Scientific award

Alexandra Tits, winner of the ESB Student Award 2022



PhD candidate in the Mechanics of Biological and Bioinspired Materials laboratory (Aerospace & Mechanics / School of Engineering), Alexandra Tits won the 2022 Student Award of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB). This award, which is one of the most important prize for PhD students in the Biomechanics field in Europe, recognizes the quality of her research about the interface between tendons and bone, carried out in the context of her PhD thesis in biomedical engineering.

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lexandra Tits' research project - which she is conducting in the Mechanics of Biological and Bioinspired Materials laboratory headed by Prof. Davide Ruffoni - is funded by an FNRS FRIA grant and is being developed in collaboration with international partners in Germany and Austria. “My project aims to reveal the strategies allowing the efficiency of the tendon-bone insertion by exploiting engineering and material sciences softwares, techniques and tools, explains the young researcher. From a clinical point of view, this region (called enthesis) is relevant to study as reattachment surgeries still lead to numerous complications and a poor regeneration of the interface. In terms of biomimetism (meaning taking inspiration from nature), current engineering techniques do not allow to develop efficient hybrid materials, the interface being still a critical weakness spot.” Her research, presented and awarded during the annual ESB conference in Porto, has revealed the morphological, cellular, material and mechanical specificities of this transition tissue. The content of presentation can be found here.

About the European Society of Biomechanics and the Student Award

The European Society of Biomechanics, founded in 1976, is the largest biomechanics society in Europe with more than 1500 members. The Student Award has been established in 1998 by Professor Marie-Christine Ho Ba Tho, with the purpose of honoring excellence in biomechanics at a relatively young age. Before each congress, the Award Committee selects the four best abstracts for a final presentation during a dedicated plenary session at the annual conference. The first prize is awarded based on congress participant votes via a secret ballot.

Curious to know more about Alexandra’s thesis topic? Watch here her performance for the scientific outreach competition “My Thesis in 180 seconds”! (FRENCH)

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