Frank Baaijens
Department / Institute
Group

RESEARCH PROFILE
Frank Baaijens is a full Soft Tissue Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). His expertise includes computational (bio)mechanics, rheology, and regenerative medicine. From April 2015- May 2023, Frank Baaijens served as Rector Magnificus at TU/e. He focused on strengthening the university’s education and research and working on finding solutions to societal challenges. He fostered cross-disciplinary research and continued innovating the educational methods of the university.
It is incredibly rewarding to witness the personal and professional growth of young talent when they are engaged in academic education and research
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Frank Baaijens received his PhD from TU/e in 1987. In 1985 he joined Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven to work on Computational Mechanics. Since 1990, he has been a part-time professor of Computational Rheology at the Eindhoven University of Technology. In July 1995 he was appointed full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In October 2002 he was appointed full professor in the Department of BioMedical Engineering (Soft Tissue Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering). From 2003 to 2007, he was Dean of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and from 2007 to 2014, he was Scientific Director of the national research program on BioMedical Materials (BMM). From 2015-2023 he served as Rector Magnificus of the Eindhoven University of Technology.
The first half of his career was dedicated to computational rheology emphasizing on the analysis of viscoelastic flows of polymer solutions and melts. The switch to biomedical engineering changed his research focus to regenerative medicine and in particular, the engineering of living heart valves. Based on this research, several biomedical technology companies were founded, resulting in clinical applications.
Recent Publications
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Computational analysis of the role of mechanosensitive Notch signaling in arterial adaptation to hypertension
Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials (2022) -
Next-generation tissue-engineered heart valves with repair, remodelling and regeneration capacity
Nature Reviews Cardiology (2021) -
Geometry influences inflammatory host cell response and remodeling in tissue-engineered heart valves in-vivo
Scientific Reports (2020) -
Transcatheter-delivered expandable bioresorbable polymeric graft with stenting capacity induces vascular regeneration
JACC: Basic to Translational Science (2020) -
Controlling the adaption behaviour of next-generation tissue-engineered cardiovascular implants via computational modelling
European Heart Journal (2020)
Current Educational Activities
Ancillary Activities
- Lid wetenschappelijke adviesraad, Imperal college
- Bezit aandelen, Xeltis AG
- Voorzitter Kennisprogramma Effecten Mijnbouw, EZK
- Bestuurslid, Stichting Biomedical Materials Consortium