Javad Tavakoli

Javad holds the position of Associate Professor at RMIT University, within the School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering. Additionally, he serves as a Visiting Fellow at the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney.

During his doctoral studies at Flinders University [2015 – 2018], his research on understanding the relationship between the structure and function of soft tissues yielded pioneering insights into the ultrastructural organisation and mechanical behaviour of elastic fibres in spinal discs. From 2018 to 2020, he held the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the China-Australia International Laboratory for Health Technologies (ILHT) situated within the Medical Devices Research Institute (MDRI) and the Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology (INST) at Flinders University. During this tenure, Associate Professor Tavakoli led the advancement of cutting-edge microfluidic platforms tailored for microfabrication and the characterisation of hydrogels and cell tracking, leveraging aggregation-induced-emission fluorogens. His proficiency in designing hydrogel-based drug delivery systems, combined with his industry acumen, has resulted in the successful commercialisation of three products thus far.

In January 2020, he received the esteemed Chancellor's Research Fellowship from the University of Technology Sydney. During this tenure, he pioneered the development of the world's first intervertebral disc-on-a-chip organ model, revolutionising studies on low back pain. The organ model that he developed received the prestigious awards of the “AO Spine Discovery and Innovation Award from the AOSpine & AO Foundation [Switzerland, 2022] and “David Findlay Early Career Researcher Award from the Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society in 2022.

His numerous awards indicate his esteemed reputation for excellence in research:
• Best Spinal Research Award, Spine Society of Australia, 2023 (SpineWeek, May 2023, Melbourne).
• Engineers Australia Excellence Award, Project of the Year [finalist, nominee Sydney] , Engineers Australia, 2023.
• David Findlay Early Career Researcher Award, Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society, 2022 (August 2022, Gold Coast).
• AO Spine Discovery and Innovation Award, AOSpine & AO Foundation (Switzerland), 2022 (Global Spine Congress June 2022, Las Vegas, USA).
• National Biomechanics Day Award, Biomechanics Initiative Organization (USA), 2022.
• Publication of the Year Award, Australian & New Zealand Society of Biomechanics (ANZSB), 2020.
• Excellence in Reviewing Award, Acta Biomaterialia, 2020.
• Finalist, Acta Student Award, Acta Biomaterialia, 2019.
• Best Spinal Research Award, Spine Society of Australia, 2019 (April 2019, Brisbane).
• Clayton Adam Award, Spine Society of Australia, 2018 (May 2018, Adelaide).
• Vice-Chancellor Award for the Best Higher Degree Research Student Publication, Flinders University, 2017.
• Outstanding Reviewer Award, Carbohydrate Polymers, 2017.
• Outstanding Reviewer Award, Materials Science and Engineering: C, 2016.

Associate Professor Tavakoli has established and led a highly successful research team, as evidenced by the achievements of his students:
• Judges’ Choice Award, UTS Capstone Showcase, 2022 [Stephanie Weiss].
• Engineering Female Scientist Award Runner-up, Australian Biomechanics Conference, 2022 [Maryam Rad].
• OSMEN Creative Design Award, Finalist, 2022 [Stephanie Weiss].
• Best Basic Science Poster Presentation, Sydney Spinal Symposium, 2022 [Maryam Rad].
• UTS-IEEE Award, UTS Capstone Showcase, 2021 [Ke Ma].

His research interests continue to evolve and expand, encompassing areas such as engineering novel tissue and organ-on-a-chip models for tissue regeneration and implants for orthopaedic applications. Additionally, he explores mechanistic multi-scale approaches to develop innovative research toolboxes for a deeper understanding of the clinical significance of elastic fibres in the disc and other soft tissues. Furthermore, he is engaged in the nanofabrication of aggregation-induced-emission biosensors and fluorescent hydrogels for biomedical applications.