Professor Robin Cleveland

Background

Professor Cleveland grew up in Rotorua, New Zealand and studied Physics at the University of Auckland where he obtained the BSc and MSc degrees. He then went to the University of Texas at Austin, USA where he received a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering working on the propagation of sonic booms from supersonic aircraft. This was followed by a two year post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle where he research shock waves for biomedical applications. He then spent 14 years in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Boston University teaching and carrying out research in sound waves. He joined Magdalen College in 2011. He is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and an Associate Editor of Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. In 2013 he was given the Knobbly Knees Award by Mary Berry at the Cuddington Summer Fete.

Teaching

Professor Cleveland is a tutorial fellow in Engineering Science and in college mainly gives tutorials in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. Tutorials are held either in groups of 2-3 students or with the whole year group, typically 5-6. He also lectures in mathematics or fluid mechanics in the department. At the post-graduate level he teaches courses in ultrasonics.

Research Interests

Professor Cleveland carries out research in nonlinear acoustics with a particular emphasis on biomedical applications. Current areas of research include: transcranial ultrasound neurostimulation where ultrasound is used to modulate brain waves, mechanisms of traumatic brain injury, high-intensity focused ultrasound for disrupting biofilms and destroying bacteria, using ultrasound to treat cancer, and shock wave lithotripsy (breaking of kidney stones by shock waves). His research team is part of the BUBBL group within the Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Selected Publications

• Sara B. Keller, Gareth LuTheryn, Michael D. Gray, Brian Lyons, Robin O. Cleveland, Eleanor Stride, Constantin C. Coussios, Quantitative evaluation of anti-biofilm cavitation activity seeded from microbubbles or protein cavitation nuclei by passive acoustic mapping” Phys. Med. Biol. 69 215008 (2024) doi: 10.1088/1361-6560/ad7f1a
• Christopher R. Butler, Edward Rhodes, Joseph Blackmore, Xinghao Cheng, Robert L. Peach, Michele Veldsman, Fintan Sheerin, Robin O. Cleveland “Transcranial ultrasound stimulation to human middle temporal complex improves visual motion detection and modulates electrophysiological responses” Brain Stimulation 22:1236-1245 (2022). doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2022.08.022.
• Zhang, J., Shrivastava, S., Cleveland, R. O., & Rabbitts, T. H, Lipid-mRNA nanoparticle designed to enhance intracellular delivery mediated by shock waves. ACS applied materials & interfaces, 11:10481-10491 (2019).
• V. Suomi, J. Jaros, B. Treeby, R. O. Cleveland, High-intensity focused ultrasound therapy in the kidney: a simulation study, IEEE Trans. on Biomedical Engineering 65: 969-979 (2018).
• L. E. Goldstein, A. M. Fisher, C. A. Tagge, X.-L. Zhang, L. Velisek, J. A. Sullivan, C. Upreti, J.M. Kracht, M. Ericsson, M. Wojnarowicz, C. J. Goletiani, G. M. Maglakelidze, N. Casey, J. A. Moncaster, O Minaeva, R.D. Moir, C.J. Nowinski, R.A. Stern, R.C. Cantu, J. Geiling, J. K. Blusztajn, B. L. Wolozin, T. Ikezu, T.D. Stein, A.E. Budson, N.W. Kowall, D. Chargin, A. Sharon, S. Saman, G.F. Hall, W.C. Moss, R. O. Cleveland, R. E. Tanzi, P. K. Stanton, A, C. McKee “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Blast-Exposed Military Veterans and a Blast Neurotrauma Mouse Model,” Science Translational Medicine 4(134):1—16 (2012).
• J. J. Rassweiler, T. Knoll, Kai-Uwe Köhrmann, J. A. McAteer, J. E. Lingeman, R. O. Cleveland, M. R. Bailey, C. Chaussy, “Shock wave technology and application – an update,” Eur. Urol. 59:784-796 (2011).