Tom Shearer

Dr. Tom Shearer is a Reader in Applied Mathematics at the University of Manchester, specializing in biomechanics and viscoelastic material modeling. His research combines mathematical theory with imaging techniques to study soft tissues and engineered materials.

Research focuses include micromechanical modeling of tendon fascicles, nonlinear viscoelastic frameworks, and active metamaterial design. His group develops tensor-based models capturing time-dependent fiber recruitment in biological tissues.

Publications integrate X-ray tomography, electron microscopy, and constitutive modeling to reveal structure-function relationships in collagenous tissues. Recent work explores postnatal tendon development using SBF-SEM imaging.

Leads EPSRC-funded projects on tissue biomechanics and metamaterial cloaking. Collaborates with biomaterial scientists on peptide hydrogel design and 3D bioprinting applications.