"Dr Michel Destrade is a French national; he was trained in Physics and Chemistry in France and in Mathematical Physics in Ireland; he has been working successively as a Lecturer in Mathematics in the USA and as a Researcher in Mechanics in France. He is requesting funds for two years, to work with Professor Michael Gilchrist and join his group of Mechanical Engineering at University College Dublin, Ireland. The overall scientific aim of the Project is to improve understanding of the nonlinear mechanics of soft biological tissue such as arterial wall tissue, brain stem, or skin, with particular reference to the influences of residual stress, of inhomogeneity, of anisotropy, and of external fields (e.g. electromagnetic) on the mechanical response and on stability. Ongoing work in these areas is still in its infancy, and the Project proposes a bottom-up approach to their investigation. As the Project progresses, the emphasis will shift from theoretical modelling (relying on the Applicant’s expertise) to experimental validation and numerical simulations (using the Host Laboratory’s expertise), with a view to industrial and medical applications (taking advantage of the Host Institution’s experience in training, communication, scientific management, intellectual property issues, etc.)."