Dear ESB members,
After a successful World Congress of Biomechanics in Vancouver, with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the European Society of Biomechanics, we are pleased to present the September news updates from our Society!
In this newsletter, we summarized the main activities of the ESB in the last three months and shared several key opportunities and deadlines, including the call for Perspective Talks. You will find:
- Presidential message
- WCB2026 wrap-up
- ESB awards 2026
- ESB historical archive
- WCB2026 videos – Marco Viceconti’s Lecture & ESB Debate
- ESB 2027 & perspective talk call
- National chapters update
- Working Groups update
- Endorsed and Other Meetings
Stay connected by visiting our website for more details and the latest news. Please do not hesitate to contact us to share anything of general interest, scientific articles, advertisements, upcoming meetings or particular items of discussion.
Enjoy the read!
Aurélie Levillain,
Chair of the Publication Committee
Presidential message
Dear ESB members,
I hope you had a great summer break and found some time to recharge — even if summer already feels quite far behind us! — after what has been a very exciting few months for our Society.
The World Congress of Biomechanics in Vancouver was certainly one of the highlights of this year. It was a great opportunity to meet again as a community, share excellent science across the many areas of biomechanics, and celebrate an important milestone: 50 years of the European Society of Biomechanics. My sincere thanks go to everyone who contributed to making the ESB presence at WCB26 so special, and particularly to all our members who participated in the scientific sessions, ESB activities and General Assembly.
This important anniversary also gave us the opportunity to look at our history and, at the same time, think about what comes next. The creation of the ESB Archive is an important step in preserving our legacy and recognising the people and ideas that have shaped our Society over the past five decades. But this legacy should also provide a foundation for the future. A large part of our membership is made up of students and young researchers, bringing fresh energy, ideas and perspectives that we should actively involve in shaping the next chapter of ESB.
Building on the experience of our established members and the enthusiasm of younger generations, we have many opportunities ahead. Our Working Groups can play an important role in this direction, creating dedicated scientific events and opportunities for discussion around focused topics: initiatives centred around the ESB community, but open to clinicians, industry and other relevant stakeholders. This can help us explore emerging scientific directions, strengthen connections beyond our traditional community, and further expand the impact of biomechanics.
Vancouver also marked the beginning of a new chapter for our Society, with the election of the new ESB Council. I would like to sincerely thank Enrico Dall’Ara for his leadership as President over the past two years, and Dieter Pahr, Bernardo Innocenti, and Aurélie Carlier for their commitment and valuable contribution during their time on the Council. Their work, together with that of previous Councils, has helped make ESB the strong and vibrant community it is today.
We are also very pleased to welcome Ali C. Akyildiz, Michele Marino, Marta Peña Fernández, and Aurélie Levillain as new members of the new Council. Together, we will build on these foundations and continue supporting the many activities and initiatives of our Society. But above all, ESB is shaped by its members, so your ideas, involvement and contributions will be essential. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us!
And we already have our next major appointment on the horizon: ESB 2027 in Berlin, in July 2027. The first step towards the Congress is already approaching with the call for Perspective Talks, so start thinking about the ideas and emerging topics you would like to bring to Berlin!
I look forward to working with you and to meeting many of you again at the next ESB activities.
Michele Conti,
ESB President
WCB2026 wrap-up
The 10th World Congress of Biomechanics (WCB 2026) in Vancouver was a great success, bringing together nearly 3’000 participants from 45 countries. The ESB was strongly represented, with 493 delegates identifying with our Society, accounting for 16.5% of all participants. The vibrant and diverse scientific programme featured 245 scientific sessions and more than 1’500 posters, which generated lively discussion throughout the congress. WCB 2026 was co-organised by the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), the Canadian Society of Biomechanics/Société Canadienne de Biomécanique (CSB/SCB), and the ESB. We’d like to thank our partner Societies and everyone involved in organising this major event for their professional, constructive collaboration in a friendly atmosphere. We’d also like to thank all ESB Members who contributed to the success of this memorable congress.
