Associate Professor Andrew Taberner

MSc(Tech), PhD Waik.

Associate Professor

In: Engineering Science » Faculty of Engineering

Biography

Andrew Taberner is a graduate of the University of Waikato, where he studied and lectured in Physics and Electronic Engineering before joining the University of Auckland as a Post-doctoral Fellow in 1999.

In 2002, Andrew joined the BioInstrumentation Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA, as a post-doc and subsequently as a Research Scientist.

After six years at MIT developing instrumentation for muscle research, drug discovery and drug delivery, Andrew returned in 2008 to the University of Auckland, where he is an Associate Professor with the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and the Department of Engineering Science.

Andrew enjoys teaching the principles and methods of instrumentation and measurement within the BE(Hons) in Biomedical Engineering degree programme and leading a team of post-graduate students in the ABI Bioinstrumentation Laboratory in novel instrumentation design, construction and development.

Research | Current

Andrew develops medical devices, scientific instruments, and measurement/control systems, for answering questions and meeting needs in muscle research, soft-tissue mechanics, tissue imaging and drug delivery.

Related links

Funding

Andrew's research is supported by funding gratefully received from:

and the Health Research Council of NZ.

Teaching | Current

BIOMENG.341: Bioinstrumentation and Design
BIOMENG791: Advanced Biomedical Engineering Design
ENGSCI.700: Part IV (Honours) project

Postgraduate supervision

Principal Supervisor

PhD

Bahareh Madadkhahsalmassi: Just-in-time glucose sensing for a jet-injector based diabetes management system
Jiali Xu: Needle-free blood extraction for insulin therapy using a controllable jet injector
Jarrah Dowrick: The transient dynamic performance of cardiac muscle during interventions
Amy Garrett, Reconciling the energetic performance of hearts and their trabeculae
Emily Lam Po Tang, Efficient experimentation of cardiac myocytes

Co-Supervisor

PhD

Melissa Davidson, Investigation of the change in pelvic floor muscle stiffness during pregnancy
Alex Dixon, Non-destructive estimation of mechanical properties of biological membranes
Nick Do, Linear synchronous motors for needle-free jet injection
Soroosh Haji Hosseinnejad, High stroke-to-length ratio direct-drive electromagnetic actuators for upper limb rehabilitation robots
Alistair Newcombe, Pressing light
Hayden Randles, Control of soft actuator systems using elastic optical waveguide based length sensors
Yahya Yahya, System Identification Techniques to Diagnose Rotator Cuff Injuries
Saeed Mollae, Builiding responsive prostheses with soft actuator arrays
Seyed Sajad Mirjavadi, Mapping stump geometry and tissue mechanical properties in below knee amputees

Stephen Creamer, Mechanical testing of gel-loaded cardiomyocytes

Completed

PhD

Sam Richardson, (2019) Development of an optical coherence tomography based skin cancer diagnostic tool (Co-supervisor)
Kieran Brennan, (2019) Real-time fluid penetration imaging for needle-free jet-injection (Principal Supervisor)
James McKeage, (2018) High-volume jet-injection (Principal Supervisor)
Toan Pham, (2018)The causes of cardiac dysfunction associated with cardiac hypertrophy (Co-supervisor)
Nari Kim (2018) Multi-scale Electromechanics of the Heart (Principal-supervisor)
Amir Haji Rassouliha (2017) A toolbox for precise and robust deformation measurement (Co-supervisor)
Matthew Parker (2017) Model-based identification of the mechanical properties of living skin (Co-supervisor)
Nikini Puhulwelle Gamage (2017) Model-based prediction of brain injury associated with shaken baby syndrome (Co-supervisor)
Ming Cheuk, (2017) Volumetric Characterisation of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae (Principal supervisor)
Alex Anderson (2016) The Cardiac Myometer: Measuring Matters of the Heart. (Principal supervisor)
Rhys Williams, (2015) Developing a Needle-free Jet Injector for Viscous Fluids (Principal supervisor)
Adam Reeve, (2014), The mechanics of vascularised tissue (Co-supervisor)
Callum Johnston (2014), A highly sensitive cardiac muscle microcalorimeter (Principal supervisor)
Tom Lintern (2013), Investigation into soft tissue damage to an infant’s brain during head shaking associated with child abuse (Co-supervisor)
Casey Jowers (2013), Tools for Neuroscience: Developing Devices to Study Brain Injury and Disease (Co-supervisor)
David Russell (2012), Implantable biomedical microsystems and sensors (Co-supervisor)

