About Chris

Chris Payne is a design engineer, research scientist and inventor who has worked on a multitude of projects. These include; a growth-accommodating pediatric heart valve (currently undergoing clinical trial), hand-held mechatronic tools for microsurgery, soft robotic cardiac assist devices and robotic wearables for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration. 

Currently, Chris is the lead hardware engineer at Viam, a NYC-based startup company developing a platform of tools for robotics and smart machine development. Within this role, Chris develops solutions for clients and products such as the Viam Rover. Previously, Chris held postdoctoral research positions at Harvard University, Boston Children's Hospital and Imperial College London.

Chris is the co-author of over 70 research publications including journal papers in Science Translational Medicine, Science Robotics, the British Medical Journal and Advanced Materials Technologies. He is also a co-inventor of several patents. Chris holds a PhD in robotics and a MEng in mechanical engineering, both from Imperial College London.