From the ESB perspective, a major highlight was the very well-attended ESB Plenary Session, featuring a special anniversary lecture by former ESB President Marco Viceconti on the Society’s five-decade history; a highly engaging debate, with recordings of both available to watch as described in the corresponding section of this newsletter; and excellent presentations by the ESB Award recipients. The session was followed by another memorable highlight: the celebration of the ESB’s 50th anniversary, with good company, special ESB-labelled muffins, plenty of fun, and lively scientific and informal exchanges among members.
Previous and current Members of the ESB Council at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Society held during the WCB 2026 congress in Vancouver.
Further important updates with my “old hat”, save the dates!
ESB 2029: as announced at the General Assembly in Vancouver, the 34th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics will be held from 8–11 July 2029 in Bologna, Italy, under the theme “Driving Impact through Biomechanics: A Journey from Concept to Real World”.
WCB 2030: the 11th World Congress of Biomechanics will take place between 14-18. July 2030 in Barcelona, Spain.
Peter Varga
Former Chair of Meeting and External Affairs (current role: Secretary General)
ESB awards 2026
The Award Committee is pleased to announce this year’s finalized ESB Awardees for the following categories:
ESB Early Career Research Award:
Winner: Alberto Sensini (Maastricht University)
Best Doctoral Thesis in Biomechanics
Winner: Anna Ramella (Politecnico di Milano)
Runner-up: Matteo Frigelli (University of Bern)
Runner-up: Francisco Manuel Correia Marques (ETH Zürich)
ESB Student Award
Winner: Francesco Digeronimo (Trinity College Dublin)
Runner-up: Alessandro Mastrofini (University of Rome Tor Vergata)
Runner-up: Andreu Pascuet-Fontanet (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Runner-up: Luca Bontempi (Erasmus MC)
ESB Mobility Award
Winner: Damiano Bertolo (Politecnico di Milano)
Winner: Giulia Galteri (University of Bologna)
Winner: Matilde Marradi (Maastricht University))
ESB Poster Award
Winner: Alexander Synek (TU Wien)
Runner-up: Federica Fontana (Delft University of Technology & Erasmus MC)
ESB Travel Award
George Allison
Alessio Amicone
Luca Bontempi
Linda Carpenedo
Salvatore Conticello
Maria Dalle Vacche
Valentine Gaillard
Dimosthenis Giannopoulos
Ione Ianniruberto
Federica Incatasciato
Mayra Alejandra Loayza Saldaña
Girolamo Mastronuzzi
Davide Ninarello
Sabrina Nocerino
Ekaterina Oleinik
Matthew Oram
Alissa Parmenter
Letizia Maria Perri
Enrico Sangiorgio
Julian Shanbhag
Luuk Souren
Olivia Strong
Julia Aleksandra Szyszko
Pavlos Varsos
This year we again received numerous excellent submissions. We thank the reviewers for their thorough work and the Award Committee’s for selecting the winners and runners‑up.
Philipp Thurner,
Chair of the Award Committee
ESB historical archive
We are pleased to announce that, for its 50th anniversary, the ESB has received a very special gift: its historical archive. This comprehensive collection brings together the Society’s historical records, including founding and incorporation documents, Council and General Assembly minutes from 1976 to 1994, newsletters, photographs, membership records, and other key materials documenting the ESB’s history and development. The archive includes an electronic collection currently held by the ESB Council and a physical collection stored, as approved during the General Assembly in Vancouver, at the Library of Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Brussels, Belgium), where it is managed in accordance with archiving and GDPR requirements. Information on how to access the archive, including the applicable conditions, will be communicated in a future newsletter.
We sincerely thank former ESB President Marco Viceconti for his outstanding work as the “first archivist” of the ESB historical archive, through which he collected, categorised, digitised, and reviewed several thousand documents on a voluntary basis. We also thank immediate past ESB President Enrico Dall’Ara for driving this initiative to success.
