Christopher McCormick

I am a Strathclyde Chancellor’s Fellow within the Biomedical Engineering Department.  I lead a multidisciplinary research team focused on the development of enhanced medical implants.    All of my research is carried out in collaoboration with academic colleagues drawn from pharmacology, chemistry, mathematics and engineering, and I have collaborations with a number of clinical groups and industry partners to help advance the more applied aspects of my programme.   

I graduated from The University of Strathclyde with a BEng (Hon) degree in Chemical Engineering in 2001.  I then moved into industry, working for ExxonMobil as a Process Technology and Applications Development Engineer at their Fawley Refinery in Southampton.  During this two year period, I also completed modular study at the London Business School, as part of their graduate management development programme.  On returning to Strathclyde in 2003,  I embarked upon an EngD within the UK’s first EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre in Medical Devices and was the first student to graduate from this programme.  My research, which focused on the development of a novel drug-eluting stent for coronary heart disease, won the Stirling Medical Innovation award at the Scottish Cardiovascular Forum 2007.    From 2008 I was employed as a post-doctoral researcher, undertaking research initially within the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, then within the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Strathclyde.  During this time, I expanded my research at the interface between engineering and the life sciences, developed collaborations with academic, industry and clinical partners, both nationally and internationally, and began securing funding to develop independent research projects. These achievements saw me awarded a Strathclyde Chancellor’s Fellowship in 2014 Award within the Biomedical Engineering Department.

I teach on a variety of modules within the MSc/MEng/BEn Biomedical Engineering degree programmes.  My current contributions include:

MSc Biomedical Engineering Programme - Advisor of Studies

BE911 Engineering Science (Module Coordinator and Lecturer)

BE919 Research Methodology (Module Coordinator and Lecturer)

BE903 Cardiovascular Devices (Coronary Stents and Vascular Grafts lectures)

BE901 Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (Alginates lecture)

BE101 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (Renal Dialysis Lectures x 8)

I also supervise final year undergraduate research projects and MSc projects.

I have a number of research interests which range from basic to applied research.  My current focus is on the development of cardiovascular medical implants, which perform better and last longer than existing devices and I am currently investigating the role that advanced polymer materials, novel drug delivery technologies, and intelligent monitoring systems have to play in this.  Of particular interest to me is the role that endogenous healing responses play in implant performance and how these might be modulated using regenerative medicine type approaches.  All of my research is carried out in multidisciplinary teams, with academic colleagues drawn from pharmacology, chemistry, mathematics and engineering, and I have collaborations with a number of clinical groups and industry partners to help advance the more applied aspects of my programme.   

Cardiovascular implants

Drug Delivery Technology

Non-invasvie monitoring of cells and tissues

Synthetic Artery Manufacture

Infection Prevention

Modelling Vascular Response to Injury