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Research

Researcher Dr. Willerth

Dr. Stephanie Willerth

Stem cells hold tremendous promise for engineering replacements for diseased or damaged tissue. - Dr. Stephanie Willerth

Research spotlight

The research lab directed by Dr. Stephanie Willerth focuses on engineering 3D scaffolds to direct the behaviour of stem cells as they differentiate in different types of tissues, including neural tissue similar to that found in the spinal cord.

Specifically, she uses embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells for these applications, as these cells can become any cell type found in the body. These engineered tissues derived from stem cells could serve as a possible treatment for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries.

This research program corresponds with British Columbia's commitment to finding potential cures for SCI. Dr. Willerth belongs to iCORD (International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries), a BC-based organization dedicated to spinal cord injury research.

This tissue engineering-based research program is the first of its kind at the University of Victoria, providing unique opportunities for students to access the resources of both the engineering and neuroscience programs, as Dr. Willerth holds joint appointments in both the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Division of Medical Sciences

Visit Dr. Willerth's website or read this article in The Ring to learn more about her research.

Research areas in the department

Advanced Manufacturing

C.Bradley	Adaptive manufacturing systems (AOR Laboratory); Micromachining.
N.Dechev	Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS); Microassembly of 3D microstructures; Fabrication of 3D MEMS; Photolithographic based micromachining.
Z. Dong	Automated generation of optimal CNC tool paths for machining sculptured parts; intelligent systems; Machine vision, and optimization.
M. Jun	Micromachining; Miniature or micro-scale machine tool and systems; Ultrafast laser-based manufacturing; 5-axis freeform micro-machining; Micro-scale manufacturing processes and systems; Cutting mechanisms in micro-machining; Cutting mechanics and dynamics.

Advanced Materials

R. Bhiladvala	Biomedical materials.
S. Dost	Crystal growth of semiconductors for opto-electronic; Photo-voltaic and medical imaging devices; Materials characterization. (Crystal Growth Lab)
R. Herring	Materials processing; Materials characterization; Crystal growth; Molecular beam epitaxy and metal-organic chemical vapour deposition; Self-propagation high-temperature synthesis of materials; Electron microscopy; Electron interferometry; Electron holography; Confocal laser holography; Microgravity sciences; Property measurement of materials.
M. Jun	Carbon nanotube (CNT) composite processing; Manufacturability of CNT composites.
H. King	Residual stress and phase transformations in materials; Piezoelectric devices and sensors; Electrical and mechanical properties of piezoelectrics.
B. Sawicki	XRF spectroscopy.
A. Suleman	Advanced composites.
S. Willerth	Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, Biomaterial Scaffolds for Controlling Stem Cell

Aeronautics and Aerospace

C. Bradley	Adaptive optics.
C. Crawford	Propeller and airfoil design.
S. Dost	Materials processing in microgravity.
Y.Shi	Flight control system.
A. Suleman	Advanced composites.

Biomedical Engineering

R. Bhiladvala	Fluid and biomedical sensor development.
D. Constantinescu	Haptic rending of tool-tissue interaction for cooperative surgical interventions; Tele-rehabilitation; Virtual reality-based post-stroke rehabilitation.
N. Dechev	BioMEMS for capture and sorting of biological cells; Automated biological cell detection and localization; Automated cell injection and monitoring; Hand rehabilitation machine; Implantable wireless BioMEMS for muscle EMG signal monitoring.
Z. Dong	Portable diagnosis device for performing on-site assay; Assay based analysis and diagnosis.
R. Herring	A Medical device based on acoustic confocal holography.
M. Jun	Biomedical device manufacturing and scaffold design and developments for regenerative medicine.
P. Oshkai	Biomedical devices: Fluid dynamics and design aspects of replacement heart valves.
A. Suleman	Fluid-structure interaction of heart valves and disease.
J. Wegner	Application of electrorestrictive polymers to prosthetics and artificial muscles.
P. Wild	Minimally invasive fibre-optic sensors.
S. Willerth	Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, Biomaterial Scaffolds for Controlling Stem Cell Differentiation.

Computational and Continuum Mechanics

B. Buckham	Computational mechanics.
D. Constantinescu	Real-time tissue simulation.
C. Crawford	Aeroelastic modeling/Fluid-structure interaction.
N. Djilali	Computational fluid dynamics; Fluid-structure interaction. (Computational Fluid Dynamics Lab)
J. Haddow	Nonlinear elasticity.
P. Oshkai	Fluid-structure interaction.
J. Provan	Fracture and fatigue.
A. Suleman	Computational mechanics; Finite element methods; Fluid-structure interaction.
J. Wegner	Elastic wave propagation

Computational Design and Computer Aided Engineering

B. Buckham	Finite element analysis.
C. Crawford	Multi-disciplinary design optimization.
N. Djilali	Computational fluid dynamics; Fluid-structure interaction (Computational Fluid Dynamics Lab)
Z. Dong	Virtual prototyping; Global optimization, and integrated concurrent engineering design.
A. Suleman	Finite element methods; Multi-disciplinary design optimization.

