Begum Zeybek-Saglam

I joined the NDS Surgical Intervention Trials Unit (SITU) in November 2022 as the Clinical Trial Manager for the SENTINEL trial, a study focused on reducing lung transplant rejection. Then, I transitioned to managing the GOLF trial in May 2023, an international double-blind randomised controlled trial comparing the LINX management system to fundoplication for treating Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease.

 Before joining SITU, I was a Post-doctoral Research Associate at Teesside University’s Healthcare Innovation Centre, part of a TWI Innovation Network in Cambridge, UK. My research involved analysing the dynamic behaviour of musculoskeletal structures and conducting feasibility and in-patient clinical trials for an EU-funded project on a sensor-based smart prosthetic socket system.

I hold a PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, and Manufacturing Engineering from Loughborough University, where I studied negative pressure wound healing therapy using finite element modelling, focusing on the experimental and computational analysis of the mechanical behaviour of hard and soft biological tissues. I also have an MSc in Materials Science and Engineering and a BEng in Bioengineering from Ege University, Turkey. My research experience includes a period as a visiting researcher at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, focusing on mechanical stress distribution within tissues in the development of diseases. Additionally, I have worked as a teaching assistant and a laboratory assistant during these years.

In addition to my research and clinical trial management roles, I contribute to the scientific community through peer-reviewing for journals and grant reviews for UKRI. I am also a committee member of the UKTMN Training Subgroup.