Dr Kirstie Andrews

My profile

Biography

Senior Lecturer in Engineering Materials & Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Division

Head of Faculty Research Degrees (Science & Engineering)

Academic and professional qualifications

PhD in Tissue Engineering, University of Liverpool

PGCAP, Manchester Metropolitan University

Fellow of Higher Education Academy

Other academic service (administration and management)

Head of Faculty Research Degrees (Science & Engineering)

Member of Faculty Research Degrees Committee

Member of University Research Degrees Committee

Member of Faculty Research Ethics and Governance Committee (Joint Deputy Chair)

Previously served as: Member of Early Career Research Committee; Mechanical Engineering Representative on FAQSC; Part-Time Students Mechanical Engineering Pathway Leader; Department of Engineering Athena Swan Co-ordinator (joint); Member of Department of Engineering Self-Assessment Athena Swan Team; Member of Department of Engineering Research Management Group; Research Degrees Co-ordinator for Department of Engineering (2016-2020).

External examiner roles

External examiner (course approval events), Teesside University (2015-2016)

Expert reviewer

Reviewer: Biomaterials, Polymer, Tissue Engineering, Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Journal of Biomaterials Science: Polymer Edition, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Biofabrication, Lubrication Science, Biomedical Materials, Scientific Reports, Journal of Science Education, Polymer International, Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express, and Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Part B - Applied Biomaterials.

Previously served on: Professional & Scientific Development Committee of the Student & Young Investigators
Sector of TERMIS-EU Chapter

Prizes and awards

50 Best Abstracts Award (TERMIS 2008)

Public Engagement Champion Award (MMU 2013)

Other distinctions

Member of MMU Future Research and Knowledge Exchange Leaders Programme (2015-Present)

Membership of professional associations

Member of IoM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining)

Impact

EPSRC Early Career Forum (Engineering) member

Projects

STEMNET Ambassador 2011-Present

Teaching

How I’ll teach you

Materials science

Engineering & Physics Fundamentals

Professional Practice

Bioengineering

Current units: Engineering Mechanics, Individual Engineering Project, Product Design, User-Centred Design, Engineering Design, Engineering Design and Practice.

Why study…

The UK has a rapidly increasing aged population, with approximately 15 million of us aged 65 or older by 2040. This brings associated medical problems that could cost the NHS billions, but more importantly to us, limit our quality of life.

Biomedical engineering has already created many real-life medical breakthroughs to combat these age-associated injuries and diseases, from diagnosis through to treatment. However, it is not a well-known area of engineering, despite devices being commonly used (e.g. prosthetics, blood vessel replacements and artificial hearts) and a number of examples having featured in the media (lab grown organs and “that” ear on the mouse).

The study of bioengineering covers diagnosis to treatment and monitoring, through medical devices, biomaterials, sensors, medical imaging, biomechanics and simulation. It is a topical field of engineering, with significant impact on patient’s lives, that brings together engineering fundamentals for application in biomedical scenarios.

Subject areas

Bioengineering

Supervision

8 PhD completions

2 ongoing PhD supervisions

Research outputs

Advanced Materials & Surface Engineering Research Centre

Materials science, particularly materials characterization

Electrospinning of fibrous scaffolds

Biomaterials

Medical devices

Cell-material interactions

Tissue engineering, particularly biological tubes and fibrous structures (including artificial blood vessels, nerve substitutes)

Bioengineering, including biomaterials, medical devices and tissue engineering

Materials science, characterization and fabrication

  • Books (authored/edited/special issues)

    Andrews, Bioengineering for Engineers Applying Engineering Principles to Medical Applications. Wiley-Blackwell.

  • Chapters in books

    Keshmiri, A., Andrews, K. (2015) 'Enhancing Endothelialization of Engineered Blood Vessels Using Structural Cues.' In Slevin, M., McDowell, G. (ed.) Handbook of Vascular Biology Techniques. Springer,

    Keshmiri, A., Andrews, K. (2015) 'Vascular Flow Modelling using Computational Fluid Dynamics.' In Slevin, M., McDowell, G. (ed.) Handbook of Vascular Biology Techniques. Springer,

    Andrews, K.D., Hunt, J.A. (2008) 'Developing smaller-diameter biocompatible vascular grafts.' In Silvio, L.D. (ed.) Cellular Response to Biomaterials. Woodhead Publishing, pp. 212-236.

  • Internet publications

    Andrews, K., Thomas-Seale, L.E.J., Yuan, R. (2023) Celebrate and support women in engineering with the EPSRC ECF – UKRI. https://www.ukri.org/blog/celebrate-and-support-women-in-engineering-with-the-epsrc-ecf/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.

  • Journal articles

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2024) 'Machine learning to predict morphology, topography and mechanical properties of sustainable gelatin-based electrospun scaffolds.' Scientific Reports, 14

    Roldán, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2024) 'Machine learning to mechanically assess 2D and 3D biomimetic electrospun scaffolds for tissue engineering applications: between the predictability and the interpretability.' Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 157

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2024) '2D and 3D PVA electrospun scaffold evaluation for ligament implant replacement: a mechanical testing, modelling and experimental biomechanics approach.' Materialia, 33

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2023) 'Can we achieve biomimetic electrospun scaffolds with gelatin alone?.' Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11pp. 1160760-1160760.

