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Engineering biology has been listed as the one of ’five technologies that are most critical to the UK’ in the government's UK Science and Technology (S&T) Framework. The third instalment of this Critical Conversations mini series centred around these critical technologies, chaired by Academy CEO Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, with speakers Professor Alicia El Haj FREng, Interdisciplinary Professor of Cell Engineering at the Healthcare Technologies Institute and Director of the Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Birmingham; Henrik Hagemann, Academy Enterprise Fellow, and CEO and co-founder Puraffinity; and Professor Guy-Bart Stan, Professor of Biosystems Engineering and Control and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technology at Imperial College London.
Critical Conversations series
Bringing together the thoughts of leading experts from across the Academy’s networks, our Critical Conversations explore issues of relevance to global professional engineering community and wider society. Fellows, awardees, and engineering partners gather to tackle topical issues of relevance to the global professional engineering community and wider society.
This special five part series of Critical Conversations will each explore a critical technology, highlighted in the government's UK Science and Technology (S&T) Framework as quantum technologies, semiconductors, engineering biology, artificial intelligence, and telecommunications.
Catch up on all previous Critical Conversations here.
Recording notice
Please note this event will be recorded and published on the Royal Academy of Engineering website.
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Professor Alicia El Haj FREng
Professor Alicia El Haj is a leading figure in the Bioengineering, Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials community nationally and internationally. She is President of the Bioengineering Society, UK and was President of the European Council of the International Society for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (2010-2014). She represented Bioengineering in the RAE and REF General Engineering panel in 2008/2014. Her innovative research is in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine with a strong translational focus in healthcare. She has a number of patents and is Director of a spin-out company, MICA Biosystems, which brings new approaches to Clinical Orthopaedics.
Henrik Hagemann
Henrik holds a Master's in Biomedical Engineering from Imperial College London, specialising in advanced biomaterials and synthetic biology. Alongside his academic pursuits, Henrik's entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found a social enterprise addressing water sanitation challenges in the Burmese/Thai jungle. Currently, at Puraffinity, he plays a pivotal role in management, technical input, hiring, commercialisation, and fundraising, contributing to the company's success. Beyond his professional endeavours, Henrik is an adventurous soul. He is an accomplished martial artist, competing internationally and training with the Shaolin Monks. His passion for exploration extends to cycling, as he embarked on a remarkable 87-day solo journey along the Silk Route, covering China, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. Henrik's dedication and innovation have garnered recognition, including the Imperial College President's Medal, honours on the MIT 35 Innovator Under 35 and Forbes 30 Under 30 lists, and co-inventorship of patents and peer-reviewed papers. He has shared his expertise and experiences as a speaker and panellist at prominent events and conferences, inspiring others in academia, entrepreneurship, and adventure pursuits.
Professor Guy-Bart Stan
Professor Guy-Bart Stan is Professor of Biosystems Engineering and Control and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technology at Imperial College London.