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Dr Robert Lloyd

Dr Robert Lloyd

Lecturer

MEng in Medical Engineering 1st (Hons), University of Surrey, UK, 2015

Phd in Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia, 2019

Engineering
Sch: Biomedical Engineering

Rob Lloyd is a biomechanical engineer whose research focuses on using medical imaging and computational modelling to understand human physiology and pathophysiology. He was awarded his PhD from UNSW in 2019 and received the Dean's Award for Outstanding Theses. Prior to this, he graduated from the University of Surrey in 2015 with a Master's in Medical Engineering, receiving the IMechE Frederick Barnes Waldron Prize for best overall performance.

He joined the Bilston group at NeuRA as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2020 and is now a Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at UNSW. His research aims to improve the understanding of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, muscle function and upper airway mechanics in sleep apnoea.
Phone
+61-2-9385-3245
E-mail
robert.lloyd@unsw.edu.au
Location
Room 516, Level 5 Samuels Building F25
  • Journal articles | 2025
    Bolsterlee B; Lloyd R; Bilston LE; Herbert RD, 2025, 'A mechanically consistent muscle model shows that the maximum force-generating capacity of muscles is influenced by optimal fascicle length and muscle shape', Journal of Biomechanics, 182, pp. 112584, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2025.112584
    Journal articles | 2025
    Lloyd RA; Dissanayake E; Jugé L; Bolsterlee B; Ball IK; Bilston LE, 2025, 'How mandibular and hyoid morphology alters tongue muscle architecture in healthy adults: An anatomical atlas and statistical shape model of the tongue', Computers in Biology and Medicine, 189, pp. 110006 - 110006, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110006
    Journal articles | 2025
    Lloyd RA; Fletcher DF; Bilston LE, 2025, 'How volume changes in the epidural space drives respiratory cerebrospinal fluid flow', Journal of Biomechanics, 193, pp. 112983 - 112983, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2025.112983
    Journal articles | 2025
    Lloyd RA; Martinac AD; Liu Z; Berliner JA; Stoodley MA; Bilston LE, 2025, 'Chiari malformation does not obstruct cerebrospinal fluid flow during coughs', Computers in Biology and Medicine, 198, pp. 111208 - 111208, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.111208
    Journal articles | 2025
    Zhang Y; Lloyd R; Herbert R; Bilston L; Bolsterlee B, 2025, 'Prediction of Rotator Cuff Muscle Fibre Orientations Using a Population-Averaged Atlas Generated With Anatomical and Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Images', NMR in Biomedicine, 38, pp. e70119, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nbm.70119
    Journal articles | 2025
    Zhang Y; Lloyd R; Herbert RD; Bilston LE; Bolsterlee B, 2025, 'Prediction of Rotator Cuff Muscle Fibre Orientations Using a Population‐Averaged Atlas Generated With Anatomical and Diffusion‐Weighted Magnetic Resonance Images', NMR in biomedicine, 38
    Journal articles | 2023
    Hatt A; Lloyd R; Bolsterlee B; Bilston LE, 2023, 'Strain-dependent shear properties of human adipose tissue in vivo', Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 143, pp. 105924, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2023.105924
    Journal articles | 2023
    Lloyd R; Jugé L; Bilston L, 2023, 'O043 Investigating Upper-Airway Mechanics with Computational Tongue Models', SLEEP Advances, 4, pp. a16 - a17, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sleepadvances/zpad035.043
    Journal articles | 2022
    Liu S; Bilston LE; Flores Rodriguez N; Wright C; McMullan S; Lloyd R; Stoodley MA; Hemley SJ, 2022, 'Changes in intrathoracic pressure, not arterial pulsations, exert the greatest effect on tracer influx in the spinal cord', Fluids and Barriers of the CNS, 19, pp. 14, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12987-022-00310-6
    Journal articles | 2022
    Lloyd RA; Stoodley MA; Bilston LE, 2022, 'Statistical shape models of the posterior cranial fossa and hindbrain volumes may provide a more robust clinical metric for Chiari malformation', Journal of Biomechanics, 137, pp. 111093, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111093
    Journal articles | 2021
    Babaei B; Fovargue D; Lloyd RA; Miller R; Jugé L; Kaplan M; Sinkus R; Nordsletten DA; Bilston LE, 2021, 'Magnetic Resonance Elastography Reconstruction for Anisotropic Tissues', Medical Image Analysis, 74, pp. 1 - 15, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.media.2021.102212
    Journal articles | 2020
    Lloyd RA; Butler JE; Gandevia SC; Ball IK; Toson B; Stoodley MA; Bilston LE, 2020, 'Respiratory cerebrospinal fluid flow is driven by the thoracic and lumbar spinal pressures', Journal of Physiology, 598, pp. 5789 - 5805, http://dx.doi.org/10.1113/JP279458
    Journal articles | 2019
    Dawes BH; Lloyd RA; Rogers JM; Magnussen JS; Bilston LE; Stoodley MA, 2019, 'Cerebellar Tissue Strain in Chiari Malformation with Headache', World Neurosurgery, 130, pp. e74 - e81, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2019.05.211
    Journal articles | 2019
    Lloyd RA; Stoodley MA; Fletcher DF; Bilston LE, 2019, 'The effects of variation in the arterial pulse waveform on perivascular flow', Journal of Biomechanics, 90, pp. 65 - 70, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2019.04.030
    Journal articles | 2018
    Cirovic S; Lloyd R; Jovanovik J; Volk HA; Rusbridge C, 2018, 'Computer simulation of syringomyelia in dogs', BMC Veterinary Research, 14, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-018-1410-7
    Journal articles | 2017
    Lloyd RA; Fletcher DF; Clarke EC; Bilston LE, 2017, 'Chiari malformation may increase perivascular cerebrospinal fluid flow into the spinal cord: A subject-specific computational modelling study', Journal of Biomechanics, 65, pp. 185 - 193, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2017.10.007
    Journal articles | 2016
    Mowlavi S; Engmann J; Burbidge A; Lloyd R; Hayoun P; Le Reverend B; Ramaioli M, 2016, 'In vivo observations and in vitro experiments on the oral phase of swallowing of Newtonian and shear-thinning liquids', Journal of Biomechanics, 49, pp. 3788 - 3795, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2016.10.011
  • Conference Papers | 2025
    Lloyd R; Berliner J; Martinac A; Stoodley M; Bilston L, 2025, 'Using real-time phase contrast MRI to understand coughing associated headaches in patients with Chiari malformation', in ISMRM Annual Meeting, ISMRM, presented at 2025 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting, 10 May 2025 - 15 May 2025, http://dx.doi.org/10.58530/2025/4727
    Preprints | 2025
    Lloyd R; Martinac A; Liu Z; Berliner J; Stoodley M; Bilston L, 2025, Chiari malformation does not obstruct cerebrospinal fluid flow during coughs, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.01.25326708
    Other | 2025
    Lloyd R, 2025, Human tongue muscle atlas, http://dx.doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Z7U59
    Preprints | 2025
    Martinac AD; Waters S; Lloyd RA; Bilston LE, 2025, Biomechanics of yawning: insights into cranio-cervical fluid dynamics and kinematic consistency, http://dx.doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.17.695005
    Preprints | 2024
    Zhang Y; Lloyd R; Herbert R; Bilston L; Bolsterlee B, 2024, Prediction of rotator cuff muscle fibre orientations using a population-averaged atlas generated with anatomical and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images, http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4683327/v1
    Conference Abstracts | 2023
    Lloyd R; Jugé L; Bilston L, 2023, 'O043 Investigating Upper-Airway Mechanics with Computational Tongue Models', in SLEEP Advances, Oxford University Press (OUP), Adelaide, SA Australia, Vol. 4, pp. a16 - a17, presented at Sleep DownUnder 2023, Adelaide, SA Australia, 08 November 2023 - 11 November 2023, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sleepadvances/zpad035.043
    Conference Papers | 2023
    Martinac A; Lloyd R; Waters S; Bilston L, 2023, 'Effect of yawning on CSF and blood flow through the neck', in ISMRM Annual Meeting, ISMRM, presented at 2023 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting, 03 June 2023 - 08 June 2023, http://dx.doi.org/10.58530/2023/3182
    Conference Papers | 2022
    Hatt A; Lloyd R; Bolsterlee B; Bilston L, 2022, 'Non-rigid registration of DIXON images is an accurate method for calculating physiological strain in adipose tissue', in ISMRM Annual Meeting, ISMRM, presented at Joint Annual Meeting ISMRM-ESMRMB ISMRT 31st Annual Meeting, 07 May 2022 - 12 May 2022, http://dx.doi.org/10.58530/2022/4239

