People involved in the Healthcare Biorobotics Lab at the University of Oxford

Ryman Hashem

Senior Researcher

Dr. Ryman Hashem is a Senior Research Fellow in Biomedical Engineering at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. His research specializes in soft and hybrid robotics, biosensors, and wearable technologies, with a focus on healthcare applications. His work emphasizes the development of robotic systems that integrate advanced AI and soft robotics to enhance medical interventions and surgical training. Before joining Oxford, Dr. Hashem held prominent research roles at University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge, where he collaborated with healthcare institutions, including the NHS, to advance medical robotics. His contributions at these institutions included the development of biologically inspired robots and wearable systems designed to improve patient care and medical training.

Chenying Liu

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Chenying finished her DPhil in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford under the supervision of Professors Zhong You (Special Structures Group) and Perla Maiolino (Soft Robotics Lab). She has worked on modern structures inspired by origami (a.k.a. paper folding) and leveraged their exceptional mechanical properties to design robots with "intelligence". Chenying is always keen to explore how structures can benefit society in different domains. Working with Professor Liang He at the Podium Institute, Chenying is expediting her origami expertise to healthcare applications. Currently, she is developing origami-inspired personal protective equipment (e.g., helmets and exoskeletons) with improved protection and personalised design. Beyond research, Chenying teaches structures and mechanics at Christ Church.

Yixing Lei

DPhil Student

Yixing is a researcher with a focus on rehabilitation, machine learning and computer vision. He holds an MSc degree in Human and Biological Robotics from Imperial College London, where he developed a camera-based Functional Electrical Stimulation calibration system for his thesis. He also has experience in designing and manufacturing soft robotics. Currently, as a DPhil student, Yixing aims to integrate motor learning theories with state-of-the-art technologies, such as motion capture systems and virtual reality, to enhance the training efficiency of youth athletes while reducing their risk of injury.

Lucy Buchanan

DPhil Student

Lucy graduated from the University of Oxford in 2023 with an MEng in Engineering Science, specialising in Biomedical Engineering. Her final year project focussed on a soft-robotics wearable device for rehabilitation of Achilles tendon ruptures. Outside of her studies Lucy is a keen sportsperson, having competed nationally in gymnastics she now represents the University in Gymnastics, Trampolining and Athletics. She is staying on at Balliol College to combine her academic and sporting interests as a DPhil student with the Podium Analytics Institute for Youth Sports Medicine and Technology. Her research will focus on injury monitoring and prevention for safer practices in youth gymnastics.

Erik Vanegas Muller

DPhil Student

Erik's DPhil research will test and analyse cardiac electrophysiological modelling with Physics Informed Neural Networks in youth athletes aged between 11 and 18. His work seeks to gain more insight into the spatiotemporal propagation of innervated action potentials to prevent arrhythmias, syncope, and, ultimately, sudden cardiac death. He graduated from the Technical University of Berlin with a Bachelor and Master of Science degree in Engineering Science, specialising in numerical methods, simulation, and control theory.

Shuai Mao

DPhil Student

Shuai is developing a sports injury prediction model based on soft robotics like artificial muscles. His research objective is to build a robot avatar to analyse and predict teenage sports injuries and provide professional suggestions. He holds an MRes degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he completed research on mechanical system data-driven modelling with AI. He also has a second MSc degree in Advanced Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London, where he researched gait-based actuation of an exoskeleton with sensor feedback.

Lukas Cha

DPhil student

Lukas holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, specialising in mechatronics. Previously, he visited the Biomechatronics Lab at Imperial College London to develop control strategies for a lower-limb rehabilitative knee exoskeleton. Earlier, his Bachelor’s research focused on trajectory optimisation strategies for robotic manipulators. As a DPhil student at the Healthcare Biorobotics Lab and The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology, his research centres around the printing-based fabrication and development of wearable movement sensors, with a particular focus on soft, stretchable sensors that can be used in conjunction with biomechanical modelling for knee injury prevention during sports.

Konstantin Dzavaryan

DPhil student

Konstantin graduated with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from University College London (UCL) and an MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems from the University of Bath. He then spent a year at the UCL Great Ormond Institute of Child Health working on computational models to predict outcomes in craniofacial surgery, as well as studying the morphology and material properties of cranial tissue. Research into head trauma often overlooks the significance of the upper-body and neck biomechanics due to the complexities involved in modelling the active muscular response of an anticipated impact. His research aims to develop Physical and Digital Twins to introduce active musculoskeletal dynamics to computational modelling of impacts in contact sports.

Michael Cheung

DPhil student

Michael Cheung holds a BEng in Computing from Imperial College London and dual MA/MSc degrees from the Royal College of Art and Dyson School of Engineering, Imperial College London. His research integrates AI, machine learning, robotics, and control theory to enhance human-technology interaction, focusing on elderly care and dementia rehabilitation. By combining clinical insights, soft robotics, and biomechanics with control systems, he creates adaptive, patient-centered predictive systems that improve care and compassion while making rehabilitation more responsive and accessible for patients and caregivers.

Mukun (Oscar) Tong

DPhil student

Mukun's research focuses on the application of computer vision and machine learning to hand function rehabilitation. He holds a BEng degree in automation from Tsinghua University and an MSc degree in machine learning from University College London. Currently as a DPhil student, he aims to develop a generative model to predict and generate hand poses with rehabilitation gloves to help accurately assess and monitor the recovery process for post-stroke patients.

Ella Reynolds

Ella is a fourth-year engineering student at St Hugh’s College, specializing in software and biomedical engineering. For her final-year project, she is developing wearable soft robotics integrated with virtual reality environments to enhance rehabilitation outcomes for stroke patients. She has previously contributed to projects ranging from using autonomous robots to detect falls in care facilities to coordinating the delivery of care packages to elderly people during the Covid-19 pandemic.