About Laura
Laura works as a lecturer in engineering and researcher at Flinders University, teaching the Diploma of Digital Technologies, and researching the use of digital technologies to support prosthetic socket fitting and remote healthcare. Her postdoctoral research was at the University of Southampton, using digital technologies to support prosthetic socket fitting and to monitor prosthesis use in Cambodia, collaborating with the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics. She holds a Doctorate in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering with 1st Class Honours from Flinders University. Previously, Laura worked as a biomedical engineer for the Medical Device Partnering Program in South Australia, where she designed, prototyped and tested novel medical and assistive devices. She has also lectured and tutored engineering courses at Flinders University, as well as tutoring in engineering and working as a Junior Dean at Oxford University. In a volunteer role with Motivation Australia, Laura has worked as a biomedical engineer in Papua New Guinea to train technicians in wheelchair assembly and fitting, and with Engineers Without Borders to develop partnerships between South Australian Engineering companies and local Aboriginal communities. Laura’s particular interest is in increasing the capacity of low-resourced regions to design, distribute and maintain user-specific prosthetics and other assistive technologies. She has developed bioheat models and is finding ways to incorporate data from sensors and simulations into the design and manufacturing of prosthetics for better comfort, function and global accessibility.
