Alicia El Haj

Professor Alicia El Haj is an Honorary Visiting Professor of Cell Engineering at Keele University, with additional affiliations at the University of Birmingham's Healthcare Technology Institute. She founded Keele's Research Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine (ISTM), achieving top RAE ratings (5A/5*). She directs the EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre in Regenerative Medicine, co-directs the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine, and collaborates with the Arthritis Research UK Tissue Engineering Centre. Her leadership roles include Chair-elect of TERMIS Europe and membership in the UK National Stem Cell Advisory Board.

Research Focus: Her work integrates engineering and biomedicine to develop:

• Stem cell therapies for bone/joint repair
• Advanced bioreactors for tissue growth
• Magnetic nanoparticle systems for cellular manipulation

Teaching: She established Keele's MSc programs in Biomedical Engineering and Cell & Tissue Engineering (1999–2013) and previously taught developmental biology at the University of Birmingham.

Research Group: Leads a team including 6 postdoctoral researchers (e.g., Katie Bardsley, Michael Rotherham) and 6 doctoral students (e.g., Nicola Foster, Tom Bateman-Price).