U-M School of Kinesiology

Our research focuses on how the nervous and musculoskeletal systems interact to produce coordinated movement, specifically locomotion. We use techniques from biomechanics, neuroscience, and robotics to study how humans walk and run in health and disability.

Current research In the MTEL focuses on developing a multilevel computational model of human skeletal muscle to elucidate the genesis and propagation of injury.

Work in the Muscle Biology Laboratory focuses on skeletal muscle metabolism, especially in the modulation of glucose transport by exercise and calorie restriction, and how these interventions are influenced by advancing age.

The clinical populations we study have been Down syndrome and myelomeningocele. We work largely with pediatric populations, but our developmental approach leads us to design studies involving the age spectrum -- from infancy, through preadolescents, and the elderly. We focus heavily on gait patterns.

In the Motor Control Lab, we seek to advance our understanding of mechanisms underlying sensorimotor control of human movement, as well as provide the basis for rehabilitative interventions.