School of Engineering and Materials Science Medical Materials
Undergraduate Degree Programmes: • B891 MEng Medical Materials • BV90 MEng Medical Materials with Industrial Experience • B890 BEng Medical Materials • B893 BEng Medical Materials with Industrial Experience • B892 BSc Medical Materials
Medical Materials
The School of Engineering and Materials Science The School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS) has a long standing reputation for excellent teaching and research involving international collaboration with industrial, clinical and university partners. Queen Mary has been teaching engineering for over 100 years and was the first UK university to establish a Materials Science undergraduate degree. SEMS has a population of over 1000 students and an annual intake of approximately 350 students on to a range of engineering and materials science degrees. SEMS is proud of its teaching and all our degrees are ranked are ranked as either the best in London or within the top five (2014 National Student Survey) and Queen Mary itself has recently been recognised as one of the top 100 universities in the world (2014 QS World Ranking). Furthermore, SEMS is proud and excited to announce that we are investing ÂŁ25million to develop additional laboratory spaces which will include dedicated teaching areas exclusively for the use of our undergraduate students.
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Medical Materials at Queen Mary What are medical materials? There are the many different types of medical materials, some are simple in their composition such as the material that are used to for contact lenses, whilst others are specially designed polymers such as those used in scaffolds to grow back bone tissue following an injury. It is possible that you have been using many different types of medical materials in your day to day life. If you have received stitches for an injury, have you ever considered the composition of the material which has been stitched into your skin? What would you need to know in order to make a biologically compatible implant material such as those used in stitches? Or how could you replace a living tissue with a man made tissue such as a heart valve replacement? The Medical Materials degrees are at the interface of medicine, chemistry, physics and biology. Medical Materials looks at how materials are used to repair, replace or supplement parts of the human body. It imparts an understanding of the body and the material - this is called the body interface. As a medical materials scientist, you will develop the replacements for systems such as joints and organs, specialised splints, and wound dressings. Healthcare is one of the fastest-growing industries in the UK. The biomaterials industry is hungry for graduates with the necessary materials design and biomedical knowledge to develop new medical devices. You can also undertake fundamental research in universities or in industry to bring innovative technologies to life. The Medical Materials degrees at Queen Mary are accredited by the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining (IOM3) with Materials Science and Engineering having a well established and impressive track record with one of the largest cohorts of undergraduate students in the country. Materials Science and Engineering was ranked 1st in London, 1st of the Russell Group universities and 3rd in the UK with 95 per cent of students saying that they were satisfied (2014 National Student Survey).
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Degree Structure Medical Materials at Queen Mary is offered as either a three year BSc/BEng or a four year MEng and both are available with industrial experience. During the first two years of the degree, you will gain a solid foundation in the principles of materials by studying core materials modules alongside two modules which are specialist to Medical Materials. In Year 3 and Year 4, you will specialise in a greater number of modules specific to Medical Materials. Year 4 allows you to pick the majority of the modules you will study which means you can tailor your studies to match your career aspirations. A description of each module, and what it entails, can be found on our website under 'Structure'. In order to fully support our first year students who are new to university study, we have developed a new module called 'Transferable Skills for Engineers and Materials'. This module is designed to help students adapt to the challenges and requirements of reading for a degree.
Student Centred Learning Student Centred Learning (SCL) plays an important part of the materials science degrees. SCL is a concept used to enhance multidisciplinary skills using planned problem scenarios. It is an active way of learning that teaches you problem-solving skills while at the same time allowing you to acquire knowledge. This method of learning is very popular with our current students, who find it an accessible way to understand new concepts. Students work in small groups on case studies, normally involving practical work. During SCL students will learn how to use lab equipment, solve problems in an organised manner, use brainstorming and analyse and discuss experimental data using written reports, posters and oral presentations
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The modules shown in bold are the specialist Medical Materials modules
Year 1
Clinical Problems in Biomedical Engineering and Materials Clinical Solutions in Biomedical Engineering and Materials Materials Science 1: Properties of Matter Materials Selection and Mechanical Modelling Mathematics for Materials Scientists Materials Science 2: Processing and Applications Student Centred Learning 1 Transferable Skills for Engineers and Materials
Year 2
Surfaces and Interfaces in Biomedical Materials Medical Physiology Polymers Chemistry for Materials Metals Structural Characterisation Student Centred Learning 2
Year 3
Individual Medical Materials Research Project Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Science of Biocompatibility Failure of Solids Ceramics Manufacturing Processes Materials Selection in Design
Year 4
Optional Industrial Experience
Year 5
Research and Design Medical Materials Team Project Advanced Structure Property Relationships in Materials Advanced Materials Characterisation Techniques Options: Tissue Mechanics Foundations of Intellectual Property Law and Managament Introduction to Law for Science and Engineering Nanotechnology Chemical and Biological Sensors
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How you will learn
A variety of teaching methods are employed in SEMS, including lectures, small tutorials, laboratory practicals, Problem-Based Learning activities and project work. Specialist modules are delivered to small groups of Medical Materials students. Assessment is continuous throughout your degree, with written reports, projects, presentations, group work and exams in the summer semester. You can revise for your exams using QMplus which is the University's online learning environment. QMplus allows you to access videos of your lectures and any associated handouts.
