Our research

We are a dynamic, multidisciplinary research Institute focused on promoting excellence across our main research themes: Biomedical Engineering, Energy Harvesting and Conversion, Multiphase Flow and Digital Engineering. Much of our work involves strong industrial links across a range of sectors and through our expertise, skills and experience we work together with industry to identify new areas of interest.

A highly collaborative environment

We offer a stimulating environment for study and research, and a lively community of over 25 academics and around 75 postgraduates and research staff. We have extensive laboratory and workshop facilities and our staff are actively engaged in a range of high-profile research initiatives, many of which involve collaboration with the Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation, the Centre for Innovation in Carbon Capture and Storage (CICCS), the internationally leading Heriot-Watt Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre, the James Watt Institute for High Value Manufacturing and our highly successful Edinburgh Research Partnership in engineering and mathematics with the University of Edinburgh.

Heriot-Watt University is the leader amongst UK universities in promoting energy activities through its ‘Energy Academy’, a virtual centre which connects all energy related research across the University. It also founded the Scottish Institute of Solar Energy Research (SISER), a pan University alliance of Solar Energy Research, which works in concert with Scottish research pools.

Our staff involved in the biomedical engineering research theme also actively work on collaborative projects with physicists and clinicians from medical research institutes and NHS Scotland including the Queen's Medical Research Institute at University of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Western General Hospital. Typical recently funded projects include mechanical palpation for cancer diagnosis, the relationship between structure and tissue properties in bone and the printing of biological structures.

Research Themes

Key information

Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering

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