Thomas Willett, PhD, PEng (He/Him)

Professor Willett’s research interests concern the mechanics and engineering of skeletal biomaterials and tissues. He specializes in:

1) Bone Tissue Mechanics - developing improved understanding of the mechanisms that determine the mechanical behaviour and failure of bone and how collagen modifications due to ageing, disease, irradiation, and other causes alter these mechanisms and the mechanical behaviour of the tissue.

2) Engineering of bone-inspired materials for skeletal reconstruction –

• Mechanics of Biomedical and Biological Materials

• Bone Mechanics, especially Fracture Mechanics

• Bone Quality and Fragility

• Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering

• Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing

• Mechanical testing

• Fracture mechanics

• Collagen

• 2008, Doctorate, Biomedical Engineering, Dalhousie University, Canada

• 2003, Master's, Mechanical Engineering, Queen's University, Canada

• 2001, Bachelor's, Mechanical Engineering, Queen's University, Canada

• 2024 Faculty of Engineering Excellence in Graduate Supervision Award

• 2024 Faculty of Engineering Distinguished Performance Award

• 2022 Faculty of Engineering Outstanding Performance Award

• 2019 Faculty of Engineering Outstanding Performance Award

• 2016 Faculty of Engineering Distinguished Performance Award

• President (Elect, Current, Past), Canadian Biomaterials Society, 2020-2023

• Treasurer, Canadian Biomaterials Society, 2022 - 2024

• Conference Chair, 36th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Biomaterials Society, 2021

• BME 181 - Physics 1: Statics
  • Taught in 2022, 2023, 2024
• BME 261 - Prototyping, Simulation and Design
  • Taught in 2023
• BME 461 - Biomedical Engineering Design Workshop 2
  • Taught in 2020, 2021
• BME 462 - Biomedical Engineering Design Workshop 3
  • Taught in 2021, 2022
• BME 488 - Special Topics in Biomechanics
  • Taught in 2020, 2021
• BME 588 - Special Topics in Biomechanics
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023
• SYDE 181 - Physics 1: Statics
  • Taught in 2024
• SYDE 740 - Selected Topics in Human Systems
  • Taught in 2024
• SYDE 780 - Selected Topics in Engineering Sciences
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Reshaping bone repair with 3D printing
• Research team develops new material for bone grafts