Campus

Discussion

Mina Bissell and PhD students

Sports Day

Prizes

The Department is a dynamic and inclusive place to work. A community of like-minded ambitious engineers, clinicians and scientists working together to develop innovations which will change and save lives. As befits a new and growing discipline, the Department's staff come from diverse academic disciplines including all main branches of engineering, physical sciences , life sciences and medicine, creating a rich collaborative environment.  The interaction of our staff, along with colleagues across the institution, ensures our research benefits from both engineering rigour and clinical relevance. 

Academics and researchers within the Department are supported by professional and administrative staff across the breadth of research and teaching.  Including management of labs, research centres, finance, research impact, engagement and course related administration. 

Title

Overview of the department

Academic staff

The Department currently has 48 academic staff, 60 postdoctoral researchers, 145 PhD students, 180 MSc and MRes students, 510 undergraduates and 50 professional services staff. Our research and teaching has consistently been ranked in the highest categories both in formal assessments and in published league tables. Our undergraduate and MSc courses in Biomedical Engineering are accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) and Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3). The range of accreditation illustrates the breadth and depth of the learning outcomes our students attain and is also testimony to the breadth of core expertise of our academic staff.

To us we are not just developing future bioengineers; we are creating the future leaders of bioengineering. Therefore we value the whole development of students not just their academic achievement. The Department is a strong supporter of the college-wide Imperial Horizons programme which is designed to broaden the education, inspire creativity and enhance students’ professional impact through courses in business & professional skills, languages & global citizenship, global challenges and science, culture & society.

In October 2015 the Department was awarded a Bronze Athena SWAN award in recognition of the commitment to tackling gender inequality in higher education. 

Supporting diversity

The Department and the College support and encourage diversity. Within the Department, we have a Silver Athena SWAN award, a Women in Bioengineering Network, which meets termly for either a theme-based discussion over lunch or a themed event. Previous events have included 'Alternative Careers to Academia' and 'Fellowships: The Good, the Bad and the Truthful'. The Department also has an Equality and Departmental Culture Committee (EDCC) which meets termly to ensure diversity is supported and encouraged across the Department and implements the Athena SWAN action plan.

Across Imperial there are a number of groups and networks which support diversity:

Developing our staff

Career development PROCESS

The career development process at Imperial is called Personal Review and Development Plan (PRDP). The aim of this process is to celebrate our achievement, enhance our performance, develop our careers and identify our personal development plans. The PRDP process happens once a year with the employees’ line manager, for academics this is with the Head of Department or Deputy Head of Department and for postdoctoral researchers this is with their supervisor.

DEVELOPING YOUR CAREER

Staff are encouraged to take up career development opportunities available through the learning and development centre. There are specific courses for academics and postdocs as well as a number of courses open to all staff. Including:

  • Leadership and management development
  • Project management
  • Equality
  • Finance 
  • Collaborative working