He is now working as an NPI [New Product Introduction] development engineer in the orthopaedic field for Corin, a medical device manufacturer based in Cirencester (UK). Here he talks about his new role and his time at the Insigneo Institute and MultiSim.
“In my role as NPI development engineer I am responsible for the introduction of new products into the market. Specifically, I work in the hip team following projects related to implants as well as instruments. Following the quality system in place, I ensure the design and development process is carried out, including the different stages of the product from prototype to production.
“A typical day for me includes some design activity on CAD and or 2D drawings, meeting/talks with production engineers on manufacturing/design for manufacturing, risk assessment, validation or verification activity planning/execution, and research on competitors or research literature about products of interest.
“The most rewarding aspect of my work is knowing that it will benefit a patient, improving his/her lifestyle reducing pain and enhancing joint mobility. I would say sometimes it can be challenging to get consensus from people of the different departments of the company and guide them through the technical aspects in order to get their support for the project. So far, I have contributed as lead engineer to clearance for the European Market of a new hemiarthroplasty implant of the company.
“I make use of multiple soft skills developed from my degree such as clear communication, presentations, workload organisational, critical thinking and leadership. In addition, technical skills transferred from my past experience are interpretation of a computer simulation, data analysis, statistics, CAD skills, literature reviews and knowledge of joint anatomy/physiology. They make a huge impact, allowing me to merge quickly with the job responsibilities and tasks required.
“I chose Sheffield University as a historical and well-known University for mechanical engineering. On top of that, the people of Insigneo made it special, with the right mix of knowledge in the different areas of experimental and computational modelling of Biomechanics. The best thing about studying at Sheffield was the ability to get involved in different activities and learn from people with great knowledge. At the end of my time, I was an expert in my field, probably more than what I expected!
During my PhD I had the pleasure of spending time at The University of Flinders, as part of a collaboration with Dr Saulo Martelli, resulting in two papers: ‘Personalised 3D knee compliance from clinically viable knee laxity measurements: A proof of concept ex vivo experiment’ Med Eng Phys and ‘To what extent is joint and muscle mechanics predicted by musculoskeletal models sensitive to soft tissue artefacts?’ J Biomech.
“After leaving Sheffield as a post-doctoral research associate, I have been working in the same company for almost one year and a half with main duties and responsibilities as described above. In the past months, my role has been instrumental in improving CAD knowledge as well as product lifecycle management in the development team. In future, I see myself progressing to a senior role in my department, having more responsibilities and projects.”