Research Projects In the third year, you will undertake an individual research project which will get you involved with the cutting edge reserarch taking place at SEMS. It is an opportunity for you to apply the skills and techniques learnt from previous years’ studies and to focus on your particular area of interest. You will work on your own, but will get support, guidance and advice from your project supervisor, other members of staff, researchers and technicians. Examples of recent individual research projects are as follows: • Making sensors for glucose measurement to help diabetics • Developing microcapsules for delivering drugs to target organs • Making polymer nanofibres for tissue • Engineering and bone replacement materials We aim to produce projects that are of sufficient quality to be presented at international conferences or published in peer-review journals.
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Design Project In the fourth year, you will undertake a major design project. This offers you a challenging and realistic assignment, helping you prepare for the real world in professional materials science roles. You will manage your own project in association with academic supervisors, industrialists and clinicians. The following are examples of previous group design projects: • Home urine flowmeter • Improved ankle replacement implant • Bioreactor for cartilage tissue engineering • Repair system for torn menisci • Surface coating technology for implants This project is not only a stimulating and immensely enjoyable part of the degree, but is also highly valued by employers.
Facilities SEMS has excellent laboratory and computational facilities which include, amongst others, several Cell and Tissue Labs, a Student Workshop and the Nanoforce Centre for making nano- and bio-materials. SEMS are excited to be spending £25 million on developing a new undergraduate Experimental and Testing Area which is to be completed in September 2015. The new facilities will encompass four specialist areas and will be fitted with bespoke equipment designed with the needs of our students in mind. We are also spending an additional £500,000 on new apparatus.
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Employability
Industrial Experience All our BEng and MEng degrees are available with an Industrial Experience component in which you will take a relevant industrial placement for one year. Students on these degrees will normally spend the year in industry after their second year of a BEng or third year of an MEng. The Industrial Experience year is not assessed as part of the students degree but is instead operated on a pass/fail basis. Students receive 120 credits for the year. There are many benefits to participating in a year of industrial experience, not only in the practical experience you will gain but also the professional contacts you will make. The year working in industry will significantly help you to develop communication, problem solving and team working skills. It will also give you invaluable experience to use when applying for professional positions after graduation. The year in industry also counts toward the requirements of applying to be a Chartered Engineer. Many employers will automatically offer a place on their graduate schemes to students who participated on year placements with them. SEMS has excellent links with industry which are essential for all our "with industrial experience" degrees. Students are not guaranteed an industrial placement and will have to be proactive in finding a suitable placement. However, we have a dedicated member of staff who will provide support in locating a placement with our extensive industrial links. There is an active Industrial Liaison Forum, which has a direct impact on our degrees by encouraging employers to sponsor and support the students and to provide real design case studies to engage the students throughout the curriculum. Recent case studies that have been taught and assessed were delivered by Bridgestone, DePuy, Apatech, Artis, Corus, BAE, DSTL and Rolls Royce.
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Careers The UK is industrially world-leading and growing in the design of medical materials, providing a large number of job opportunities in research and development (R&D) and patient care. The Medical Materials degree at Queen Mary provides students with a fantastic opportunity to enter rewarding careers in this expanding field. Our recent graduates have been employed in a wide range of roles, ranging from R&D roles for medical materials companies, to working as clinical scientists in hospitals and also to pursuing PhDs. The 2014 Destinations Survey confirmed that 85 per cent of our graduates were in employment and/or study six months after graduation. Graduates from SEMS have a strong earning power, with with an average salary of ÂŁ24,000 six months after graduation (2014 National Student Survey).
