Imperial joint mechanics expert elected to World Council of Biomechanics

Professor Anthony Bull

Professor Anthony Bull was inaugurated in a Dublin ceremony celebrating his work on joints.

The Council is the world’s leading professional body dedicated to biomechanics - a field that studies the structure and function of the mechanical aspects of biological systems.

Professor Bull, head of Imperial College London’s Department of Bioengineering and its Centre for Blast Injury Studies, focuses on the effects of sports and injuries from blasts on the body’s joints.

"I am immensely proud to have been elected to the World Council of Biomechanics in recognition of my research"

He has helped to develop better physical treatments for injured rowers and cricketers, reduce the effects of blasts on military personnel, and understand how age-related diseases affect joints.

He said: “I am immensely proud to have been elected to the World Council of Biomechanics in recognition of my research, but also, I would like to think, in recognition of the broader excellence in biomechanics research at Imperial.

"Research is conducted by people and I am blessed to have worked with some fantastic students and colleagues. This recognition is due, in no small part, to their excellence.”

Professor Bull’s election sees him follow in the footsteps of other Imperial academics from the Department of Bioengineering, including previous and current members Professor Bob Schroter and Professor Ross Ethier.

Biomechanics at Imperial has its roots in two world-leading research groups, both established in the 1960s: the Physiological Flow Studies Unit established by Professor Colin Caro (a founding member of the World Council of Biomechanics), and the Biomechanics group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, founded by Professor Alan Swanson and orthopaedic surgeon Professor Mike Freeman.

Professor Bull added: “The fact that both these research groups continue to conduct ground-breaking research gives testimony to the excellence of generations of colleagues lending expertise to biomechanics.”

Professor Bull is one of 40 Council members worldwide – each of whom sits for 12 years.