Peter Varga
Secretary General
WCB2026 videos – Marco Viceconti’s Lecture & ESB Debate
WCB 2026 in Vancouver was a major milestone for the ESB as we celebrated our Society’s 50th anniversary. Former ESB President Marco Viceconti marked the occasion with a special lecture taking us through our five-decade history.
We also continued our new tradition at WCB 2026: the ESB Debate. Moderated by Ralph Müller, Lies Geris and Keito Ito argued that “Alternative, in-vitro, and in-silico methods will replace animal models in biomechanics”, while Hanna Isaksson and Peter Varga presented the opposing view.
Both the anniversary lecture and the ESB debate are available to watch on the ESB YouTube channel.
Ali C. Akyildiz
Chair of the Early Career Committee
ESB 2027 & call for Perspective Talks
We are delighted to invite you to the 32nd Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics, taking place 4–7 July 2027 at Hotel MOA Berlin, Germany.
This year’s theme, “Biomechanics for the Future: Bridging Science, Technology, and Healthcare,” will bring together the biomechanics community to explore emerging scientific advances and their translation into innovative technologies and healthcare solutions.
The Congress will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Sara Checa and Prof. Dr. Hendrik Schmidt and organized in collaboration with Hamburg University of Technology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and the Julius Wolff Institute.
Important dates
- Perspective Talks submission deadline: 30 November 2026
- Abstract submission deadline: 31 January 2027
We are also pleased to announce our confirmed keynote speakers:
- Alejandro Frangi
- Mark Taylor
- Anja Niehoff
Stay up to date with the latest information on scientific tracks, abstract submission, registration, and other Congress announcements by visiting the official Congress website: esbiomech2027.org.
We look forward to welcoming the ESB community to Berlin in July 2027!
Call for Perspective Talks
We are happy to share that the call for Perspective Talks (PTs) is already open. Abstracts for PTs are different from regular abstract submissions in the sense that they provide a broader overview of a certain research topic, they include not only the author’s work but also important contributions of others, and they are more focused on future research directions and opportunities.
An important change compared to previous years is that PT abstracts now have a two-page format. More information, including the new PT abstract template, can be found here.
The submission deadline for PT abstracts is 30 November, 2026.
Sandra Loerakker & Michele Marino
Chair of the Webportal and Working Groups Committee & Chair of Meetings and External Affairs
National Chapters update
News from the Italian chapter
The Italian Chapter of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB-ITA) enjoyed a remarkable presence at the World Congress of Biomechanics 2026 in Vancouver. With 76 delegates attending, the Italian biomechanics community was represented by a large and enthusiastic group of researchers from across the country.
The congress also brought outstanding recognition for several ESB-ITA members. Anna Ramella received the Best Doctoral Thesis Award, Alberto Sensini was presented with the Early Career Research Award, and Francesco Digeronimo received the Student Award. In addition, Mobility Awards were presented to Matilde Marradi, Giulia Galteri and Damiano Bertolo. These achievements reflect the scientific excellence and vitality of the Italian biomechanics community, as well as its continued commitment to supporting researchers at every stage of their careers.
Shortly after the World Congress, the ESB-ITA community gathered again for its XV Annual Meeting, held in Milan on 31 August and 1 September 2026. The meeting welcomed more than 140 scientists from 34 different institutions, providing a stimulating forum for the exchange of ideas, the presentation of new research and the development of collaborations.
A highlight of the programme was the thematic symposium entitled “AI-enhanced Biomechanical Modelling: Applications from Research to Bedside”, which explored the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in biomechanics and its potential to bridge fundamental research and clinical practice. The symposium featured keynote lectures by Dr Fabio Galbusera of the Schulthess Klinik, Switzerland; Professor Charles Taylor of The University of Texas at Austin, USA; and Professor Paola Occhetta of Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
Together, these two events marked an especially successful period for ESB-ITA and demonstrated the strength, visibility and international engagement of the Italian biomechanics community.
In memory of Alessandro Veneziani
The Italian biomechanics community was deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Professor Alessandro Veneziani at the age of 57. Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Emory University in Atlanta, he was an internationally recognised scholar in applied mathematics and computational mechanics. His pioneering contributions to cardiovascular mathematics, particularly multiscale cardiovascular modelling, helped overcome the limitations of single-scale approaches and advance the translation of computational models into clinical practice.