Alternate Energy Technologies and Systems

R. Bhiladvala	Energy and sustainable development.
B. Buckham
C. Crawford	Wind turbine analysis and design; Variable fidelity aerodynamic and structural modeling; Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; Sustainable energy systems; Smart grid.
Z. Dong	Modeling; Testing; and optimization of fuel cell and electric vehicle systems; Integrated concurrent engineering design; Fuel cell technology; Smart grid.
N. Djilali	Fuel cell technology; Modeling of energy systems; Computational modelling of fuel cells; Smart grid. (Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic)
A. Rowe	Energy system dynamics; Fuel cell technology; Hydrogen technology.
P. Oshkai	Wind and tidal turbines; Hydrogen technology; Fluid-structure interactions in nuclear plants.
H. Struchtrup	Thermodynamic analysis of energy conversion processes; Quantification of irreversible losses
C. Valeo	Sediment Transport in Settling Basins and Transport of Pollutants in rivers and near shore areas.
P. Wild	Fuel cell diagnostics; Modelling of energy systems

Industrial Sensing and Optics

R. Bhiladvala	Fluid and biomedical sensor development.
C. Bradley	Adaptive control of optical systems; Micro-electro-mechanical-systems; Optical sensors. (Adaptive Optics Research Laboratory)
S. Dost	Crystal growth of semiconductors for opto-electronic; Photo-voltaic and medical imaging devices.
R. Herring	Confocal holography; Electron microscopy.
M. Jun	Metrology stations for micro/meso-scale parts.
H. King	Electrical and mechanical properties of piezoelectrics.
P. Wild	Fibre-optic and piezo-ceramic sensors.

Mechatronics and Controls

D. Constantinescu	Haptics; Haptic rendering and simulations of virtual environments; Virtual constraints for rehabilitation; Collaborative haptic manipulation; Internet-based haptic cooperation.
C. Crawford	Wind power generation; Plug-in hybrid electrical vehicles.
N. Dechev	Micro-packaging technology suitable for millimeter-scale Microsystems; Micro-power systems including wireless electro-magnetic power transducers and mechanical motion power transducers.
Z. Dong	Optimal design and control of hybrid electrical vehicles; Intelligent traffic control.
M. Jun	Control of parallel kinematic 5-axis machine tool.
Y. Shi	Control for mechatronics.
A. Suleman	Embedded system control.

Micro-Electromechanical Systems

R. Bhiladvala	Fluid and biomedical sensor development.
N. Dechev	BioMEMS for capture and sorting of biological cells; Automated biological cell detection and localization; Automated cell injection and monitoring; Hand rehabilitation machine; Implantable wireless BioMEMS for muscle EMG signal monitoring.
R. Herring	A Medical device based on acoustic confocal holography.

Ocean Engineering and Ocean Energy

B. Buckham	Dynamics and control of underwater vehicles .
C. Crawford	Tidal turbines; Off-shore wind power.
Z. Dong	Green Ship Propulsion Systems.
P. Oshkai	Wave energy devices.
A. Suleman	Dynamics and control of underwater vehicles.
C. Valeo	Sediment Transport in Settling Basins and Transport of Pollutants in rivers and near shore areas.
P. Wild	Wave energy conversion devices.

Robotics and Mechanisms

B. Buckham	Dynamics and control of underwater vehicles; Dynamics and control of space structures.
D. Constantinescu	Haptics; Telerobotics; Physical human-robot interaction.
N. Dechev	Robotic Microassembly of 3D Microsystems; Automated micro-interfacing technology for microassembly; Micro-joining and Micro-packaging.
R. Podhorodeski	Dynamics and control of underwater vehicles; Parallel manipulators; Dynamics and control of space structures. (Robotics and Mechanism Laboratory)
A. Suleman	Smart structures and embedded system control.

Thermofluids Science and Transport Phenomena

R. Bhiladvala	Fluid mechanics; Nanoscale mechanics.
C. Crawford	Low and medium fidelity aerodynamic modeling techniques; Experimental wind/tidal rotor testing.
N. Djilali	Modeling of turbulent flows; Direct and large-eddy simulation; Transport phenomena in fuel cells.
S. Dost	Transport phenomena in crystal growth; Modeling and numerical simulation of growth processes.
P. Oshkai	Biomedical flows; Flow-induced noise and vibrations; Fluid flow and heat transfer analysis; Transport phenomena in fuel cells.
A. Rowe	Thermal regenerator design and analysis; Low temperature heat transfer (ENSYS Lab)
H. Struchtrup	Equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics; Kinetic theory of gases; Transport processes; Continuum mechanics.
C. Valeo	Sediment Transport in Settling Basins and Transport of Pollutants in rivers and near shore areas.

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