Meet The Team

Nele Famaey obtained the MSc and PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven, in 2006 and 2012, respectively. Since 2018, she is a BOFZAP research professor and group leader of the soft tissue biomechanics research group (STB). She also holds a visiting professorship at the University of Ghent, in the BioMMeda research group.

Harry van Lenthe is a Full Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He obtained the MSc in Mechanical Engineering (1994) at the University of Twente, Enschede. After receiving a PhD (2001) in Medicine (Orthopedic Biomechanics) from Radboud University, Nijmegen, he worked for two years as a postdoc at TU Eindhoven and for five years at ETH Zurich. He is the former President of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB). A major focus of his work is directed towards improving the diagnosis and treatment of bone and joint diseases.

Lennart Scheys obtained his MSc degree in Electrical Engineering at KU Leuven in 2004. He is assistant professor at the Department of Development and Regeneration, Faculty of Medicine, head of the Locomotor and Neurological Disorders cluster and the founder and director of the Institute for Orthopaedic Research and Training (IORT).

Heleen Fehervary obtained the MSc in Biomedical Engineering and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven, in 2013 and 2018, respectively. Between 2019 and 2022, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Nele Famaey with an FWO junior postdoctoral fellowship on ‘in vitro, in vivo and in silico evaluation of soft tissue prostheses’. Since 2022 she is working full time as a research manager for FIBEr.

​Thomas Overbergh holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Biomedical Engineering from KU Leuven. He continued his academic journey as a PhD researcher in the Department of Orthopedics at KU Leuven and UZ Leuven, focusing on the development of 3D subject-specific musculoskeletal models for patients with severe spinal deformities. 

Maria Teresa holds a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (2009) and a PhD in Bioengineering (2013), both from Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome. In 2015, she further complemented her expertise with a master's in business administration from Politecnico di Milano. Following postdoctoral research in MicroTechnologies and microsystems for robotics, Maria Teresa co-founded a startup on robotic neuro-rehabilitation. She has primarily worked as managing director and international business developer in the MedTech field, with a special focus on robotics, IT technologies and medical services. 

Nic obtained his Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering at KU Leuven. During his Master's Thesis, he developed a method to validate mechanical testing and performed a variety of tests on cardiovascular tissues at FIBEr to verify this method. Since October 2024, he is working full time at FIBEr as a project engineer.

Matijs Loeckx obtained his MSc in Biomedical Engineering at KU Leuven in 2024. He is currently pursuing his PhD, aiming to optimize mechanical test protocols by creating calibration materials and a digital virtual twin for porcine aorta (planner biaxial testing) & articular cartilage (unconfined compression). He is part of FIBEr and the Soft Tissue Biomechanics Research Group at KU Leuven.

Orçun Taylan holds a bachelor diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Suleyman Demirel University, 2009, an MSc in Biomechanics at Dokuz Eylul University, 2012 and has completed pre-doctoral education in Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics section at KU Leuven 2017. He is part of FIBEr and working at the Institute for Orthopaedic Research and Training (IORT), UZ Leuven, as a research engineer and lab manager.

Kimberly Crevits obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Laboratory Technology, specialization Pharmaceutical and Biological Technology (Forensic Research) from the Erasmus Hogeschool Brussel in 2015. Since October 2019, she is a full-time lab manager for FIBEr.

Johan Philips obtained his M.Sc. in Computer Science (2005), M.Sc. in Artificial Intelligence (2006) and PhD in Mechanical Engineering (2012), all at KU Leuven. He is part of FIBEr and at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, he set up IT infrastructure to support researchers with software and data management and is already servicing more than 10 research groups.

Stefan Goovaerts obtained his degree in Industrial Engineering (Electricity - Electronics). He is employed at KU Leuven since 1989. For 20 years now, he is the technical support engineer for the Biomechanics Section, where he dedicates approximately half of his time to supporting the development and execution of experiments within FIBEr.

Nele Demeersseman is an expert in uniaxial and planar biaxial testing and extension-inflation testing, and a PhD Fellow (FWO) in the Soft Tissue Biomechanics group at KU Leuven.

Ali Elahi is an expert in unconfined compression testing and confined compression testing.

Lauranne Maes is an expert in uniaxial and planar biaxial testing and extension-inflation testing.

Thibault Vervenne is an expert in uniaxial and planar biaxial testing and extension-inflation testing and ring-extension testing, and a PhD Fellow (FWO) in the Soft Tissue Biomechanics group at KU Leuven.

Maïté Pétré is an expert in uniaxial and planar biaxial testing, and a PhD Fellow (FWO) in the Soft Tissue Biomechanics group at KU Leuven.

Paulien Vandemaele is an expert in uniaxial and biaxial testing, bulge-inflation testing & DIC. She is also a PhD Fellow (FWO) in the Soft Tissue Biomechanics group at KU Leuven.

Jilmen is an expert in microCT scanning and analysis.

Piyush has expertise in microCT scanning and analysis, including in situ loading and bone sample preparation.

Vijayasankar is a Ph.D. candidate in Biomechanics at KU Leuven's Mechanical Engineering department. He holds a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from PSG College of Technology, a Master's in Advanced Instrumentation Engineering from AcSIR, and a UK Commonwealth-funded Master's in Biomedical Engineering from Imperial College London. His research explores bone and cartilage mechanics, focusing on age-related changes and osteoarthritis. He specializes in microCT scanning and analysis, including in-situ loading, and investigates load transfer mechanisms at the bone-cartilage interface in mouse knees.

Anik earned a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from SRM University (2020) and a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from IIEST Shibpur (2022), where he conducted an in-silico study of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and designed patient-specific implants. Since February 2023, he has been pursuing a joint Ph.D. at KU Leuven and the University of Melbourne under Prof. Harry van Lenthe and A/Prof. Kathryn Stok. His expertise includes microCT scanning and analysis.

Roman Dzhus holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering & Technology from KU Leuven, where he developed expertise in software engineering and advanced data technologies. Along the way, he worked as a Python Software Engineer at IMEC R&D, he tackled projects like automating chip recognition and refining CI/CD pipelines.  Roman’s knack for innovation shines in projects like an AI-enabled helmet that protects the rider with fall detection and auto-inflation features. Whether it’s building software or crafting smart solutions, he’s all about combining engineering and creativity to make cool things happen.