Dr Giuseppe Tronci
- Position: Associate Professor (Healthcare Materials)
- Areas of expertise: Degradable polymers; biopolymers; fibre spinning; medical devices
- Email: G.Tronci@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 8083
- Location: 113 Clothworkers Building South
- Website: Personal Website | School of Dentistry's webpage | Googlescholar | ORCID
Profile
I joined the University of Leeds in 2011 as a Research Fellow within the WELMEC Centre of Excellence in Medical Engineering. Working with colleagues in the Schools of Dentistry and Design, I developed a Hydrogel of Functionalised ateloCollagen (HyFaCol) technology for advanced wound management, which has been patented in the US.
In 2013, I was appointed in the School of Design as a Senior Research Fellow of the Clothworkers' Centre for Textile Materials Innovation for Healthcare (CCTMIH), where I developed protein-friendly fibre spinning approaches for integrated medical devices. During this appointment, I secured a Wellcome Trust-ISSF award to support a three-month research visit at the University of Michigan Department of Chemical Engineering (US), where I worked on new orthogonal photochemistries for skeletal repair.
In 2016, I started my Lectureship in Healthcare Materials (CCTMIH, School of Design) with a joint appointment with Leeds School of Dentistry (since 2018), prior to being promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. I currently serve as the Deputy Director of CCTMIH, where I am pursuing the translation of HyFaCol for human use and developing new material-based concepts for oral care, bone regeneration and infection control.
I gained my bachelor's (Laurea 2003) and master's (Laurea Magistrale 2005) degrees in Biomedical Engineering, both at Polytechnic University of Turin (IT). As part of my master's degree program, I carried out my final dissertation project at EPFL Powder Technology Laboratory (CH) via an Erasmus scholarship. In 2006, I embarked on a PhD programme at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Institute of Biomaterials Science (DE), within a DFG-sponsored Collaborative Research Centre (SFB-760) joint with the Charité Medical School in Berlin. I was awarded a doctorate in Materials in Life Sciences by the University of Potsdam (DE, 2010). Further to my PhD, I gained a PGCert in Professional Innovation Management from the University of Leeds Business School in 2014.
My research profile lies at the interface of biomaterials science, macromolecular science, and textile technology. I have direct experience on the design of high-value bio-/polymer-based-materials with structure-induced functions and their manufacture into industry-compliant and clinically-relevant formats (e.g. fibres, coatings, hydrogels). I am an academic supervisor within the University of Leeds EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (CDT TERM) and co-/supervise several PhD students.
Responsibilities
- Deputy Director - CCTMIH
- Research Group Leader in Textile Technology
- School Research Ethics Committee Member
Research interests
- design of biomimetic systems for chronic wound, oral and musculoskeletal care
- structure-property relationships and material multifunctionality
- creation of bespoke material geometrics based on defined macromolecular systems
- high-value manufacture of medical devices
- translational research
Qualifications
- PhD in Materials in Life Sciences, University of Potsdam & Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (DE)
- Laurea Magistrale (MSc eq.) in Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin (IT)
- Laurea (BSc eq.) in Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin (IT)
Professional memberships
- Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC)
- Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (MIMMM)
- International Association for Dental Research
- European Society of Biomaterials
Student education
- Module leader – Healthcare Materials and Products
- Lecturer – Research Dissertation
- Module leader – Biomaterials for Regenerative Dentistry
- Lecturer – Dental Materials
- Lecturer – Structure-Property-Relationships