Bioinspired, Living and Intelligent Materials
His passion for mechanical engineering, medical applications, material science and technology, and educational innovation has enabled him to develop a research career at the intersection of engineering and life, as well as a teaching activity centered on active learning methodologies deployed in courses of UPM degrees such as the Bachelor's and Master's in Industrial Engineering, Bachelor's and Master's in Biomedical Engineering, Master's in Mechanical Engineering, Master's in Organizational Engineering, and Master's in Materials Engineering. He has been a visiting research professor at universities such as the Technical University of Vienna (Austria), Drexel University (USA), “Sapienza” University of Rome (Italy), University of Pisa (Italy), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany), and University of Piura (Peru). He is an “International Excellence Fellow” at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, an institution with which he has collaborated since 2010 in the development of biomedical microsystems and the integration of multiscale design and manufacturing technologies. He has published over 130 scientific articles, seven full books in Spanish and English with translations into multiple languages, three of them with the prestigious Springer Nature publishing house on medical and materials technologies.
andres.diaz@imdeamaterials.org
The career of Prof. Andrés Díaz Lantada has been focused on the research and development of mechanical engineering principles and techniques to transform healthcare technologies and the medical industry at all levels throughout the entire life cycle. At the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, he develops a basic research line on “mechanical science and technology for cellular-level interaction,” an applied research line on “medical devices based on smart materials,” and an innovation and technology transfer line oriented toward “methodologies and tools for the democratization of healthcare technologies.” All of these complement his educational activities in various academic programs.
Since 2015, when he began his work as director of the UPM Product Development Laboratory, he has led his university’s participation in research projects worth more than €12 million, directly managing over €2 million. Notably, he has served as the principal investigator for UPM in European projects such as TOMAX, UBORA, INKplant, and BIOMET4D. In 2020, he began collaborating with the IMDEA Materials Institute as the coordinator and UPM’s principal investigator in the synergic iMPLANTS-CM project, funded by the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid, in partnership with Prof. Jon Molina as co-principal investigator from IMDEA. This project has enabled the additive manufacturing of smart alloys for radically innovative medical applications.
Recognizing the significance of materials science and technology in the development of products with special functionalities, Prof. Andrés Díaz Lantada has established the research line on “Bioinspired, Smart and Living Materials” at the IMDEA Materials Institute. Through bioinspiration and the use of advanced computational modeling and additive manufacturing technologies, he aims to create biomimetic medical technologies with optimized biomechanical and mechanobiological behavior. By processing active, multifunctional, or “smart” materials through additive technologies, he seeks to enhance the actuation and detection capabilities of medical devices. In the future, the incorporation of entities such as cells, bacteria, and archaea, leading to engineered living materials, will enable unprecedented functionalities.
- 2025 – Present: Senior Researcher, IMDEA Materials Institute.
- 2025 – Present: Full Professor, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2023 – International Excellence Fellow, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 2020 – 2025: Associate Professor (Civil Servant), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2011 – 2020: Associate Professor, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2008 – 2011: Assistant Professor, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2025: International Fellow, Universidad de Piura.
- 2024: Award for Best Standardization Initiative from a European Project, European Committee for Standardization.
- 2024: Best International Project Award, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2023: International Excellence Fellow, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
- 2023: Winner of the First Biomedical Engineering ECUSA DC – Johns Hopkins Seminar, Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid & Españoles Científicos en USA (ECUSA).
- 2023: World’s 2% Best Scientists, Stanford University list.
- 2022: Juan López de Peñalver Award, Royal Academy of Engineering, Spain.
- 2022: Best Research Award, 12th International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices (“In silico tissue engineering and cancer treatment…”).
- 2022: International Mobility Fellowship for Senior Researchers (formerly “Salvador de Madariaga” Program), Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports, Spain.
- 2020: Finalist, Horizon Impact Award for the European project UBORA.
- 2019: International Mobility “José Castillejo” Fellowship, Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities.
- 2019: Educational Innovation Group Award, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2016: Best Applied Research Award, National Mechanical Engineering Congress, Spain.
- 2015: Young Researchers Medal, Royal Academy of Engineering, Spain.
- 2014: Educational Innovation Award, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2010: Extraordinary Doctorate Award, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2010: Second Prize for Doctoral Theses, Official College of Industrial Engineers of Madrid.
- 1999: Extraordinary High School Award, Ministry of Education and Culture, Spain.
- 2023 – Present: Founding Member of UBORA, an international association promoting open-source medical devices.
- 2019 – Present: Board of Directors, European Virtual Institute of Knowledge-Based Multifunctional Materials. UPM representative in KMM-VIN since 2012.
- 2017 – Present: Secretary, Alumni Association of the Technical School of Industrial Engineers at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- 2016 – 2019: Governing Board, Official College of Industrial Engineers of Madrid.
- 2015 – Present: Editorial Board member, International Journal of Engineering Education.
