Name: Márcia Rodrigues
Nationality: Portuguese
Background: BSc in Applied Biology
PhD Project Theme: Differentiation Of Bone Marrow tem Cells Into Osteoblasts And Chondrocytes To Develop And Establish Co-Cultures In Biphasic Scaffolds For Repair Of Osteochondral Defects
Home Institution/Supervisor: University of Minho, 3B s Research Group, Dept. Polymer Eng., Rui L. Reis
Co-supervisors: Prof. Paul Hatton, Dept of Adult Dental Care, School of Clinical Dentistry
Prof. Alicia El Haj, Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University Medical School

Name: Tírcia Santos
Nationality: Portuguese
Background: BSc in Applied Biology, Baccalaureate in Pathological Anatomy
PhD Project Theme: Assessment and Control of the Immunological Response to Starch-Based Tissue Engineering Scaffolds
Home Institution/Supervisor: University of Minho, 3B s Research Group, Dept. Polymer Eng., Rui L. Reis
Co-supervisors: Prof. Heinz Redl, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for experimental and clinical traumatology
Prof. C. James Kirkpatrick, Institute of Pathology, Johannes Gutenberg University

Name: Ana Martins
Nationality: Portuguese
Background: BSc in Applied Biology
PhD Project Theme: Stimulus Responsive Scaffold/Cell Constructs For Bone Tissue Engineering: Development and Behaviour on Flow Perfusion Bioreactor
Home Institution/Supervisor: University of Minho, 3B s Research Group, Dept. Polymer Eng., Rui L. Reis
Co-supervisors: Prof. Antonios G. Mikos, Department of Bioengineering, Rice University

Name: Dario Puppi
Nationality: Italian
Background: University Degree in Chemical Engineering
PhD Project Theme: Preparation and Evaluation of Biodegradable Polymeric Materials as Scaffolds in the Regeneration of Bone & Cartilage Tissues
Home Institution/Supervisor: Department of Chemistry & Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Prof. Emo Chiellini
Co-supervisors: Prof. Nureddin Ashammakhi, Tampere University of Technology, Institute of Biomaterials
Prof. Rui Reis, University of Minho - Dept. of Polymer Engineering

Name: Nicola Detta
Nationality: Italian
Background: Graduation (second level degree) in Biomedical engineering, Master’s thesis: ”Preparation, evaluation and characterization of a nanocomposite scaffold for Tissue engineering of blood vessels (TEBV)”
PhD Project Theme: Composite scaffolds with electrospun fibers and hydrogels
Home Institution/Supervisor: Department of Chemistry & Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Prof. Emo Chiellini
Co-supervisors: Prof. Paul Gatenholm, Chalmers University – Department of BioPolymer Technology
Prof. Alicia El Haj, Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University Medical School

Name: Angelika Heinze
Nationality: Austrian
Background: Dipl. Ing., Biomedical Engineering
PhD Project Theme: Composite scaffolds with electrospun fibers and hydrogels
Home Institution/Supervisor: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for experimental and clinical traumatology, Prof. Martijn van Griensven
Co-supervisors: Prof. Alicia El Haj, Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University Medical School
Prof. C. James Kirkpatrick, Institute of Pathology, Johannes Gutenberg University

Name: Florian Hildner
Nationality: Austrian
Background: Dipl. Ing., Master of Food Science and Biotechnology
PhD Project Theme: Cartilage regeneration using stem cells derived from different sources, including imprinting by native chondrocytes and interaction with different matrices.
Home Institution/Supervisor: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for experimental and clinical traumatology, Prof. Martijn van Griensven
Co-supervisors: Prof. Alicia El Haj, Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University Medical School
Prof. Paul Gatenholm, Chalmers University – Department of BioPolymer Technology

Name: Tugba Endogan
Nationality: Turkish
Background: M.Sc. in Chemistry
PhD Project Theme: Novel Scaffold Design for tissue engineering of bone
Home Institution/Supervisor: Middle East Technical University, Dept. Biological Sciences, Prof. Nesrin Hasirci
Co-supervisors: Prof. Claudio Migliaresi, University of Trento, Department of Materials Engineering
Prof. C. James Kirkpatrick, Institute of Pathology, Johannes Gutenberg University

Name: Pinar Yilgor
Nationality: Turkish
Background: BSc. in Chemical Engineering, M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering
PhD Project Theme: Sequential growth factor delivery from polymeric nanocapsules for tissue engineering of bone
Home Institution/Supervisor: Middle East Technical University, Dept. Biological Sciences, Prof. Nesrin Hasirci
Co-supervisors: Prof. Rui Reis, University of Minho - Dept. of Polymer Engineering
Prof. Julio San Roman, Institute Science Technology of Polymers