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2023) 'Towards the ideal vascular implant: Use of machine learning and statistical approaches to optimise manufacturing parameters.' Frontiers in Physics, 11pp. 1112218-1112218.

    Dougill, G.M., Reeves, N.D., Le Maitre, C., Andrews, K., Cooper, G. (2017) 'Are MRI Scans A Good Clinical Tool To Diagnose Mechanical Factors For Low Back Pain?.' N/A,

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2017) 'In vivo mechanical behaviour of the anterior cruciate ligament: A study of six daily and high impact activities.' Gait & Posture, 58pp. 201-207.

    Roldán, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2016) 'Design Consideration for ACL Implants based on Mechanical Loading.' Procedia CIRP, 49

    Bryan, N., Andrews, K.D., Loughran, M.J., Rhodes, N.P., Hunt, J.A. (2011) 'Elucidating the contribution of the elemental composition of fetal calf serum to antigenic expression of primary human umbilical-vein endothelial cells in vitro.' Bioscience Reports, 31(3) pp. 199-210.

    Andrews, K.D., Feugier, P., Black, R.A., Hunt, J.A. (2008) 'Vascular Prostheses: Performance Related to Cell-Shear Responses.' Journal of Surgical Research, 149(1) pp. 39-46.

    Andrews, K.D., Hunt, J.A. (2008) 'Upregulation of matrix and adhesion molecules induced by controlled topography.' Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 19(4) pp. 1601-1608.

    Andrews, K.D., Hunt, J.A., Black, R.A. (2008) 'Technology of electrostatic spinning for the production of polyurethane tissue engineering scaffolds.' Polymer International, 57(2) pp. 203-210.

    Andrews, K.D., Hunt, J.A., Black, R.A. (2007) 'Effects of Sterilisation Method on Surface Topography and In-Vitro Cell Behaviour of Electrostatically Spun Scaffolds..' Biomaterials, 28(6) pp. 1014-1014.

  • Conference papers

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2024) 'LEVERAGE MACHINE LEARNING TO OPTIMISE THE MANUFACTURING OF NANO FIBROUS NON-WOVEN FABRICS.' In Digital Fashion Innovation Conference (DFIC). Manchester, UK, 2/7/2024 - 4/7/2024.

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2020) 'Can we reproduce the in-vivo ACL mechanical behaviour with 3D electrospun ligaments?.' In 26th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics. Milan, Italy, 12/7/2020 - 15/7/2020.

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2020) 'Producing biomimetic electrospun tissue engineered ligaments through the use of physiological mechanical testing.' In Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society. Manchester, UK, 26/5/2020 - 29/5/2020.

    Andrews, K. (2018) 'A multifactorial, multiplanar approach to inducing functional neural cell behaviour using electrospun scaffolds: is fibre alignment the critical factor?.'

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Cooper, G., Reeves, N., Andrews, K. (2018) 'Mechanical and morphological evaluation of 2D and 3D electrospun structures for the manufacture of tissue engineered ligaments.' In 29th European Conference on Biomaterials, Maastricht, Netherlands, 9th - 13th September 2018.

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2018) 'Suitability of optimized PVA electrospun scaffolds for ACL replacement.' In Tissue and Cell Engineering Society conference, Keele, UK, 2nd - 4th July 2018..

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2018) 'Assessment of 2D and 3D electrospun structures for use as tissue engineered ligaments: A mechanical and morphological perspective.' In Tissue and Cell Engineering Society conference, Keele, UK, 2nd - 4th July 2018.. eCM Meet. Abstr., collection 4, p. 53, 2018.

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2017) 'Mechanical Specifications for the Design of ACL Implants Through the Investigation of the In-Vivo Mechanical Behaviour In Daily and High Impact Activities.'

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2017) 'Suitability of Gelatin Electrospun Scaffolds for Use in the Development of Ligament Implants: A Morphological, Topographical and Mechanical Perspective.'

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Cooper, G., Reeves, N., Andrews, K. (2016) 'Effects of solvent concentration on the morphology, topography and mechanical behaviour of gelatin electrospun nanofibers for use in tissue engineering implants.' In MMU Science & Engineering Research Symposium, Manchester, UK, September 2016..

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2016) 'Influence of solvent concentration on morphology, topography and mechanical properties of gelatin electrospun nanofibers: Analysis of induced cell behaviour.' In Tissue and Cell Engineering Society conference, London, UK, July 2016..

