James Henstock

I am an Assistant Professor in Musculoskeletal Bioengineering at Birmingham University (UK) and former Senior Scientist in Cellular Agriculture at Vow in Sydney (2021-2023). My research focuses on designing dynamic 3D growth environments (bioreactors and biomaterial scaffolds) for applying biomechanical forces to cells and tissues grown in vitro. I have worked on several large multi-disciplinary research programmes, including MicroAge: a flagship UK Space Agency project which sent tissue engineered muscle to the International Space Station in 2021. My ambitions are to establish sustainable bioengineering solutions for cultivated meat which combine 3D tissue engineering combine with scalable bioprocessing technologies. I am particularly keen to develop mechanobiology (harnessing the response of growing tissues to exercise) as a central part of cultivated meat bioprocessing. As an interdisciplinary bioengineering lab, we are looking for industry and academic partners across the cultivated meat landscape, but particularly with groups/companies who want to develop large-scale 3D tissues under biomechanical loads, or who share our interests in cell/tissue manufacturing in microgravity.