Throughout his career, Alessandro was deeply committed to bridging mathematical theory and clinical practice. His research advanced the numerical modelling of blood flow and cardiac electrophysiology, bringing sophisticated computational methods closer to the operating room and the patient’s bedside. Beyond his remarkable scientific achievements, he will be remembered as an inspiring educator, a generous colleague and a passionate advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration.
ESB-ITA extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends, students and colleagues. His scientific legacy and human warmth will remain an enduring source of inspiration to our community.
News from the Spanish chapter
The XV Annual Meeting of the Spanish ESB Chapter will be held in Barcelona (Spain) on 29/10 and 30/10. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Laura Marchal Crespo (TU Delft). We look forward to welcoming you to Barcelona!
Esther Reina Romo
Deputy Treasurer & Chair of Sponsorship
Working Groups update
Last spring, we launched a call for new ESB Working Groups (WGs). WGs are meant to enhance the involvement of ESB members in the Society and enable unique collaborations across different countries.
During the General Assembly in Vancouver, we announced the selection of two new ESB WGs.
The “Integrative Biomechanics of Neurovascular Disorders: from Vascular Inflammation to Treatments” WG will be coordinated by Behrooz Fereidoonnezhad (TU Delft, lead), Michele Marino (University of Rome Tor Vergata, lead), Jamie Concannon (University of Galway), Wahbi El-Bouri (University of Liverpool), Christian Gasser (KTH Royal Institute of Technology), Giulia Luraghi (Politecnico di Milano), Lauranne Maes (KU Leuven), Tommaso Ristori (TU Eindhoven), Emanuele Vignali (Fondazione Monasterio), and Gábor Závodszky (University of Amsterdam).
The “M2M-Brain: Mechanics to Medicine – Biphasic Biomechanics and Fluid Transport in the Brain” WG will be coordinated by Tian Yuan (Imperial College London, lead), Manuel Kainz (TU Graz), Michele Terzano (TU Graz), Wenbo Zhan (University of Aberdeen), and Ingolf Sack (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin).
If you are interested in joining one of these WGs, feel free to reach out to Behrooz Fereidoonnezhad / Michele Marino (b.fereidoonnezhad@tudelft.nl / m.marino@ing.uniroma2.it) or Tian Yuan (t.yuan@imperial.ac.uk).
We also communicated during the General Assembly in Vancouver that the “Virtual Twins of Human Organ Systems” WG would be discontinued. This means that we currently have three active WGs: the already running “Musculoskeletal Spine Modeling” WG (lead: Luigi La Barbera, Politecnico di Milano, luigi.labarbera@polimi.it) and the two new WGs mentioned above.
Sandra Loerakker
Chair of the Webportal and Working Groups Committee
Endorsed and Other Meetings
BIOENG-2026 – The 2nd International Conference on Bioengineering
10-13 November 2026, Barcelona, Spain (endorsed)
With the theme of Bioengineering in an Era of AI, BIOENG-2026 is a premier scientific forum dedicated to advancing the frontiers of bioengineering research and its translational impact.
In addition to a 20% discount on the conference registration fee for ESB members, five registration grants of EUR 400 each will be offered to ESB members selected by the Event Chair. Moreover, BIOENG 2026 is also pleased to offer one Invited Speaker position to an ESB member. More information on the congress website: https://sciforum.net/event/BIOENG2026
QMSKI & ISUCB 2027 – 25th International Workshop on Quantitative Musculoskeletal Imaging & 11th International Symposium on Ultrasonic Characterization of Bone
25-30 April 2027, Hveragerði, Iceland
The meeting unites leading researchers and industry experts to share the latest advances in imaging, image processing, and computational modeling for assessing musculoskeletal tissues in health and disease, and to evaluate the effect of related treatments.
Further details of this event and registration can be found on the congress website:
Michele Marino
Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee
