Our team

We are an interdisciplinary team of mechanical engineers from UCL, clinicians from UCLH and industry partners Mercedes-AMG HPP brought together through the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering

At UCL we have an ecosystem of partnerships spanning engineering, healthcare and industry, ready to be mobilised in times of need. The rapid deployment of these partners to meet the international challenges presented by Covid19 is a true demonstration of collaboration.

UCL-Ventura is led by engineers Prof Rebecca Shipley (Director, UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering), Prof Tim Baker (UCL Mechanical Engineering) and clinicians Prof Mervyn Singer (UCL Medicine and UCLH Critical Care) and Prof David Lomas (School of Life and Medical Sciences).

The UCL and University College London Hospital team includes Dr Tom Peach (UCL Mechanical Engineering), Dr Tom Rushton (UCL Mechanical Engineering), Mr Peter Weston (UCL Mechanical Engineering), Mr James Weaver (UCL Mechanical Engineering) and Dr David Brealey (UCL Medicine and UCLH Critical Care). The team is supported by Marilyn Aviles (Research & Development), Georgie Cade (Communications) and Alice Hardy (Marketing).

We are privileged to be working in such close collaboration with our industry partners Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains. Their engineering and manufacturing expertise has been critical. Mercedes-AMG HPP have been working as part of the 'Project Pitlane' collective. ‘Project Pitlane’ is a collective of UK-based Formula 1 teams and their respective technology arms coordinating a response to the UK government’s call for assistance with the manufacture of medical devices. It will pool the resources and capabilities of its member teams, focusing on the core skills of the F1 industry: rapid design, prototype manufacture, test and skilled assembly. F1’s ability to respond rapidly to engineering and technological challenges allows the group to add value to the wider engineering industry’s response.

We are also working closely with a number of other industry partners. G-TEM are invaluable partners supporting the logistics and distribution of the devices. G-TEM are an Automotive Tier 1, Engineering and press part manufacturer with business units in Gloucester, Wales and Slovakia. The company utilises skill sets in mass production Logistics / ERP, Procurement and Supply Chain Management to support the project. Other key industry partners include Life Racing, Oxford Optronix, Avon Protection, Intersurgical and ThanosMedical. In collaboration with UCL, these partners have achieved five Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approvals for UCL-Ventura related devices.

The UCL-UCLH collaboration has been enabled through the National Institute for Health Research UCLH Biomedial Research Centre. UCL Business have facilitated the licensed release of the designs for international, humanitarian use through their new platform: covid19research.uclb.com.

Particular thanks also go to Prof Nigel Titchener-Hooker (Dean of UCL Engineering) and Prof Yiannis Ventikos (UCL Mechanical Engineering) for their support of the UCL-Ventura project.

Our team

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