“Ethier’s recruitment adds new dimensions to the Coulter Department’s international reputation in biomedical engineering and biomechanics and we are delighted to welcome him to Atlanta,” said Larry McIntire, Wallace H. Coulter Chair and Professor.

Ethier’s research has the potential to create a new paradigm for treating glaucoma, the second most common cause of blindness. His glaucoma research focuses on biomechanics of aqueous humor drainage in the normal and glaucomatous eye, and the mechanical and cellular response of optic nerve tissues to intraocular pressure.  Additionally, Ethier studies the hemodynamic basis of arterial disease and mechanobiology of osteoarthritis.

“Dr. Ethier’s strengths in applying his expertise in biomechanics to the understanding of glaucoma, arterial disease and osteoarthritis are world-class,” said C. Michael Cassidy, President and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance. “We anticipate that his work will lead to new treatments for these conditions that affect so many worldwide.”

Ethier comes to Georgia from Imperial College London, where he was Professor and Head of the Department of Bioengineering.  He also directed the $17 million Medical Engineering Solutions in Osteoarthritis Center of Excellence, one of four Wellcome Trust/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Centers in the UK.  In addition, he directed the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College.

After earning his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ethier joined the faculty of the University Toronto in 1986, where he built a strong program in biomaterials and biomedical engineering.  In 2007, he was recruited to Imperial College London.

Ethier has published widely and has an extensive history of consulting with industry. He is the co-author of Introductory Biomechanics, a textbook widely used in the U.S., Canada and Europe. He is a Fellow of International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.