Organising Committee
- Prof Yalin Zheng (Co-chair), Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool.
- Dr Riaz Akhtar (Co-chair), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Liverpool.
- Dr Rosti Readioff, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Liverpool.
- Dr Wahbi El-Bouri, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool.
Conference Co-Chairs
This year's BioMedEng conference will be jointly hosted by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Liverpool. The cross-Faculty hosting represents the deep ties and overlap in biomedical engineering across the University of Liverpool.
Our chairs are Professor Yalin Zheng (Faculty of Health and Life Sciences) and Dr Riaz Akhtar (Faculty of Science and Engineering).
Professor Yalin Zheng
Professor Yalin Zheng
Professor Zheng is Professor of AI in Healthcare at the University of Liverpool. A computer scientist working at the interface of artificial intelligence and medicine, he specialises in the development of AI algorithms, biomedical image processing, and large‑scale data analysis to address clinically meaningful challenges.
Professor Zheng has published over 300 peer‑reviewed papers across leading medical, scientific, and engineering journals and major international conferences. He contributes to the research community through service as a reviewer for numerous funding agencies, scholarly journals, and major conferences, and by serving on several editorial boards.
He has secured over £20 million in research funding from major funders such as EU Horizon, EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC, major charities including The Wellcome Trust and Fight for Sight, the British Council, the UK Department of Health, and multiple industry partners. Professor Zheng’s research has generated three granted patents, with three additional patents currently in the PCT phase. One of these technologies has been licensed by AI‑Sight Ltd for AI‑based diabetic retinopathy. His work exemplifies impactful, multidisciplinary research that enhances both the health and wealth of society in the UK and internationally, supported by extensive global partnerships.
Dr Riaz Akhtar
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Dr Riaz Akhtar
Dr Akhtar is a Reader in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Liverpool and currently the interim Head of the Department of Materials, Design and Manufacturing Engineering. He is a materials scientist and specialises in the structure-property relationships in ageing and diseased soft and hard tissues at the nano- and micron- level. His work spans a number of biomaterials and tissues including hydrogels, cardiovascular tissues, ocular tissues, bone and skin. The main thrust of Riaz’s research is on aortic disease biomechanics and he co-established the LABB Group (www.labb-group.com) and is a member of the Liverpool Centre of Cardiovascular Sciences. Riaz has published around 100 peer reviewed papers and has received several honours and awards for his research including the Bob Bonser Prize for Aortic Surgery (2019) and held a Royal Academy of Engineering/Leverhulme Trust fellowship in 2017-18.
Dr Akhtar is deeply committed to advancing biomedical engineering education. In 2015, he founded the University of Liverpool’s first MSc programme in Biomedical Engineering, establishing a strong postgraduate provision in biomedical engineering. The programme’s success directly enabled the development of additional postgraduate pathways, attracting students from diverse backgrounds and producing highly successful alumni. Graduates have gone on to intercalate during medical training, and to build careers in academia, across start-ups and multinational biomedical engineering organisations.
Committee
Dr Wahbi El-Bouri
Dr Wahbi El-Bouri
Dr Wahbi El-Bouri is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Liverpool and leads the Virtual Vascular Human research group within the Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science. He is a biomedical engineer specialising in in silico modelling, digital twins, and computational simulation of vascular systems, with particular expertise in linking microvascular structure to blood flow and tissue perfusion.
Dr El-Bouri has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has delivered more than 20 invited talks, including at the Royal Society, Royal Society of Medicine, and Hong Kong Jockey Club. His research bridges engineering and medicine, translating mathematical and computational methods into clinically relevant tools. He has played key roles in securing over £12 million in collaborative funding and currently holds leadership positions on major Horizon Europe programmes, including ARISTOTELES and TARGET, where he leads in silico clinical trial components.
He is an Associate Editor for Progress in Biomedical Engineering and actively contributes to research community development and early career training at national level, having previously led BioMedEng’s sub-committee on Early Career Researcher Training. He heads up his department’s EDIW strategy and continues to develop new computational frameworks for modelling vascular systems across scales, from microcirculation to whole-organ perfusion, in both the brain and the eye.
Dr Rosti Readioff
Dr Rosti Readioff
Dr Rosti Readioff is an emerging leader in orthopaedic engineering. As a Fellow of IMechE, she has recognised for the quality and impact of her research in experimental biomechanics and advanced computational modelling of musculoskeletal systems. As an early-career academic, she has rapidly established an independent research profile focused on developing rigorous in silico and in vitro methodologies to characterise biological tissue mechanics, enhance implant design, and optimise clinical interventions. She has been developing her capabilities to combine in vivo and in silico methods with machine learning approaches through collaborations with international researchers. By integrating high-fidelity computational methods with robust experimental validation, her work advances understanding of joint mechanics and translational strategies towards preserving natural joints.
Dr Readioff has secured competitive research funding and developed strong interdisciplinary collaborations with clinicians, industry partners, and academic researchers to address clinically driven challenges in knee joint biomechanics and assistive technologies. Her research is published in leading peer-reviewed journals and presented at major international conferences, demonstrating a sustained commitment to methodological innovation and research excellence.
Dr Readioff actively supports the biomedical engineering community through sustained engagement with the BioMedEng Association and through her leadership as Chair of the Orthopaedic Engineering Committee within the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Biomedical Engineering Division. Through these roles, she contributes to community building, conference development, professional mentoring, and the strategic advancement of orthopaedic engineering within the wider discipline.