Name: Halil Murat Aydin
Nationality: Turkish
Background: B.Sc in Chemical Engineering, M.Sc in Chemical Engineering
PhD Project Theme: Biodegradable Cranium Repair Materials from Poly(L-lactide), Poly(e-caprolactone) and Calcium Phosphate Blends.
Home Institution/Supervisor: Hacettepe University, Dept. Chemical Eng., Bioengineering Division, Prof. Erhan Piskin
Co-supervisors: Prof. Alicia El Haj, Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University Medical School
Prof. Claudio Migliaresi, University of Trento, Department of Materials Engineering

Name: Nimet Bölgen
Nationality: Turkish
Background: B.Sc in Chemical Engineering, M.Sc in Chemical Engineering
PhD Project Theme: Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable cryogels; preparation of thermoresponsive cryogels based on NIPA and lactide-dextran as simvastatin delivery systems; cell attachment and ingrowth within lactide-dextran based cryogels under external mechanical forces and their in vivo performances in cranial defects in rats
Home Institution/Supervisor: Hacettepe University, Dept. Chemical Eng., Bioengineering Division, Prof. Erhan Piskin
Co-supervisors: Prof. Julio San Roman, Institute Science Technology of Polymers
Prof. Alicia El Haj, Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University Medical School

Name: Sinan Egri
Nationality: Turkish
Background: B.Sc in Chemical Engineering, M.Sc in Chemical Engineering
PhD Project Theme: Synthesis and characterization of multi-arm biodegradable lactide and/or caprolactone homo and copolymers; preparation of porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering with different techniques; and their in vitro properties and in vivo performances in cranial defects in rats
Home Institution/Supervisor: Hacettepe University, Dept. Chemical Eng., Bioengineering Division, Prof. Erhan Piskin
Co-supervisors: Prof. Julio San Roman, Institute Science Technology of Polymers
Prof. Rui Reis, University of Minho - Dept. of Polymer Engineering

Name: Eva Servoli
Nationality: Italian
Background: First level degree in Physics, Second level degree in Physics and Biomedical Technologies
PhD Project Theme: Influence of surface properties on cell behaviour
Home Institution/Supervisor: University of Trento, Department of Materials Engineering, Prof. Claudio Migliaresi
Co-supervisors: Prof. Julio San Roman, Institute Science Technology of Polymers

Name: Ram Malal
Nationality: Israeli
Background: B.Tec in Plastic Engineer, M.Sc in Chemistry
PhD Project Theme: Nano-fibrous scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Home Institution/Supervisor: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Casali Institute of Chemistry, Prof. Daniel Cohn
Co-supervisors: Prof. Claudio Migliaresi, University of Trento, Department of Materials Engineering
Prof. C. James Kirkpatrick, Institute of Pathology, Johannes Gutenberg University

Name: Gemma Jones
Nationality: British
Background: Bsc Hons in Biological Sciences, MSc in Cell and Tissue Engineering
PhD Project Theme: An Investigation of Extracellular Matrix + Scaffold Turnover During Orthopaedic Tissue Engineering
Home Institution/Supervisor: Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University Medical School, Prof. Alicia El Haj and Dr. Sarah Cartmell
Co-supervisors: Prof. Antonella Motta, University of Trento, Department of Materials Engineering

Name: Simone Pollok
Nationality: German
Background: Bachelor of Molecular Life Science, Master of Molecular Life Science
PhD Project Theme: Monitoring the real-time status of differentiation of primary chondrocytes and stem cells during various culture conditions using a reporter gene assay
Home Institution/Supervisor: ENT-Department, , Campus Lübeck, Prof. Nicole Rotter and Prof. Holger Notbohm, Institute of Medical Molecular Biology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein
Co-supervisors: Prof. Paul Gatenholm, Chalmers University, Department of Biopolymer Technology
Prof. Rui Reis, University of Minho - Dept. of Polymer Engineering

Name: Elena Schuh
Nationality: German
Background: Bachelor of Molecular Life Science, Master of Molecular Life Science
PhD Project Theme: Influence of matrix elasticity on chondrogenic diffentiation of adult and embryonic stem cells
Home Institution/Supervisor: ENT-Department, , Campus Lübeck, Prof. Nicole Rotter and Prof. Holger Notbohm, Institute of Medical Molecular Biology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein
Co-supervisors: Prof. Ralph Müller, ETH Zurich, UNI, Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Prof. Alicia El Haj, Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University Medical School