ProfessorAlexandra Porter

Alexandra's group uses correlative electron microscopy techniques to characterise interfaces between biomaterials and cells. Her great interest is in developing a mechanistic understanding of how the chemistry of these materials controls their degradation behaviour, and ultimate bioactivity, to improve their performance and safety. This interest stemmed from her PhD on understanding the mechanisms by which silicon increases the quality of bone around hydroxyapatite implants used clinically as bone grafts. She works on the impact of air pollution on human health and fundemental mechanisms of bone mineralisation. She also designs new nanomaterials to treat tuberculosis and breast cancers. She collaborates with the National Heart and Lung Institute, the ICR, Crick and Rosalind Franklin Institutes.

Alexandra holds and MEng from Oxford University, and a PhD from Cambridge University in Biomedical Materials. She worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, MIT and The Nanoscience Centre Cambridge, under the guidance of Sir Mark Welland and Prof. Paul Midgley. She held the Oppenheimer Research fellowship for physical sciences at Cambridge University and a Junior Research Fellowship at Newhall College, Cambridge.

She is the REF lead for the Dept. Materials, Faculty of Engineering and head of the Nanomedicine course.  She was the Senior Tutor for the MSc in advanced materials for 9 years.