Dr Anthony Herbert
- Position: Associate Professor in Medical and Biological Engineering
- Areas of expertise: Mechanical characterisation of biological materials; experimental and mathematical modelling; decellularisation of biological materials; bioreactor design and manufacture.
- Email: A.Herbert@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 7371
- Location: X201 Medical & Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
- Website: X | LinkedIn
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Dr Herbert is an Associate Professor in Medical and Biological Engineering in the School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds. Following a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at the National University of Ireland, Galway, Dr Herbert completed a Masters of Science with distinction in Bioengineering and a Doctorate of Engineering in Medical Devices at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Dr Herbert then undertook a post doctorate career under the tutelage of Professors John Fisher and Eileen Ingham at the University of Leeds before being selected for a prestigious EPSRC E-TERM (Engineering in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine) landscape fellowship. His research focuses on the biomechanics and mechanobiology of musculoskeletal tissues and regenerative therapies, with particular expertise in tendon, ligament and bone repair, decellularised biological scaffolds, and pre-clinical evaluation of orthopaedic interventions. He works closely with clinical and industry partners, contributing to the development and translation of regenerative orthopaedic technologies into clinical use. His current research programmes develop multiscale experimental platforms to understand how disease alters tissue mechanics and how engineered replacement scaffolds restore joint function, spanning tissue-level models through to whole-joint simulation.
He is the current Honorary Secretary of the British Orthopaedic Research Society and is committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and translational orthopaedic research. Dr Herbert was the recipient of the British Orthopaedic Research Society International Travel fellowship and the Larry Hench UK Society for Biomaterials Young Investigator award. Dr Herbert was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering / Leverhulme Trust Fellowship in 2025.
He is a chartered engineer (CEng), a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA). He has held senior academic leadership roles, including the School Programme Leads for Medical Engineering and Director of an EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.
Dr Herbert has been awarded the Personal Tutor Award in the Leeds Partnership Awards in 2020, the Personal Tutor Award in the Faculty Partnership Awards in 2024 and the Head of School Award for Inspirational Learning and Teaching in 2022 and 2025.
Dr Herbert leads a collaboration between the School of Mechanical Engineering and the national charity REMAP who develop custom made equipment for individuals with disabilities.
Responsibilities
- Undergraduate Medical Engineering Programme Manager
- Lead for School of Mechanical Engineering collaboration with REMAP
Research interests
- Tissue biomechanics of hard and soft biological tissues
- Bioreactors for use in tissue engineering
- Manufacture and optimisation of scaffolds
- In-vitro models of disease
- In-vitro and ex-vivo biomechanical assessment of interventional products
- Surgical implantation techniques and development
To find out more about the Insitute of Medical & Biological Engineering's research visit imbe.leeds.ac.uk
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>Primary investigator (PI)
Qualifications
- Doctor of Engineering in Medical Devices
- MSc with distinction in Bioengineering
- BE (hons) Biomedical Engineering
- Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA)
- Chartered Engineer (CEng)
Professional memberships
- British Orthopaedic Research Society
- European Orthopaedic Research Society
- Institution of Mechanical Engineers
- UK Society for Biomaterials
- European Society of Biomechanics
Student education
I am module leader for Level 1 Engineering Materials [MECH1280] and Level 5 Structure and Functional Biomechanics [MECH5210M].
I also contribute to Experimental Methods and Analysis [MECH5465M], Biomaterials [MECH5490M].
I also supervise project students at Level 3 – Individual Engineering Project [MECH3890], Level 4 – Team Project [MECH5080M], and PGT MSc level – Team Design Project [MECH5880M], Professional Project [MECH5845M].
Research groups and institutes
- Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering
- Leeds Cancer Research Centre