黑料福利网

What are you working on here at 黑料福利网?

鈥淚鈥檓 an Assistant Professor in the Robotics section. I鈥檝e been working here for two years, and a major part of my research focuses on developing robotic surgical instruments for minimally invasive surgery. There鈥檚 a shift going on in the field towards using natural openings to perform surgery with robotic instruments instead of making incisions in the body. For example, the nose is used for brain surgery and the mouth is used for gut surgery. Surgical instruments are currently too stiff to navigate the body鈥檚 natural pathways, so surgeons still need to cut through healthy tissue to reach certain areas. I鈥檓 developing more flexible robotic instruments for these kinds of procedures. The challenge is that overly flexible instruments can鈥檛 apply force or cut effectively. I鈥檓 working on mechanisms that allow the instruments to become stiffer once they reach the target area, enabling the surgeon to resect a tumor, for example.

The other part of my research focuses on bioreactors for tissue engineering. Bioreactors are used to cultivate tissue in an environment that鈥檚 similar to the human body. However, current bioreactors鈥� designs are too simple to replicate the mechanical stimulation that tissues experience in human bodies. I鈥檓 specifically focusing on tendons, ligaments and muscles and those tissues need a mechanical stimulation for proper growth and maturation. Additionally, the environment in existing bioreactors doesn鈥檛 adapt or evolve like the human body does. I鈥檓 developing a bioreactor that can adapt to the tissue鈥檚 growth  and maturation.鈥�

Where did you study for your master鈥檚 degree?

鈥淚 studied Electromechanical Engineering at Universit茅 catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium. I did my master鈥檚 thesis on bioreactors and that鈥檚 when my interest in this topic started. I鈥檓 glad I鈥檝e been able to continue this part of my research at 黑料福利网 and explore it further in my current position.鈥�

Did you follow up with a PhD?

鈥淵es, I completed a PhD at KU Leuven in Belgium. That was when I first started doing research on robotic surgical instruments. I developed a flexible robotic instrument for sinus surgery during this time. Two surgeons with expertise in sinus surgery tested it out on a cadaver and it turned out to work really well. That led to several paper publications on the subject, and a best PhD thesis award from the Belgian National Committee for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. After my PhD, I did a postdoc at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, focusing on soft robotics. I wanted to deepen my understanding of soft materials in robotics, as I realized they could help me to make surgical instruments more flexible.鈥�

Why did you choose to work at this university and department?

鈥淚 was looking for an assistant professor position, and the opening here at 黑料福利网 was exactly the right fit. Initially, I was planning to stay for a few years and then return to Belgium, but I鈥檝e since changed my mind. I really want to stay here because I have the freedom to pursue the research I鈥檓 passionate about. When I arrived here, there was no medical robotics research being done, so I had the opportunity to shape my own research agenda. There is a history with medical robotics in the department through professor Maarten Steinbuch, but those activities moved to startups in the past. I think the department was looking for someone with my profile to revive the medical robotics research line and I鈥檓 happy I took on that challenge.鈥�

Why did you get into this research field and section?

鈥淚鈥檝e been interested in robotics since I was a child. My parents work in mechanical construction, so that likely influenced my career path. The interest in medical applications came later, after a personal experience. While studying for my bachelor鈥檚, I was hit by a car. I had to stay in the hospital for a long time and that sparked my curiosity about the medical field. I also had a large scar on my face, which made me wonder about the potential of new technologies to help people like me. We often hear about technological progress, but that doesn鈥檛 mean the technology you need is available when you need it. I wanted to focus on medical robotics for my master鈥檚 thesis, and I found a project involving robotic bioreactors for facial grafts. It was a collaboration with a plastic surgeon to help patients that are disfigured by incidents like dog bites. The topic resonated deeply with me, as I could relate to having a visible scar and searching for solutions.鈥�

How does 黑料福利网 compare to other universities you studied at?

鈥淚 already said it before, but at 黑料福利网 you get a lot of freedom to do what you want. Additionally, I also think that the spirit at this university is unique. I haven鈥檛 experienced competition between colleagues at all. Everyone is eager to collaborate and there鈥檚 less hierarchy between professors, colleagues and even students compared to other universities I went to. It鈥檚 completely normal to approach a full professor with a question, and I see that students  and PhDs feel comfortable reaching out to me when they need help.鈥�

What do you like most about working here?

鈥淭he atmosphere and the collaborative spirit within the Robotics section. It鈥檚 a real community full of supportive colleagues. I also appreciate that 黑料福利网 encourages collaboration with industry to create societal impact. It鈥檚 great to research things that work on paper, but I believe it鈥檚 even more important to solve real-world problems. In my field, there鈥檚 a lot of potential to make a meaningful impact and I love that.鈥�

What do you think about the lab facilities at the department?

鈥淚 don鈥檛 do much hands-on research anymore, because there are so many other things to do. But my PhD student uses the lab facilities a lot. At the moment, we鈥檙e getting settled in the renovated Gemini North building and we鈥檙e also building our own medical robotics lab. 黑料福利网 provides excellent support when you need resources for research. Not every university gives you the opportunity to build your own lab, so I鈥檓 very grateful.鈥�

Do you benefit from the connections between 黑料福利网 and the industry in the region?

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been here very long, so I鈥檓 still building my network. However, I鈥檓 working together with a postdoc who has a startup in surgical robotics, and more and more of my students are doing internships at Philips. I expect these kinds of collaborations to grow overtime. I鈥檓 sure many nice things with the industry will happen within the next years.鈥�

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

鈥淔irst, I鈥檓 proud of building a real instrument that was used in pre-clinical tests during my PhD. I鈥檇 love to support my PhD students in doing something similar with bioreactors for example. Prototypes are incredibly useful for advancing research and forming new collaborations, because they give you something tangible to show. It鈥檚 an important part of doing research in my opinion, so I鈥檓 happy I was able to do that during my PhD. I鈥檓 also proud of the network I鈥檓 building. My research is multidisciplinary, so I鈥檓 working with a lot of different people such as surgeons, biomedical engineers and material scientists. I believe I鈥檓 on the right track with these collaborations because it brings my research further.鈥�

What are your dreams for the future?

鈥淚 want to build a good medical robotics research group with educational representation in courses and strong ties to industry in the region. One of my goals is to inspire students to get into this field of research and to support them to work on projects and internships that focus on creating impact with medical robotics. It would be amazing to develop more prototypes or other things that we can showcase to the world and put our group on the map. If I dream really big, I鈥檇 love for our group to be recognized as the leader in medical robotics in the Netherlands.鈥