Dong Hoon (Kevin) Choi, (2019) Mechanical testing of chemically-permeabilised cardiac tissues (Co-supervisor)
Michael Seow, (2018) Soft pneumatic transducer with force sensing and integrated 6-axis position/rotation sensing (Co-supervisor)
Hayden Randles (2018) Soft hydraulic transducer arrays for controlled support and positioning of applied loads (Co-supervisor)
Sam Chang, (2017) Development of a Probe for Measuring Pelvic Floor Stiffness (Co-supervisor)
Amy Garrett, (2017) The energy efficiency of realistically-loaded working cardiac trabeculae (Principal supervisor)
Riaz Uddin, (2016) A calorimeter for measuring the heat production of biopsied skeletal muscle (Principal supervisor)
Nick Do, (2016, Converted to PhD) Electronic control system for large-volume jet injector (Principal supervisor)
Xinxin (Helen) Li (2015): Automated blood extraction and drug delivery (Principal supervisor)
Alex Dixon (2015): Pericardial Polarimetry (Principal supervisor)
Mihailo Azhar (2012): Tracking 3D surface deformation using multiple cameras (Co-supervisor)
Paul Roberts (2011; converted to PhD), Evaluating Cardiac Function during Exercise using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Co-supervisor)
Matt Parker (2011), A Multicamera Thermal Stereoscope (Co-supervisor)
Carlos Lopez-Muedano (2010): Optical system for inexpensive disease diagnosis (Principal supervisor)
Casey Jowers (2009; converted to PhD), The Cell Gym (Co-supervisor)
Nishan Peiris (2009), An Instrument to Measure Forces and Torques during Skiing (Co-supervisor)
Darren Alvares (2009), A 3D Strain Measurement System for Soft Material (Co-supervisor)

Distinctions/Honours

2019: James Cook Research Fellowship, Royal Society of New Zealand
Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society.
2018: The Emerging Technology best paper award, 9th Energy Conversion Congress and Exhibition, IEEE Power
Electronics Society. The Taylor and Francis Prize for Best Poster Presentation, 15th International Symposium on Computer Methods In Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering.
2017: Faculty of Engineering Sustained Excellence in Teaching, Top Teacher, and Teaching Development Awards
  Senior Member, IEEE.
The "best paper" award: IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference 2017
RSNZ Marsden Fund award (AI on Faststart grant)
2016: Faculty of Engineering Top Teacher Award
   Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society.
2015: Faculty of Engineering, Top Teacher Award
   RSNZ Marsden Fund award (AI on Faststart grant)
  Staff Recognition Award, University of Auckland
2014: Faculty of Engineering Top Teacher Award
Winner, NZ Innovators Award: Innovation Excellence in Research
Highly commended, NZ Innovators Award: Innovation in Health and Science
Finalist, NZ Innovators Awards, Innovator of the year.
2013: Visiting Professor, MIT (Boston)
2011: Faculty of Engineering Top Teacher Award
   RSNZ Marsden Fund award (PI on Full grant)
2009-2012: Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Liggins Institute
2002-2008: Research Fellow, Research Scientist, MIT (Boston)
2002-2005: FRST Post Doctoral Fellowship Award, Post Doctoral Associate, MIT (Boston)
1999-2001: RSNZ Marsden Post Doctoral Fellow
1994-1997: University of Waikato Postgraduate Scholarship

