Meet our lab members
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James M. Finley, PhDPrincipal Investigator
Bio:
Dr. Finley received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Florida A&M University, and his MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. After completing his PhD, Dr. Finley completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. Current Research: Dr. Finley's primary research interest is understanding how walking is controlled and adapted in both healthy individuals and in individuals with neuromotor impairments. As the director of the Locomotor Control lab, Dr. Finley incorporates techniques from engineering, neuroscience, and physiology to understand the factors that drive locomotor learning. List of Publications |
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Natalia Sanchez, PhDAssistant Professor of ResearchBio:
Dr. Sanchez joined the division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy in the fall of 2015. Dr Sanchez received her BS in Biomedical Engineering from the Universidad EIA – Universidad CES, Colombia, and her MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. For her graduate work, Dr. Sanchez focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying movement disorders, particularly, the volitional control of the lower extremity after injury to the nervous system due to stroke. Current Research: Dr. Sanchez's research focuses on understanding the role of energetics in locomotor adaptation in healthy and pathological populations such as individuals with hemiparetic stroke. Her research aimed at determining the influence of spatiotemporal asymmetry on the increased energetic cost of walking after stroke was awarded an American Heart Association post-doctoral fellowship. List of Publications |
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Russell Johnson, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Bio
Dr. Russell Johnson received his BS in Applied Exercise Science from Springfield College, and his MS and PhD degrees in Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He joined the Locomotor Control Lab as a post-doctoral researcher in the summer of 2019. Current Research: Dr. Johnson’s research focuses on understanding the mechanics and energetics of locomotion using a combination of experimental and computer musculoskeletal modeling techniques. He is interested in understanding how metabolic energy expenditure, stability, and other factors influence gait in healthy individuals and those with movement disorders. |
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Sungwoo Park, MSDoctoral Student in BiokinesiologyBio:
Sungwoo Park is a PhD student in Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. He received his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University in South Korea before coming to USC. Current Research: Mr. Park's work focuses on determining how dynamic stability is optimized during adaptive locomotor learning and hemiparetic gait. |
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Aram Kim, MSDoctoral Student in BiokinesiologyBio:
Aram received her BS in Physical Therapy in from Catholic University of Daegu, South Korea, and her MS in Biokinesiology from USC. For her Master’s work, she focused on developing a platform for testing the feasibility of using fully immersive virtual reality (VR) during walking for people with Parkinson’s disease. Current Research: Ms. Kim's research focuses on characterizing deficits in locomotor learning in people with neurological impairments and identifying the neural mechanisms underlying the context-dependent generalization of learned locomotor skills. She also uses immersive VR to develop novel, low-cost locomotor interventions for clinical settings. |
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Chang LiuDoctoral Student in Biomedical Engineering
Bio:
Chang graduated from USC with a BS in Biomedical Engineering (Mechanics emphasis). Current Research: Chang is interested in understanding factors influencing the reactive control balance in response to unexpected perturbations during walking. |
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Pouria Nozari, MSDoctoral Student in Biomedical EngineeringBio:
Pouria received his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. There, he performed research on path planning for reconfigurable mobile mechanisms and on energetics of reaching in people post-stroke. Current Research: Pouria is currently developing a simulation platform to test control algorithms for skill learning during bipedal locomotion. |
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Shreya Jain, MS
Doctoral Student in Biokinesiology
Bio:
Shreya is a PhD student in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at USC. She received her bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from BITS-Pilani, India and her master's degree in Motor Learning and Control from Teachers College, Columbia University. Current Research: She is interested in understanding the neurological bases of locomotor behavior in people with Parkinson's disease. |
Alumni
Lindsey Trejo
Subsequent Position: Ph.D. student in Bioengineering, Georgia Tech
Nora Darakjian, DPT
Subsequent Position: Instructor of Clinical Physical Therapy, University of Southern California
Tatri Mukherjee
Subsequent Position: Physical Therapist, Health South Rehabilitation
Zixuan Zhou
Subsequent Position: M.S. student in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
Lucas de Macêdo Pinheiro
Subsequent Position: B.S. student in Control & Automation Engineering, Universidade de Brasilia
Marco Lopez
Subsequent Position: Doctorate student of Physical Therapy, University of Southern California
Subsequent Position: Ph.D. student in Bioengineering, Georgia Tech
Nora Darakjian, DPT
Subsequent Position: Instructor of Clinical Physical Therapy, University of Southern California
Tatri Mukherjee
Subsequent Position: Physical Therapist, Health South Rehabilitation
Zixuan Zhou
Subsequent Position: M.S. student in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
Lucas de Macêdo Pinheiro
Subsequent Position: B.S. student in Control & Automation Engineering, Universidade de Brasilia
Marco Lopez
Subsequent Position: Doctorate student of Physical Therapy, University of Southern California
Collaborators
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Beth Fisher, PhD, PT, FAPTA
Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy Kathryn L Havens, PhD Assistant Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy Vangelis Lympouridis, PhD Founder Enosis VR Judy Pa, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Neurology Nicolas Schweighofer, PhD Associate Professor USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy |
Marientina Gotsis, MFA
Research Assistant Professor School of Cinematic Arts Sook-Lei Liew, PhD, OTR/L Assistant Professor USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy Sara Mulroy, PhD, PT Director Rancho Los Amigos Pathokinesiology Lab Stefan Schaal, PhD Professor USC Department of Computer Science Carolee Winstein, PhD, PT, FAPTA Professor USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy |