Dan was a physicist by training (BSc, MSc) with a PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Southampton. His postdoc position at Oxford University focused on engineering aspects of pressure ulcer (PU) prevention. He later moved to Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) as a lecturer in Biomaterials leading Soft Tissue Research in the EPSRC Funded IRC in Biomedical Materials (1991–2002).

In 1999, he became first Professor of Medical Engineering, establishing a world-renowned research group at QMUL. In 2011, he joined the Faculty of Health Sciences (FoHS) at University of Southampton as Professor of Bioengineering and Tissue Health, to establish a multidisciplinary team focusing on Skin Health.  From 2000, he was a Part-Time Professor in Soft Tissue Remodelling in Biomedical Engineering at Eindhoven University collaborating with Oomens on skin damage and PU research. In 2006, he was elected to the World Council of Biomechanics.

In 2011, he became Editor of the Journal of Tissue Viability and was presented the Senior Investigators Award by the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP), an organisation he served as a Trustee. His research areas included (i) Bioengineering solutions in PU prevention; (ii) Imaging of soft tissues; (iii) Designing medical devices and systems for clinical use; (iv) Cell/tissue biomechanics. Professor Bader published over 225 scientific papers, achieved an H factor of 51, and edited three books.

In 2019, he was successful with an EU H2020-MSCA Integrated Training Network (ITN) entitled “Skin Tissue INTegrity under Shear (STINTS)” award, totalling Euros 3 million, employing 13 early Stage Researchers across Europe.

Professor Dan Bader died in November 2022