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There is a wide range of basic and clinical research in the fields of epidemiology, engineering, genetics, cell biology and clinical trials, based at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences on the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and John Radcliffe Hospital sites. Oxford hosts an NIHR Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit.

Basic researchers are investigating the physiology and pathology of musculoskeletal cells including osteoblasts, osteoclasts, osteocytes, tenocytes and chondrocytes.  Research groups are studying the pathogenesis of bone and arthritic disorders including trauma, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis.  There are programmes in regeneration medicine/tissue engineering, molecular pharmacology, musculoskeletal genetics and epigenetics and bone oncology. Furthermore, a number of surgical and pharmacological clinical trials are currently being conducted e.g. AIM (ankle injury management), CSAW (shoulder pain), KAT (a pragmatic randomised controlled trial evaluating four knee replacement technologies), TABUL (giant cell arteritis), TOPKAT (total or partial knee arthroplasty) & UKUFF rotator cuff surgery trials. Oxford musculoskeletal engineering team’s research interests include joint design, kinematics of hip/knee, surgical outcomes, RSA studies (Roentgen Stereophotogrammetric Analysis) & finite element analysis. Musculoskeletal epidemiologists are involved in collecting data from various cohorts to understand musculoskeletal diseases and conditions across populations and over the course of time. Finally, the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, carrying out world-leading research into pathogenesis and treatment of arthritic and related disorders including Rheumatoid Arthritis and osteoarthritis, has moved into a new purpose-built facility on the Old Road Campus in Oxford.

Supervisors in Musculoskeletal Science


Hussein Al-Mossawi

Honorary Research Associate

Charlotte Albury

THIS Institute Fellow in Clinical Communication and Health Behaviours

Ghada Alsaleh

Versus Arthritis Career Development Fellow

Abtin Alvand

Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in Orthopaedic Surgery and Consultant Knee ...

Jane Armitage

Professor of Clinical Trials and Epidemiology, and Honorary Consultant in ...

Frances Ashcroft

Research Professor

David Beard

Professor of Musculoskeletal and Surgical Science

Jennifer De Beyer

Research, Training, and Publication Manager

Paul Bowness

Professor of Experimental Rheumatology

Martin Burton

Joint Co-ordinating Editor of the Cochrane ENT Disorders Group

Andrew Carr

Nuffield Professor of Orthopaedics

Liye Chen

Career Development Fellow - funded by Versus Arthritis

Alex Clarke

Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellow

Mark Coles

Professor of Immunology

Gary Collins

Professor of Medical Statistics and Director of CSM

Jonathan Cook

Professor of Clinical Trials & Medical Statistics/OCTRU Deputy Director

Cyrus Cooper

Professor of Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford

Matthew Costa

Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery

Stephanie Dakin

Associate Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences

Antonella Delmestri

Lead Health Data Scientist

James Dunford

Senior Research Associate

Claire Edwards

Professor of Bone Oncology

James Edwards

Associate Professor

Fiona Powrie FRS

Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences and Director of the Kennedy Institute

Dominic Furniss

Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Siôn Glyn-Jones

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Honorary Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Steve Gwilym

Associate Professor & Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Penny Handford

Professor of Biochemistry

Bass Hassan

Lisa Heather

BHF Intermediate Fellow and Associate Professor

Sally Hopewell

Professor of Clinical Trials and Evidence Synthesis

Philippa Hulley

Associate Professor

Fadi Issa

NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer

Yoshi Itoh

Associate Professor and Principal Investigator Cell Migration Group

Abhilash Jain

Associate Professor of Plastic and Hand Surgery

Kassim Javaid

Professor of Osteoporosis and Adult Rare Bone Diseases

David Keene

University Research Lecturer

Samira Lakhal-Littleton

Associate Professor of Cell Physiology and MRC Senior Non-Clinical Research ...

Chris Lavy

Professor of Orthopaedic and Tropical Surgery and Consultant Orthopaedic and ...

Raashid Luqmani

Professor of Rheumatology

Stephen Mellon

Associate Professor

Kim Midwood

Professor of Matrix Biology

Pierre-Alexis Mouthuy

Associate Professor

David Murray

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Jagdeep Nanchahal

Professor of Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Robyn Norton

Acting Executive Director, The George Institute, UK.

Udo Oppermann

Professor of Molecular Biology

Antony Palmer

Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Jaideep Pandit

Consultant Anaesthetist

Dan Perry

Associate Professor, Orthopaedics & Trauma Surgery

Andrew Price

Professor of Orthopaedics Surgery

Daniel Prieto-Alhambra

Professor of Pharmaco- and Device Epidemiology

Jonathan Rees

Head of Department - NDORMS

Duncan Richards

Climax Professor of Clinical Therapeutics and Director of OCTRU

Carlo Rinaldi

Associate Professor

Peter Robbins

Professor of Physiology

Afsie Sabokbar

Associate Professor & Botnar Director of Graduate Studies

Michael Maia Schlussel

Senior Medical Statistician

Jason Schnell

Associate Professor

Laurent Servais

Professor of Paediatric Neuromuscular Diseases, Academic Director of the new ...

Sarah Snelling

Associate Professor

Peter Taylor

Norman Collisson Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences

Mark Thompson

Irina Udalova

Professor of Molecular Immunology

Rafael Pinedo Villanueva

Associate Professor

Tonia Vincent

Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology & Honorary rheumatologist

Andrew Wilkie

Nuffield Professor of Pathology

Robert Wilkins

Associate Professor of Epithelial Physiology

Richard Williams

Professor

Clive Wilson

Professor of Cell and Developmental Genetics

Matthew Wood

Professor of Neuroscience

Amy Zavatsky