Alex Liddle

Alex Liddle serves as Clinical Associate Professor in Orthopaedics within the Department of Surgery & Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, at Imperial College London. Concurrently, he is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at St Mary's and Charing Cross Hospitals, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. His research program targets the enhancement of joint replacement surgery through big data analytics and technological innovation, with particular focus on infection prevention and partial knee replacement outcomes.

His educational background comprises:

• Undergraduate medical training at Imperial College London
• Basic and core surgical training in West London
• DPhil in Orthopaedics at the University of Oxford (2011-2014) as an Arthritis Research UK/Royal College of Surgeons research fellow under Prof. David Murray, with thesis on "Failure of Unicompartmental Knee Replacement"

Liddle's research spans orthopaedic surgery, surgical infection control, biomechanics, and health informatics. He employs large-scale registry data and advanced imaging to investigate factors influencing joint replacement success, including surgical technique, implant design, and patient factors. His work aims to translate evidence into improved clinical protocols and patient outcomes through technological solutions for infection management and outcome optimization.

His publication record demonstrates rigorous evidence generation for orthopaedic practice. Analysis of national registry data enables comparative studies of total versus partial knee replacements, assessment of surgical volume impacts, and cost-effectiveness evaluations. Systematic reviews on prosthetic joint infection provide critical insights into bearing surface risks and biofilm mechanisms, directly informing implant selection and surgical protocols across the field.

Liddle actively mentors surgical trainees and researchers:

• Supervision of PhD and MPhil students at Imperial
• Educational supervision for orthopaedic surgery trainees
• Assessment Lead for Year 3 MBBS course and Deputy Assessment Lead for Phase One
• Teaching on Imperial Compartmental Knee Arthroplasty course and Stanmore Basic Science course

His research is funded by Orthopaedic Research UK and Royal College of Surgeons of England grants supporting biofilm imaging and national registry analyses.

Based at the MSK Lab in the Sir Michael Uren Hub (White City Campus), he leads a collaborative research environment integrating clinical orthopaedics with engineering and data science. Key partnerships include Prof. Dave Spratt at the Eastman Dental Institute for biofilm studies and Mike Whitehouse at the University of Bristol for registry-based implant research, driving innovation in musculoskeletal healthcare through interdisciplinary approaches.