Dr Vaishakh Raju

Profile

Prior to my current role as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering at the University of Leeds, I earned my PhD from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, India in 2023, under the guidance of Dr. Poornesh Kumar Koorata. My doctoral thesis, titled “Kinetics/Kinematics of Intact and Arthritic Knee Cartilages and a Novel Approach to Enhance Wear Characteristics of UHMWPE Tibial Inserts for Prosthetic Knee”, constituted my primary focus during the period. Between 2015 and 2018, I served as an Assistant Professor at the College of Engineering Adoor, Kerala, India. Prior to that, I obtained my Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Surat, India in 2015, and my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2010 from Saintgits College of Engineering, Kerala, India.

Research interests

During my doctoral research, I primarily focussed into computational studies of biphasic non-linear soft tissues, employing multiple constitutive hyperelastic/viscoelastic material models to simulate knee joints’ mechanical responses during various gait cycles. Additionally, my research focussed towards improving the mechanical properties of polymers used in knee implants through a novel irradiation technique. Currently, I am working on comprehending functional performance in birds skulls using advanced computational modelling to explore cranial biomechanics and kinesis. This involves utilising finite element analysis and multibody dynamics analysis to probe cranial biomechanics, complemented by experimental work to evaluate the mechanical properties of birds skulls.

Qualifications

• PhD (Biomechanics)
• M.Tech (Mechanical Engineering)
• B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering)