Home institution:
Host institution:
University College London
The University of New South Wales
“The fellowship provided research independence alongside collaborative opportunity, and was the best possible start to my research career.”
Dr Will Parr, Senior Research Associate
(Biomedical Engineering) Prince of Wales Hospital
As a keen cyclist, runner and surfer it is no coincidence that Will’s academic interests focus on understanding the biomechanics of the human body and how this can be used to improve the quality of life for people who have lost mobility.
After completing a PhD in Computational Morphology in ankle form and function at University
College London (UCL) and the British Natural History Museum (NHM) in 2009, Will took time out from work to travel, surf, and decide which way to progress his career. During this period he published two peer-reviewed papers from his PhD work, and spent three months as a visiting academic at the University of Newcastle, Australia, where he became involved in the
Computational Biomechanics Research Group (CBRG).
In 2010 Will applied for an Endeavour Research Fellowship.
“Several months later I was sitting in a café in Portugal when I received an email with a letter offer and I clearly recall having the distinct feeling that this could be a turning point in my career.”
In February 2011, Will was starting his fellowship at the University of New South Wales
(UNSW), under the supervision of Associate Professor Stephen Wroe, CBRG and Professor Bill
Walsh, Director of the Surgical and Orthopaedic Research Laboratories (S&ORL).
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Collaborative efforts between Will’s Australian-based and home organisations in London resulted in several peer reviewed journal articles being published during and after his
Endeavour fellowship.
The main highlight of Will’s fellowship was finding two research groups—S&ORL and CBRG— that complemented his skill set so well.
“Combining the fields of computational biomechanics and morphology, and then later applying them to the clinical fields of orthopaedic device development was, and still is, exciting,” he said.
He also had the opportunity to present his work on integrating the fields of computational morphology and biomechanics at internationally-recognised conferences.
Will believes the Endeavour Research Fellowship acted as a springboard for his career. The groups that he worked with, along with the methods they developed have led to several peer reviewed papers and multiple conference presentations as well as new projects.
Will now works at the UNSW’s Surgical and Orthopaedic Research Laboratories as a senior research associate, working on developing a new posterior approach lumbar spinal fusion device.
For Will, Sydney was very different to living in London, with one aspect in particular standing out.
“A highlight of my time in the harbour city was being able to surf before or after work at Bondi,
Tamarama, Bronte or Maroubra beaches, as they are all close to UNSW.”
A detailed list of publications can be found at Dr Parr's Google Scholar webpage.
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