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Cooper, G., Reeves, N., Andrews, K. (2015) 'Study of in vivo mechanical behaviour of ACL to design improved tissue engineered implants.' In Elisa Roldan Ciudad. The 8th MMU Postgraduate Research Conference 'Innovation', Manchester, UK, Thursday 5th November 2015,

    Dougill, G.M., Thorpe, A., Andrews, K., LeMaitre, C.L., Sammon, C., Cooper, G. (2015) 'Experimental Modelling of Intervertebral Disc Material Behaviours under Activities of Daily Living and Their Effects on Disc Health and Degeneration..' In Manchester Metropolitan University Science & Engineering Research Symposium. Manchester, UK, 17/9/2015 - 17/9/2015.

    Dougill, G.M., Nadipi Reddy, P., Andrews, K., Reeves, N., LeMaitre, C.L., Cooper, G. (2015) 'Experimental Measurement Of Energy Dissipation In Healthy And Degenerate Intervertebral Discs.' In World Conference on Regenerative Medicine. Leipzig, 21/10/2015 - 23/10/2015.

    Andrews, K., Hunt, J.A. (2008) 'Electrostatically spun scaffolds with controlled topographies induce changes in neural cell behaviour.' 4.

    Curran, J., Andrews, K., Hunt, J.A. (2008) 'The effect of topographical variations of electrostatically spun scaffolds on human mesenchymal stem cell behaviour.' 2.

    Andrews, K., Hunt, J.A. (2008) 'Electrostatic spinning: A technique with real potential or just spin?.' 4.

    Andrews, K.D., Black, R.A., Hunt, J.A. (2004) 'Production of versatile tissue engineering scaffolds using electrostatic spinning.'

    Andrews, K.D., Black, R.A., Hunt, J.A. (2004) 'Modifying cellular responses to electrostatically spun tissue engineering scaffolds.'

  • Presentations

    Andrews, K. Investigation into the Ability to Accurately Mimic Natural Extracellular Matrix Using Artificial Electrospun Scaffolds. [Presentation]

    Sashikumar, S., Chode, K.K., Andrews, K., Reeves, N., Mamalis, A.G., Cooper, G. Investigation of Loading Effects on a Hip Implant in a Vehicle Occupant Involved in a Frontal Crash. [Presentation]

  • Theses and dissertations

    Ciudad, E.R. (2019) Design and development of new ligament implants.

    Andrews, K. Electrostatic Spinning of Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications.

  • Posters

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2023) 'Optimization of manufacturing parameters through machine learning techniques to create biomimetic vascular implants.' [Poster] In Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), Manchester, UK, 28th -31st March 2023. Date viewed 29/3/2023.

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Reeves, N.D., Cooper, G., Andrews, K. (2023) 'Physiological mechanical testing and in-vivo mechanical behaviour to inform the production of biomimetic tissue engineered ligaments.' [Poster] In Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), Manchester, UK, 28th -31st March 2023. Date viewed 29/3/2023.

    Andrews, K.D. (2023) 'A Novel Tissue Engineering Model for Urogynaecological Nerve Damage Using Electrospun Scaffolds.' [Poster] In TERMIS-EU 2023. Date viewed 28/3/2023.

    Andrews, K. (2020) 'Using Electrospun Scaffolds a a Novel Model for Urogynaecological Nerve Damage- a Pilot Study.' [Poster] In TERMIS-EU. Date viewed 26/6/2020.

    Dougill, G.M., Nadipi Reddy, P., Andrews, K., Reeves, N.D., Le Maitre, C., Cooper, G. (2016) 'Experimental Measurement of Energy Dissipation in Healthy and Degenerate Intervertebral Discs.' [Poster] In Tissue and Cell Engineering Society 16th Annual Meeting. Date viewed 4/7/2016.

    Roldan Ciudad, E., Cooper, G., Reeves, N., Andrews, K. (2016) 'Study of the morphology, topography and mechanical properties of gelatin electrospun nanofibers based on solvent concentration.' [Poster] In ManBioMat. Biomaterials and tissue engineering conference, Manchester, UK, 15th of June 2016.. Date viewed 15/6/2016.

    Dougill, G.M., Thorpe, A., Andrews, K., Sammon, C., Reeves, N., LeMaitre, C.L., Cooper, G. (2015) 'Material Behaviours of Healthy, Degenerate and Hydrogel Injected Bovine Intervertebral Discs.' [Poster]

    Dougill, G.M., Nadipi Reddy, P., Andrews, K., Reeves, N., LeMaitre, C.L., Cooper, G. (2015) 'Experimental Modelling of Viscoelastic Self-Heating in Healthy and Degenerate Bovine Intervertebral Discs.' [Poster] Date viewed 30/9/2015.

    Andrews, K., Ashton, N., Keshmiri, A. (2014) 'Use of Fluid-Structure Coupling to Investigate the True Physiological Hemodynamics Experienced by Endothelial Cells in Synthetic Grafts.' [Poster] Date viewed 6/7/2014.

  • Other

    Dougill, G.M., Nadipi Reddy, P., Andrews, K., Reeves, N.D., LeMaitre, C.L., Cooper, G. (2016) Experimental measurement of energy dissipation in healthy and degenerate intervertebral discs.