Congratulations to Darwin PhD student Dick Ferieno Firdaus, who has received a Postgraduate Research Award from the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
Originally from Indonesia, Dick is a PhD candidate in the Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) group at the Institute for Manufacturing, Department of Engineering.
His research focuses on using hydrogels to develop a soft, biodegradable robotic crawler for targeted drug delivery in cancer tumours. The device is designed to navigate the epidural space via minimally invasive catheter access under infrared laser control. The drug is administered directly to the tumour, while the device itself is safely absorbed, enabling a single-intervention treatment.
The IET Postgraduate Prize will support Dick’s research ambition to develop a next-generation, entirely soft machine that is self-powered and specifically developed for biomedical application.
“As an Indonesian researcher and professional engineer who returned to academia after seven years in industry, being able to contribute this representation to the emerging field is deeply meaningful to me,” he said.
“More than anything, recognition like this acts as serious momentum to keep pushing the boundaries of what hydrogels and soft matter can do.”
