Robert Elkington, currently completing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds, has made significant contributions to the field of biotribology, focusing on developing biomimetic materials for cartilage repair. Robert is due to complete his PhD viva in December 2024. His research has uncovered new mechanisms in polyelectrolyte-enhanced tribological rehydration of cartilage, potentially transforming treatments for joint degradation.
Having gained a first-class BEng in Mechanical Engineering in 2019 from the University of Southampton, Robert started a PhD project titled ‘Engineering functional partial joint replacement: a soft solution to a hard problem’ at the University of Leeds in 2020 under the supervision of Professor Michael Bryant, Dr Andrew Beading and Professor Richard Hall (all now at the University of Birmingham) and Professor Pandit from the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. As part of this PhD, Robert has developed and characterised new soft-matter interfaces targeted at enabling a new generation of minimally invasive and tissue sparing joint replacement technologies. As part of this effort, focus has been paid on the application of tribological science to understand the performance of these new materials, which includes the development of new tribological instrumentation for the assessment of soft-tissue tribo-pairs. Robert’s work has made strides in bridging the ‘boundary lubrication’ and ‘fluid-structure interactions’ debates pertaining to articular cartilages’ impressive tribological properties, which have been hotly debated for decades.
With numerous publications in leading journals and a string of prestigious awards recognising his academic excellence, including the IMechE DePuy Prize for Best Bioengineering postgraduate project and STLE Booser Scholarship, Robert has established himself as an emerging leader in tribological research. His work bridges the gap between fundamental science and practical applications, as seen in his involvement with venture capital initiatives to commercialise cutting-edge medical technologies.
Robert’s dedication to the field is further exemplified by his outreach and educational efforts in the field of tribology. He has taken a leading role in establishing the digital strategy and growth of a biotribology focussed blog (BioTrib), fostering a community of over 5,000+ monthly visitors. He has also been committed to mentoring undergraduate and master's students, fostering a new generation of engineers passionate about tribology. Indeed, this diligence to research led-training in tribology can be evidenced through additional peer-review publications investigating friction and adhesion mechanisms of rubber used in competitive climbing sports.
For his innovative contributions to biotribology, including the development of advanced cartilage repair materials and new mechanistic insights into articular cartilage lubrication, Robert Elkington is a worthy recipient of the 2024 Tribology Bronze Medal.