Choon Hwai Yap

Dr. Choon Hwai Yap is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London's Faculty of Engineering. His research focuses on cardiac biomechanics, particularly in embryonic and fetal hearts, investigating mechanical influences on growth and congenital heart defects. He also explores materials for cardiovascular devices, including anti-thrombotic coatings and hemostatic technologies. Dr. Yap holds editorial roles at Scientific Reports and Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing.

His academic journey includes a PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology, a postdoc at University of Pittsburgh, and prior faculty work at National University of Singapore. Research themes include fetal heart interventions via ultrasound-based simulations, zebrafish cardiac development biomechanics, and fluid dynamics in congenital heart defects. Key contributions include finite element modeling of fetal heart mechanics and novel materials for medical devices.

Recent work emphasizes AI-driven medical imaging advancements (e.g., deep learning for motion estimation in echocardiography) and multi-case physics-informed neural networks for fluid dynamics. His lab bridges engineering and clinical applications, aiming to improve fetal heart diagnostics and treatment strategies.

Notable projects include predicting outcomes of fetal aortic valvuloplasty through myocardial stress analysis and developing superhydrophobic hemostats for minimal blood loss. He collaborates with clinicians to translate biomechanical insights into clinical practice, focusing on fetal cardiology and biomedical device innovation.