prof.dr.ir. N.J.J. Verdonschot (Nico)

In 1988 I did my master thesis in Nijmegen at the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory(ORL). After my graduation mid- 1989 I stayed at the ORL as Junior Researcher and performed various kinds of projects focusing on testing of orthopaedic implants. Most projects were funded by the Orthopaedic Industry which gradually led to an extensive network of R&D departments of small to large international orthopaedic companies. The publications of these projects resulted in my Ph.D. degree in 1995. Subsequently I was promoted to Assistant Professor and was appointed to be Director of Pre-clinical testing of joint implants. In 2003 I was further promoted to Associate Professor. Since February 2014 I am a full Professor at the Radboudumc Institute for Health Sciences (RIHS), my theme is 'Reconstructive and regenerative medicine'.

My research interests are focused on orthopaedic-biomechanical problems of the lower extremity. Our group utilizes computer modelling techniques in combination with cadaveric testing, animal research and clinical studies in order to optimize diagnostic and evaluation tools for orthopaedic patients. We work with researchers and orthopaedic companies to optimize the functionality and longevity of orthopaedic implants such as knee and hip prostheses. Furthermore, we focus on the calculation of bone strength for patients that have osteoporosis or metastatic lesions.

Since October 2007 I have a part-time appointment (1 day per week) as Professor in Implant Biomechanics at the University of Twente (dept. Biomechanical Engineering headed by Prof. Bart Koopman), where I am setting up a research line related to biomechanics of the Musculo-Skeletal system, see TLEMsafe (www.tlemsafe.eu/).

In December 2012 I was awarded a 'European Research Council - Advanced Grant' for follow up research. In Nijmegen we are currently expanding our modelling efforts to generate patient specific models and feed these models with innovative dynamic imaging techniques (see www.erc-biomechtools.eu).

In 2016 I was appointed as a visiting professor at the Politecnico di Milano (Italy)

In 2018 I received an Honorary Doctorate of Aalborg University (Denmark)

Fields of interest

• implants, biomechanics,
• finite element models,
• musculoskeletal modelling

Organisations

• Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET), Biomechatronics and Rehabilitation Technology (BRT)
• Faculty of Science and Technology (TNW)