Ben de Lacy Costello

Dr. Ben de Lacy Costello is an Associate Professor in Biosensing and Diagnostics at the University of the West of England (UWE), based in the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences (HAS - Applied Sciences). His research focuses on gas sensor development, volatile analysis for disease detection, and unconventional computing using chemical systems such as liquid marbles and slime moulds. He collaborates with institutions like the University of Liverpool, Samsung, and the University of Freiburg.

Education:

• PhD in Gas Sensor Fabrication for Food Spoilage Detection
• BSc in Materials Science

Research Interests:

• Development of sensor arrays for disease biomarker detection (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, bladder cancer)
• Chemical computing and pattern formation in excitable systems (e.g., Belousov-Zhabotinsky reactions)
• Memristor networks and bio-inspired electronic devices
• Application of volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis in clinical diagnostics

His publications emphasize hyphenated techniques like GC-MS for VOC profiling and explore interdisciplinary approaches merging materials science with computational biology. His work on slime mould (Physarum polycephalum) has pioneered bio-hybrid computing systems. Collaborative projects include antibiotic susceptibility testing via VOCs and environmental sensor innovation with industrial partners like Samsung.

Grants & Teams:

• Unconventional Computing Group at UWE
• Key contributor to interdisciplinary health tech projects

Labs/Teams:

• Leading the Bio-inspired Sensors Lab at UWE
• Collaboration with the Bristol Urological Institute for urinary biomarker research