the first step to help transfer the computational modelling improvements into realistic prototypes and enable early-stage testing.

Travel and conference grants

Over the years I have obtained several awards from national organisations (IMA, LMS, EPSRC) or individual research centres (INI, ICERM, BIRS), typically of O(1000) £, to attend, present at or organise workshops in the UK, Europe and North America. Some of these sources are highlighted below: