The STORM Lab UK team outside the University of Leeds

About STORM Lab UK

Our expertise

We magnetically manipulate and localise medical capsules and soft robots to reach deep inside the human body and treat life-threatening, inoperable disease.

Professor & Chair in Robotics and Autonomous Systems · IEEE Fellow · Ph.D. in Medical Robotics, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna

Pietro Valdastri

Director of STORM Lab UK

STORM Lab Director

"We strive to improve the quality of life for people undergoing flexible endoscopy and laparoscopic surgery by creating affordable and intelligent robotic solutions."

Pietro Valdastri

Director of the Institute of Robotics, Autonomous Systems and Sensing

Interview

The team

The people behind the science

Engineers, clinicians and scientists advancing intelligent, affordable robotics for minimally invasive medicine. Hover any portrait for background.

Academic staff

MEng Automotive Engineering, University of Leeds · Ph.D. Surgical Technologies, University of Leeds

James Chandler

Lecturer in Surgical Robotics

MEng Biomedical Engineering, University of Leeds · Ph.D. Healthcare Mechatronics, University of Leeds

Dominic Jones

Lecturer in Medical Robotics

MS & Ph.D. Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo, SUNY

Duygu Sarikaya

Lecturer in Computer Science

MEng Acoustical Engineering, University of Southampton · Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, University College London

James Avery

Lecturer in Robotics & Embedded Systems

Post-doctoral research fellows

MSc Computational Aerodynamics, University of Leeds

Peter Lloyd

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

MS Mechanical Engineering, University of Reims · Ph.D. Mechatronics & Autonomous Systems, University of Montpellier

Benjamin Calmé

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

MEng Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Junlei Hu

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

BSc Medical Engineering, University of Surrey & Nanyang Technological University

Nikita Greenidge

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

MSc Robotics & Autonomous Systems, University of Lincoln

Joshua Davy

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Ph.D. students

BEng Bionic Engineering, National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico

Gerardo Loza

Ph.D. Student

BEng Mechatronic & Robotic Systems, University of Liverpool · MSc Mechatronics & Robotics, University of Leeds

Vittorio Francescon

Ph.D. Student

MEng Mechatronics & Robotics, University of Leeds

Burak Ozdemir

Ph.D. Student

MSc Mechatronics Engineering, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST)

Muhammad Khalid

Ph.D. Student

MEng Biomedical Engineering, University of Glasgow

Alistair Bacchetti

Ph.D. Student

MRes Medical Robotics, The Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College London

Charlie DeLorey

Ph.D. Student

MEng Mechatronics & Robotics, University of Leeds

Alex Brown

Ph.D. Student

MSc (Eng) Mechatronics & Robotics, University of Leeds

Yael May

Ph.D. Student

MSc Computer Science, University of Southampton

Yushi Guo

Ph.D. Student

MSc Mechatronics & Robotics, University of Leeds

Andrea Yanez Trujillo

Ph.D. Student

Lucy Fothergill

Ph.D. Student

Staff

BSc Medical Science, University of Leeds

Sam Wilson

Research Support Technician

MEng Mechatronics & Robotics, University of Leeds

Alfred Alexander

Research Support Technician

Clare Verity

Research Manager

STORM Lab Alumni

Former fellows, students and staff who helped build STORM Lab's research over the years.

Jon Woolfrey

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Nikita Murasovs

Ph.D. Student

Adam Metcalf

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Michael Brockdorff

Ph.D. Student

Anna Cappelletti

Master Student

Michele Di Lecce

Ph.D. Student

Thomas Dean

Research Assistant

Sara Sarti

Master Student

Żaneta Koszowska

Ph.D. Student

Nils Marahrens

Ph.D. Student

Bruno Scaglioni

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Damith Chathuranga

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Onaizah Onaizah

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Luca Audino

Electronics Engineer, Medical Device Development

Lavinia Barducci

Ph.D. Student

Simone Calò

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Chiara Alberti

Visiting Master Student

Tianle Zeng

Master Student

Lorenzo Minotti

Visiting Master Student

Giovanni Pittiglio

Ph.D. Student

Nicola Fornarelli

Post-graduate Research Assistant

Aleks Attanasio

Ph.D. Student

David Biegger

Visiting Master Student

Antonio Marino

Ph.D. Student

Margherita Rustia

Visiting Master Student

Manish Chauhan

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Nicholas Dascanio

Visiting Master Student

Giovanni Rago

Ph.D. Student

Tamaryn-Lee Thomson

Electronics Engineer, Medical Device Development

Robyn Fynn

Research Support Technician

Joseph Norton

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Tomás Veiga

Ph.D. Student

Davide Paoletti

Visiting Master Student

Sara Rustum

Visiting Master Student

Sarah Smith

Ph.D. Student

James Martin

Medical Robotics Research Fellow

Jun Wai Kow

Mechatronics Engineer, Medical Device Development

Francesco Verzobio

Visiting Master Student

Funding

Our grants enable us to work towards…

Surgical robotics, affordable intelligent endoscopy, medical capsule robots, soft magnetic continuum manipulators and autonomy in robotic surgery.

Active grants

ARIA Seed

MAGNIS — Magnetically-Guided Endocisternal Neural Interface Delivery System

EPSRC

Terabotics Programme Grant — robots with terahertz imaging to spot and remove cancer tumours

ERC

RoboMRI: future cardiovascular healthcare via MRI-driven robotics

Leeds NIHR BRC

Leeds NIHR Biomedical Research Centre

EPSRC

IMMERSE — Intelligent Magnetic Multi-scale Robotics for endoluminal Surgical Excellence

Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive Surgical da Vinci Research Kit

Major completed grants

ARIA Seed

MORPH — Muscular Operative Robotic Precision Handler

European Research Council

ERC Consolidator Grant: NoLiMiTs — Novel Lifesaving Magnetic Tentacles

H2020 EU

AUTOCAPSULE — autonomous multimodal implantable endoscopic capsule for the GI tract

NIH

Magnetic Capsule Endoscope for Colonoscopy in patients with IBD

EPSRC

New minimally invasive technologies for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

NSF

CAREER: Lifesaving Capsule Robots

EPSRC

Surgery Enabled by Ultrasonics Programme Grant

Cystic Fibrosis Trust

A technical innovation in bowel preparation

Garfield Weston Foundation

Accelerating Innovative Robotic Technologies to Fight Cancer

NIHR / LTHT

NIHR MedTech and in vitro diagnostic Co-operative Surgical Technologies

Cancer Research UK

A robotic magnetic flexible endoscope for painless colorectal cancer screening, surveillance and intervention

Royal Society

Wolfson Research Merit Award

NSF

Integrated Modeling, Analysis and Synthesis of Miniature Medical Devices

EPSRC

EPSRC GCRF: Ultra-low-cost endoscopy for gastric cancer screening in rural China

GCRF HEGCE

Ultra-low-cost diagnosis of Helicobacter Pylori in rural India

H2020 EU

H. Pylori-Scopy — Marie Curie Fellowship for Manish Chauhan

Italian Ministry of Health

Pre-clinical validation of a soft tethered endoscopic robot to replace colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening

EPSRC

SonoPill Programme Grant

NIHR / LTHT

NIHR Global Health Research Group on Global Surgical Technologies