Dr Akhtar graduated from UMIST in 2003 with a First Class MEng (Hons) degree in Biomedical Materials Science with Industrial Experience. In 2007, he completed a PhD at The University of Manchester in ‘The micromechanical behaviour of bone’. Following this, he undertook a post-doctoral position using scanning acoustic microscopy to determine the micromechanical properties of soft tissue. In July 2008, Riaz was awarded a British Heart Foundation Advanced Training research fellowship. He joined the School of Engineering at University of Liverpool in October 2011 as a lecturer in Biomedical Engineering. He is currently a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for MSc in Biomedical Engineering.