Dr Dong Wang

Dr. Dong Wang is a Senior Lecturer in Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy. He remains an active contributor to the translational healthcare technology field, committed to furthering excellence in research, industrial and enterprising applications.

Prior to joining the University of Exeter, he worked as Research Associates at Imperial College London and Loughborough University. He gained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from University of Glasgow and studied Biomedical Engineering at University of Dundee for the MSc.

Research Interests

His research focuses on themes crossing over medical instrumentation, biomechanics, advanced manufacturing, energy harvesting, I4.0 technologies and technology entrepreneurship. His multi-disciplinary research was developed through collaborations with consultants/surgeons, academics and industrial partners, involving developing laboratory prototypes and taking them through commercialisation, clinical validation and human testing to make a real-world impact.

Medical instrumentation

• Surgical instrumentation for minimally invasive surgery
• AI assisted medical device
• Robotic joint simulator
• Patient specific instrument

Biomechanics

• Joint biomechanics
• Design, development and testing of artificial joints
• Bio-tribology
• Characterisation of strain rate dependent properties of viscoelastic materials

Advanced manufacturing

• Ultrasonic and laser assisted CNC machining
• Additive manufacturing
• Machinability of bio-composites
• Lean manufacturing
• Sustainable manufacturing

Energy harvesting

• Piezoelectric energy harvesting for wearable devices
• Energy harvesters for industry applications

Industry 4.0 technologies

• I4.0 technologies in healthcare
• Extended reality for clinical training and treatment

Technology entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship applications of emerging & distruptive technologies

Research Highlights Imperial College London:

• A multi-station shoulder joint simulator was developed to examine the wear performance of protheses [1].
• Imperial SimTest Lab was rolled out to offer a broad range of technological services to advance development, certification, and marketing of joint implants.

Loughborough University:

• A pioneering manufacturing technique for slicing metal ‘like butter’ was developed to improve the quality of biopsy.
• The project garnered high quality publications, commercial adoption and clinical trials [2, 3].

University of Glasgow:

• A novel simple experimental technique was developed for the first time to characterise the strain rate dependent properties of viscoelastic materials by using ultrasound and high-speed imaging [4].
• The work has been highlighted in [5].

University of Dundee:

• An innovative surgical system was developed to assist surgeons with force feedback in endoscopic sinus surgery.
• The system is used routinely in theatre to provide a training tool and augment patient safety [6].

Teaching Summary

• Module lecturer - ENG1005: Multidisciplinary Challenge Project (Year 1)
• Module leader - ENG2004: Entrepreneurship 2 (Year 2)
• Module leader - ENG2014: Technology Entrepreneurship (Year 2)

Perspective Students

Dr. Dong Wang is eager to inspire engineering students to tackle global healthcare problems. Welcome applications from both Home and Oversea students to undertake research with him. Some PhD scholarships are available. More details can be found from https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/money/phdfunding/.