Professor Tim Woodfield receiving his Research Gold Medal from the Christchurch Dean, Professor David Murdoch.
Professor Tim Woodfield is one of three researchers awarded the Christchurch campus' top research honour during a ceremony held last month to welcome new staff and students.
The Gold Research Medal is awarded annually for research excellence by those who have led their teams in publishing an impressive body of high impact frequently-cited research.
“I feel very honoured”, says Woodfield. “As lead researchers we're constantly focused on the next grant and sustaining the momentum of our research. Having this award is a milestone-moment, enabling me to stop for a moment and reflect on what we've achieved. I owe a huge shout-out to the amazing CReaTE team who have contributed so much.”
Woodfield was recruited to the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Musculoskeletal Medicine in 2006, also working part-time for the University of Canterbury. Soon after he established his research group, the Christchurch Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (CReaTE) group, in 2009.
He and his group are developing strategies for regenerating bone and cartilage using biomaterial-based techniques and 3D-printing, as well as stem cell and cellular growth factor interventions. Orthopaedic device design is another of their research areas, as well as latterly exploring how novel bioinks developed within the group can be used to create three-dimensional co-cultures of tissues for testing of new drugs and therapeutics.
Woodfield is also Director of the University of Otago Centre for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology.
Associate Professors Anitra Carr and Gabi Dach also received Gold Research Medals at the annual Academic Welcome ceremony.