Geoff Richards

Prof. Robert Geoffrey "Geoff" Richards FLSW FBSE FIOR FORS FTERM is the Executive Director Research & Development for the AO Foundation and director of AO Research Institute Davos at the AO Foundation. He is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW) and several academic Societies as well as an honorary Fellow Aberystwyth University. He was co-founder (with Dr. Iolo ap Gwynn and Prof. Godfried Roomans†) and Editor-in-Chief (for 25 years) of the eCM “free to all” scientific journal. In 1999, eCM was one of the first open access scientific journals in the world. The main advantages of the new journal were transparency with high standards of review, rapid publication, author retention of copyright, as well as remaining free and open access. Within eCM he also initiated the transparent review process (now known as open peer review). Richards has supervised over 50 PhD's, Masters and medical thesis's. He has helped mentor 9 of the AO Research Institute Davos to achieve professorship status in various universities globally. He is responsible for ~120 personnel plus visiting scientists and clinicians. He is author on over 350 peer-reviewed papers and has 2 granted patents. His Google Scholar h-index is 75. He is ranked among the most-cited scientists in the world regardless of scientific discipline (top 2%).

Career Educated at Llanfyllin High School, Richards then graduated from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth with a B.Sc., in 1990. He continued there with his studies, completing a Master of Science in 1991. He then completed his PhD, Doctor of Philosophy at the same university in 1997. Since 1991, Richards has been working for the AO Research Institute Davos (ARI) performing R&D of fracture fixation devices. His current position is both Executive Director Research & Development for the AO Foundation and Director of Research and Development, a position he has held since 2009. His research into implant surfaces has led to major changes in the design and manufacture of internal fracture fixation products, delivering improved clinical outcomes for patients worldwide. Currently, he holds five honorary Professorships in Europe and Asia in faculties of medicine, veterinary science and biological sciences. In 2020 he became Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW) -Election to Fellowship is a public recognition of excellence. All our Fellows have made an outstanding contribution to the world of learning and have a demonstrable connection to Wales. He is a fellow of several societies, serving as role models in the society's communities in the fields of musculoskeletal research and biomaterials. In 1999, he co-founded the eCM Journal.

He has held a range of leadership and editorial roles in international scientific societies, including serving as Global President of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) from 2019 to 2021, and as Chair of the International College of Fellows for Orthopaedic Research from 2016 to 2019, having previously served on its executive bodies. He has contributed to the governance of several organisations, including the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies (ICORS) Steering Committee and the European Orthopaedic Research Society (EORS) Executive Committee, and chaired committees within the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS). His activities have also included membership of the TERMIS European and World Councils and editorial roles, notably as Associate Editor of the Journal of Orthopaedic Translation. He is co-founder and long-serving Editor-in-Chief of the journal European Cells and Materials (eCM), established in 1999 as an early open-access publication in biomaterials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and orthopaedics.

His past Appointments include holding a range of leadership, academic, and editorial roles in orthopaedic and biomaterials research, including service within the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) as President (2019–2021), Member‑at‑Large (2016–2018), Chair of the Nominating Committee (2021–2024), and Chair of the International Fellows (2022–2024). He was Chair of the International College of Fellows of the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies (ICORS) from 2016 to 2019 and served on the Executive Committee of the European Orthopaedic Research Society (EORS) from 2011 to 2016. His academic appointments have included a professorship at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University (2016–2021), Visiting Professorships at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (2006–2009), and an Honorary Professorship at the Institute of Biological Sciences, Aberystwyth University (2007–2012), as well as an Honorary Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Glasgow (2004–2012). He has also served as Editor‑in‑Chief of the journal European Cells and Materials (eCM) since 2000, which he co‑founded in 1999, and held roles within the Swiss Society for Biomaterials, including its presidency (2007–2009).

Awards, honours Richards has received several awards and honours in recognition of his contributions to biomaterials and orthopaedic research. These include the Klaas de Groot Award of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB) (2024), the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies (ICORS) Transformative Contribution Award of (2022), and the ESB Jean Leray Award (2004).

He has been elected Fellow of multiple professional organisations, including the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society, the Orthopaedic Research Society, the Learned Society of Wales (the national academy for arts and sciences), the International College of Fellows of Orthopaedic Research, and also Biomaterials Science and Engineering. He holds Life Honorary Membership of the Swiss Society for Biomaterials (2010). Additional distinctions include an Honorary Fellowship from Aberystwyth University (2019) and the award of Doctor Honoris Causa from the Technical University of Varna (2016).