SORL, University of New South Wales

The Surgical and Orthopaedic Research Laboratories (SORL) at UNSW is a leading research group focused on musculoskeletal biology, orthopaedic trauma, and implant biomechanics. As an Orthopaedic Research Assistant, I contributed heavily to the experimental design, practical execution, and quantitative analysis of pre-clinical animal studies.

Role Context

Researching bone healing, implant integration, and load-transfer mechanics generates massive volumes of highly repetitive, complex data. My primary focus was to bridge the gap between physical laboratory experimentation and digital data processing, ensuring that large-scale animal studies were supported by rigorous, automated, and reproducible analytics.

Core Engineering Achievements

Biomechanical Data Analysis

I processed and analyzed large biomechanical datasets generated from physical testing rigs. Using MATLAB, I developed custom analysis pipelines to extract critical structural properties such as stiffness, yield load, ultimate load, and energy to failure from raw force-displacement data. Automating the batch processing of repeated-measures experimental data significantly reduced the time required for per-experiment analysis and generated standardized statistical outputs for research reports.

Experimental Design and Execution

Beyond writing analysis scripts, I was highly active in the physical laboratory space:

• Designed specific experimental protocols and executed high-precision biomechanical experiments using specialized laboratory testing equipment.
• Assisted with in vivo experimental protocols under the supervision of senior researchers and veterinary staff.
• Managed specimen preparation, labeling, and storage according to strict university research protocols.

Infrastructure and Operations

To ensure the laboratory operated at peak efficiency and safety, I developed comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and technical documentation. This standardized lab operations and guaranteed the consistent, safe usage of high-precision equipment by all researchers.

Impact and Results

• Streamlined data processing pipelines, accelerating the timeline for large-scale orthopaedic studies.
• Generated critical biomechanical data that directly supported peer-reviewed publications from the SORL group.
• Contributed to findings that were presented at the Annual ORS (Orthopaedic Research Society) International Meeting, one of the primary academic conferences in the orthopaedic research field.
• Maintained flawless experimental records in strict compliance with the UNSW Animal Care and Ethics Committee (ACEC) requirements.