ARC Discovery Project 2025 (DP250100715): $1,263,789 AUD, Pharyngeal function in breathing and swallowing. CIs: Bilston L., Burke P., Dempsey B. PIs: Butler J., Lloyd R. 

UNSW Collaborative research Funding 2024: $77,867 AUD, Prediction of Early CSVD Neuropathology in Patients with OSA. CIs: Jugé L., Bilston L., Cistulli P., Rae C., Butlin M. AIs: Brown L., Lloyd R., Burke P., Schregel K.

NHMRC Ideas Grant 2021 (APP2011940): $729,270 AUD, Chiari Malformation: Defining Pathophysiology and Treatment Goals. CIs: Stoodely M., Hemley S., Lloyd R., Rogers J. AI: Bilston L.

The Twyman Orthopaedic Practice Prize

2012

The IMechE Frederick Barnes Waldron Prize

2015

The Dean’s Award for Outstanding PhD Theses

2019

ABC12 Young Investigator Award

2021

ABC13 Young Investigator Award

2022

Paxinos Prize

2022

Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow Disorders
Investigating the mechanisms underlying Chiari malformation and syringomyelia using subject-specific computational models and real-time phase contrast MRI. His work has challenged prevailing theories about CSF obstruction during coughing and developed statistical shape models of the posterior cranial fossa to improve clinical diagnosis.

Upper Airway Mechanics and Sleep Apnoea
Developing computational tongue models and anatomical atlases to understand how mandibular and hyoid morphology influence tongue muscle architecture. This work aims to improve understanding and treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea.

My Research Supervision

I am currently supervising Honours students