Professor Jonny Blaker is Research Area Lead for the Royce Biomedical Materials Research Area.
Professor Jonny Blaker is Senior Lecturer in Biomaterials at The University of Manchester (promoted 2018) and Adjunct Professor (Professor II) at The University of Oslo, Department of Biomaterials (since 2019). Prior to joining The University of Manchester as Lecturer in 2014 he was Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, in the Polymer Composites and Engineering (PaCE) group working with Alexander Bismarck developing bioinspired hierarchical composites, sustainable biobased composites, and bioactive composites for medical use. Before joining PaCE he completed a one-year Medical Research Council funded ‘discipline-hopping’ PDRA position in Kings College London and then University College London. He obtained his PhD in 2007 from the Department of Materials, Imperial College London under the supervision of Aldo Boccaccini. He completed his MSc in Composite Materials, Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London in 2002. He has a professional background as a Design Engineer, Dyson Ltd (1999-2001), and a BEng from Brunel University.
He established his Bioactive Materials Group in 2014. Principal research areas are i) hierarchical composite materials and fibres as scaffolds for regenerative medicine, and ii) advanced materials derived from synthetic biology/2D nanocomposite materials. Active lines of research include electrically conductive materials for peripheral nerve repair, hierarchical fibre reinforced additive manufactured scaffolds, development of bio-inks for 3D printing, and fibre processing, especially nanofibres via disruptive fibre spinning technologies. These areas span the themes: Bioinspired Composites, Synthetic Biology, Fibre Technologies, Additive Manufacturing and Regenerative Medicine.