Responsibilities

Principal Investigator, Bioinstrumentation, Auckland Bioengineering Institute
Co-director, ABI Bioinstrumentation Laboratory
Associate Director, Research, Auckland Bioengineering Institute
Principal Investigator and Technology Platform Leader, Medical Technologies Centre of Research Excellence
Research Team Leader, NSC10 Spearhead project: Medical Technology: Home and Community Care

Areas of expertise

Instrumentation and Measurement
Bioinstrumentation and Bioengineering
Measurement and control at the tissue:machine interface
Mechatronics and robotics

Committees/Professional groups/Services

President, IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society, New Zealand Chapter
Technical Program Co-Chair, I2MTC2019 Conference
Editor, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Pulse Magazine
Member, ABI Executive and Budget Committees
Member, Physiological Society of NZ
Member, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology
Member, IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society
Member, Technical Program Committee, ICST conference, 2011-2015
Committee Chair, 2014 Workshop of the IEEE I&M Society NZ Chapter

Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)

Taberner, A. J., Zgierski-Johnston, C. M., Pham, T., Han, J.-C., Uddin, R., Loiselle, D. S., ... Nielsen, P. M. F. (2018). A Flowthrough Infusion Calorimeter for Measuring Muscle Energetics: Design and Performance. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 67 (7), 1690-1699. 10.1109/TIM.2018.2800838
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/43496
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Denis Loiselle, June-Chiew Han, Bryan Ruddy, Poul Nielsen, Toan Pham
HajiRassouliha, A., Taberner, A. J., Nash, M. P., & Nielsen, P. M. F. (2018). Subpixel phase-based image registration using Savitzky-Golay differentiators in gradient-correlation. Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 170, 28-39. 10.1016/j.cviu.2017.11.003
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Martyn Nash, Amir Haji Rassouliha, Poul Nielsen
Pham, T., Nisbet, L., Taberner, A., Loiselle, D., & Han, J.-C. (2018). Pulmonary arterial hypertension reduces energy efficiency of right, but not left, rat ventricular trabeculae. The Journal of physiology, 596 (7), 1153-1166. 10.1113/jp275578
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/43403
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Toan Pham, Denis Loiselle, June-Chiew Han
Ruddy, B., Dixon, A., Williams, R., & Taberner, A. (2017). Optimization of portable electronically-controlled needle-free jet injection systems. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 22 (5), 2013-2021. 10.1109/TMECH.2017.2725345
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/36184
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Alex Dixon, Bryan Ruddy
Hogan, N. C., Anahtar, M. N., Taberner, A. J., & Hunter, I. W. (2017). Delivery of immunoreactive antigen using a controllable needle-free jet injector. Journal of Controlled Release, 258, 73-80. 10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.05.003
Han, J.-C., Guild, S.-J., Pham, T., Nisbet, L., Tran, K., Taberner, A. J., & Loiselle, D. S. (2017). Left-Ventricular Energetics in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension-Induced Right-Ventricular Hypertrophic Failure. Frontiers in Physiology, 810.3389/fphys.2017.01115
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/44783
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Denis Loiselle, June-Chiew Han, Sarah-Jane Guild, Kenneth Tran, Toan Pham
Cheuk, M., Anderson, A., Han, J.-C., Lippok, N., Vanholsbeeck, F., Ruddy, B., ... Taberner, A. J. (2017). 4D imaging of cardiac trabeculae contracting in vitro using gated OCT. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 64 (1), 218-224. 10.1109/TBME.2016.2553154
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/31774
Other University of Auckland co-authors: June-Chiew Han, Frederique Vanholsbeeck, Bryan Ruddy, Denis Loiselle, Poul Nielsen
Li, X., Ruddy, B., & Taberner, A. (2016). Characterization of needle-assisted jet injections. Journal of Controlled Release, 243, 195-203. 10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.10.010
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/31256
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Bryan Ruddy