Nele Famaey

Nele Famaey is an Associate Professor at KU Leuven's Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, where she leads the Soft Tissue Biomechanics research group. She also serves as a visiting professor at Ghent University's BioMMeda group and has been the coordinator of FIBEr (KU Leuven Core Facility for Biomechanical Experiments) since 2017. Her leadership extends to roles as division head of FIBEr Division and subdivision head of Subdivision FIBEr General.

Her primary research focuses on the biomechanics of damage, growth, and remodeling phenomena in soft biological tissues, particularly in the cardiovascular system, cartilage, and brain. She employs a combined approach integrating experimental mechanical characterization with nonlinear constitutive and numerical modeling to support clinical decision-making through in silico simulations. Her research spans:

• Biomechanical analysis of damage, growth and remodeling in soft biological tissues
• Nonlinear constitutive and numerical modeling of mechanobiological behavior
• Experimental characterization of material properties of soft biological tissues

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on cardiovascular biomechanics, particularly arterial tissue modeling, aortic aneurysms, and the Ross procedure for heart valve replacement. Her research increasingly incorporates advanced computational methods including multiscale modeling, machine learning approaches, and in silico clinical trials. There is also growing interest in additive manufacturing applications for biomimetic materials and the mechanical properties of novel biomaterials like mycelium-based products.

Dr. Famaey leads multiple significant research projects running from 2024-2029 as Promotor, focusing on arterial wall remodeling, cardiovascular material characterization, and risk assessment for aortic aneurysms. Her leadership extends to membership in the iSi Health Institute and participation in faculty and departmental councils.

She teaches a comprehensive range of courses spanning fundamental mechanics, tissue mechanics, numerical modeling in biomedical engineering, and medical technology design, demonstrating her commitment to educating the next generation of biomedical engineers.