David Lipps, PhD

Dr. David Lipps is an associate professor of movement science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, where he leads the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics & Imaging Laboratory (MBIL). He holds joint appointments as an affiliate associate professor of biomedical engineering and a member of the Rogel Cancer Center's Cancer Control and Population Sciences program. He holds a PhD and MSE in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan and a BSE from Tulane University. Before returning to U-M as faculty, he completed advanced postdoctoral training at Northwestern University and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now Shirley Ryan AbilityLab).

Dr. Lipps's research centers on muscle mechanics, upper extremity biomechanics, and neuromuscular adaptations following cancer therapies. He has published 46 articles in top-tier peer-reviewed journals — such as the Journal of Biomechanics, American Journal of Sports medicine, and Breast Cancer Research and Treatment — and has secured major research funding as a Principal Investigator, including a Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society and grants from the National Institutes of Health and Susan G. Komen Foundation.

In addition to instructing core courses like MOVESCI 330: "Biomechanics of Human Movement" and elective courses on musculoskeletal imaging and wearable technology, Dr. Lipps co-leads the School of Kinesiology's Michigan Cancer Undergraduate Research in Exercise Scholars (M-CURES) program and the Rogel Cancer Center's working group on Rehabilitation, Exercise, Nutrition, and Emotional Wellness (RENEW). He regularly serves on National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant review panels, acts as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous scientific journals, and is an active member and prior awards chair of the American Society of Biomechanics.