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Staff teaching on your degree There are over 70 members of academic staff teaching within SEMS. Below are the specialist Medical Materials staff: Dr Asa Barber Surfaces, interfaces, fibrous materials, nanotechnology, nanomechanics
Dr Himadri Gupta Biomaterials , Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Nanostructured Materials
Dr Emiliano Bilotti Synthesis and Characterisation of Polymer Nanocomposites, Conductive Polymer Composites, Smart Textiles, Bioinspired Materials
Dr Karin Hing Biomaterials, porous bone graft substitutes and tissue engineering scaffolds. Cell response. Tissue repair and evaluation.
Dr Russell Binions Chemical Vapour Deposition, Functional Metal Oxide Films, Metal Oxide Semiconductor Gas Sensors, Chromogenic Materials
Dr Henri Huijberts Nonlinear control systems, nonlinear dynamics, chaos, synchronisation, robotics
Dr James Busfield Rubber Research Group, finite element analysis, polymer materials Dr Andy Bushby Nanoindentation, Micromechanics, Biological materials Dr Tina Chowdhury Cartilage biology, mechanopathology, inflammation, tissue engineering, musculoskeletal science Dr Joost De Bruijn Biomaterials, Hard tissue replacement, bone tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, bioreactor systems for adult stem cell expansion Dr Julien Gautrot Synthesis and characterisation of biomaterials. Micro- and nanopatterning. Biointerfaces. Stem cell biology. 9 Queen Mary University of London
Professor Martin Knight Mechanobiology, Cell and tissue mechanics, Mechanotransduction, Confocal microscopy, Articular Cartilage Dr Hazel Screen Biomedical Engineering, Connective tissue mechanics, microscale and nanoscale mechanical properties, tissue engineering. Professor Gleb Sukhorukov Physical Chemistry, Biophysics, Materials Science, Multifunctional Nanoengineered Delivery Systems Professor Pankaj Vadgama Biomedical Materials, Biosensors, interfaces, polymers, membranes Dr Haixue Yan Ceramics Processing and Characterizations, Spark Plasma Sintering, Nano, Ferroelectrics
Why Study Medical Materials at Queen Mary? • Highly Rated Degree Materials at Queen Mary is listed as the best in London for student satisfaction (2014 National Student Survey) and was in fact the first Medical Materials program established in the country. • Accredited Degree Accreditation by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining enables graduates to progress to Chartered Engineer status. • Specialist Medical Materials modules From the first semester in Year 1, students take specialist medical materials modules relating the broader aspects of materials science through to the specialised applications in medicine. • Experimental and Computational Facilities Students utilise a range of excellent laboratory facilities for experimental and computational practicals and project work. • Links with Biomedical Industry The first Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) in Biomedical Materials was set up in 1991 at Queen Mary. Several staff at SEMS are members, linking to the biomedical industry in the UK. • Research Projects Individual 3rd year research projects provide a fantastic opportunity for students to participate in the internationally leading medical materials research taking place at Queen Mary. • Staff Students are taught by enthusiastic, approachable and friendly staff, with internationally recognised expertise in many specialist areas of medical materials. • Career Prospects Our graduates are highly valued by employers providing exciting medical materials job opportunities and excellent employability in a range of careers. • Student Satisfaction All our students are individually nurtured and encouraged to fulfill their true potential. This is reflected in SEMS' excellent ranking in the recent National Student Survey. • Queen Mary University of London Queen Mary has a long standing reputation for academic excellence with a friendly, diverse and multicultural campus situated in the heart of London and is one of the top 100 universities in the world. • Member of the Russell Group Queen Mary is one of only 24 universities who make up the prestigious Russell Group. This Group represents the leading universities in the UK. Employers specifically target Russell Group universities because of the calibre of these institutions' graduates.
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For further information contact: School of Engineering and Materials Science Queen Mary University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8736 email: sems-ugadmissions@qmul.ac.uk This brochure is intended as a summary guide for your reference. Please visit out website for full details on our degrees www.sems.qmul.ac.uk
The information given in this brochure is correct at the time of going to press. QMUL reserves the right to modify or cancel any statement in it and accepts no responsibility for the consequences of any such changes. 389_13
Any section of this publication is available upon request in accessible formats (large print, audio, etc.). For further information and assistance, please contact: Diversity Specialist, hr-equality@qmul.ac.uk, 020 7882 5585