The award for best poster is presented annually by the British Society of Rheology. Each poster is judged by two leading international expert rheologists. This year the judges were Prof. R Buscall and Prof. H-M Laun.

The competition is fierce but Dr Nafiseh Badiei was awarded the runner-up prize after an exceptionally close contest with the winner from the Leeds Rheology group.

Commenting on her success Dr Badiei said: “ I am very pleased to  receive such recognition and encouragement. The competition for this award is always very strong and I would like to thank all colleagues at Swansea who work with me on rheology of biological materials. It really is a team effort.”  

The Centre for NanoHealth has specific interests in biomedical applications of rheology including its potential use as a tool for disease screening and therapeutic monitoring.

The Centre houses state-of-the-art rheometrical equipment including two ARES-G2 controlled strain rheometers (TA instruments, UK) and four AR-G2 controlled stress rheometers (TA instruments, UK).

Rheology is the science of flow and deformation of materials. The rheological properties e.g. viscosity, are of pivotal importance in the manufacturing or processing of many materials including inks, foodstuffs, oils, slurries, gels and in determining the consistency of a final product. For example, the perception of the texture of foods arises from the interaction between the rheology of the food product and movement in the mouth – a final product must not be too thin, or too thick, in order to satisfy the consumer.

The rheological properties of biological materials such as human blood are of great significance. Differences in blood rheology can signify the onset of cardiovascular disease.

The Centre also has successful collaborations, which have led to funded research projects, with several local Small and Medium Enterprises working in the biomedical, water treatment and food sectors. The combination of CNH (in Vitro) and BRU (Hospital based) facilities enables companies to access the best equipment and expertise in Rheology research.

Picture: Dr Nafieh Badiei being congratulated on her poster by Professor Rhodri Williams, who is President of the British Society of Rheology and Swansea University Professor in the College of Engineering.

• For more information about the Centre for NanoHealth go to  http://www.swansea.ac.uk/nanohealth