Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
BIOMECHANICS & NEURAL ENGINEERING
Directors: Terence McIff, Ph.D.
Biomechanics is the scientific discipline that studies biological systems, such as the human body, using the methods of Mechanical Engineering. The purpose is to create new and innovative approaches, advance fundamental concepts, and apply knowledge to the improvement of the mechanics of biological systems.
While biomechanics represents a broad area of research, from the design of dental implants to the understanding of fluid dynamics in the vascular system, the biomechanics research focus at KU is on the human musculoskeletal system.
Our mission is to provide a quality graduate research and educational experience with emphasis on understanding and analyzing the mechanics of the human body through experimental measurement, mathematical modeling and computer simulations. This effort includes studies of the mechanics of the whole-body as a system, a group of body parts as a sub-system, and an individual body part as a component.
While this program is firmly grounded on the techniques in mechanical engineering, the nature of the research is multidisciplinary. Collaborative research is being fostered among researchers in engineering, mathematics, the sciences and the KU Medical Center.
Track Faculty
Titles
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, School of Engineering
Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Biomedical Robots
Applied Artificial Intelligence
Titles
Associate Professor, Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences & Disorders
Courtesy Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Associated Tracks
Computational Bioengineering
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
- Adaptive signal processing for neuroscience
- Neuroengineering
- Machine learning
- Human-computer interaction
- Brain-computer interface
- Speech and communication neuroscience
Titles
Professor, Hearing and Speech
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Research Interests
Acoustic and Electric Measures of the Pathophysiology underlying Hearing Impairment
Associated Tracks
Bioimaging
Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Tissue Mechanics
Computational Joint Mechanics
- Track Co-Director, Biomedical Product Design & Dev.
- Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Structural Biomaterials
Spine Biomechanics
Design and Testing of Medical Devices
Titles
Assistant Professor, Speech-Language-Hearing: Science & Disorders
Associated Tracks
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Research Interests
signal processing, binaural hearing mechanisms and psychoacoustics; development of speech coding strategies and their application to cochlear implants
Titles
Associate Professor, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Human Sensorimotor Control and Disorders, Stroke Rehabilitation, and Sports Injury Rehabilitation
Titles
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Effects of Age and Disorders on the Biomechanics of Balance, Gait, and Motor Control
Titles
Associate Department Chair, Mechanical Engineering
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Associated Tracks
Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Applications of Biomechanics and Machine Design
Biomechanics Testing Machines and Experimental Designs
Kinematic Joint Studies
Wear of Artificial Components
Testing and Evaluation of Prosthetic Devices
- Track Director, Biomechanics & Neural Eng.
- Director, Orthopedic Biomech. and Bioengineering Labs
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Research Interests
Orthopedic Biomechanics
Titles
Professor, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
Associated Tracks
Bioimaging
Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Nano-micro-macro mechanics of calcified and soft tissues, constitutive modeling and computational methods, scanning acoustic microscopy and ultrasonic testing
Titles
Professor & Vice Chair of Research, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Director, Landon Center on Aging
Associated Tracks
Bioimaging
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Neural Mechanisms of Recovery after Brain Injury
implantable Devices for Brain Plasticity
Titles
Assistant Professor, Director of Basic Research
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Computational Bioengineering
Bioimaging
Research Interests
Neural encoding of hand and finger movements
Brain-machine interfaces
Data science/machine learning for neurotechnologies
Titles
Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Research Interests
Understanding biochemical and neural mechanisms contributing to chronic pain syndromes and the efficacy of various physical therapy interventions in modulating pain
- Track Director, Computational Bioengineering
- Associate Professor, Electrical Eng. and Computer Sci.
Associated Tracks
Bioimaging
Computational Bioengineering
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Research Interests
Computational Medicine
Computational Surgery
Computational Anatomy
Computational Biomechanics
Patient-Specific Model and Mesh Generation
Image Processing
- Track Co-Director, Biomedical Product Design & Dev.
- Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Associated Tracks
Biomechanics & Neural Engineering
Biomedical Product Design & Development
Computational Bioengineering
Research Interests
Lumbar Spine Coordination and Control
Joint Dynamics and Stability