2020-2024 Steering Committee Candidate:

John Hunt

Biosketch:

John is a University academic, his focus is on developing breakthrough therapies, devices
and technology to repair, replace, augment and in the future regenerate diseased,
infected and damaged tissues in humans and other mammals using material
interventions. These will come from an in depth generic first principles approach to
understanding and directing the patient’s cellular and molecular mechanisms and
responses related to the clinical outcome and efficacy of medical devices,
biocompatibility, inflammation and stem cell biology. From a strong long lived research
platform, specific applications and knowledge has been applied to and continues to be
developed for musculoskeletal tissues specifically cartilage and bone, visceral and
vascular tissues. Research has been funded by the European Commission, Research
England, Innovate U.K. BBSRC, MRC and EPSRC as well as by Industry. He got his BSc. in
1998, his Ph.D in 1992 and D.Sc. in 2006.
He is a full time Professor and research Theme Leader at Nottingham Trent University, leading the theme Medical Technologies
and Advanced Materials. He is NTU’s academic lead for their Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF). In these roles the aim
is to accelerate pipeline development and deliver healthcare applications across all aspects of medical technologies for human and
animal health. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chairperson of the committee for the specialist interest
group Analytical Biosciences. He is a Visiting Professor in the College of Biomedical Engineering, China Medical University,
Taichung 40402, Taiwan. He is a Fellow of the International College of Fellows for Biomaterials Science and Engineering and elected
committee member and the treasurer of the college. He is on the International editorial board member for the journal
Biomaterials and the Biomaterials and Nanotechnology section editor in the International journal of Artificial Organs. He currently
has 9 higher degree research students and in the past he has been course director for both undergraduate and postgraduate
taught degrees and has been a regional U.K. STEM subjects ambassador in schools for 10 years. He is a school governor and takes
on activities with secondary school pupils as well as giving talks at schools and in the evenings to members of the general public.
He has been Head of Department, Head of Division and the Director of the U.K. Centre for Tissue Engineering.

Vision & Purpose:

I completely and wholeheartedly agree with the mission of the fellows and our core initiatives
are valuable and relevant.
I would certainly like to continue to develop and facilitate the internationalization of
biomaterials science education through short-term exchanges and summer schools.
This requires commitment from hosts and funding for the students, but we have a
fantastic community of fellows and we should increase our efforts to identify where
and what is required.
I would like to increase and develop our support of biomaterials science in
developing countries. This more difficult for me, as many of these countries, also
have other critical and often more immediately life threatening healthcare needs
which are also unmet. We have an opportunity though, through annual conferences
and world congresses to engage and develop the dialogue further through our
debates, to understand the need and what could be usefully delivered.
Raising public awareness of the successes of biomaterials science is something that
I am frequently directly involved in and passionate about. I do those public evening
talks in the community and challenge what people are prepared to change or accept
to improve their health? We have many tremendous materials that have over
decade’s positively impacted and changed people’s lives. We the fellows really could
present the glass as being “half full” not “half empty” as we might say in my part of
the world. Although the world faces seemingly simultaneously many crisis that
threaten our very existence and planet, being ill unites us all. We can increase our
communication outreach from this perspective in addition to providing a forum for
professional discussion and interactions among all fellows on issues around the
practice of Biomaterials Science and Engineering.
Provide role models and exemplars of professionalism, I accept that all fellows do
this as part of their normal life, we could enhance and increase this further, globally
by considering to mentor and guide early career members of our societies.
Create a sense of community in the international arena of biomaterials science. We
already have this, but we could do more and work on providing opinions, using the
internet, social media and blogs. A post a week or even a month to debate an issue,
might be very interesting and productive for example.