Faculty Candidate
Understanding the Biomechanical Mechanisms for Disease Development and Exploring Novel Rehabilitation Technologies
Jack Williams, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Northern Arizona University
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Gateway 1002
12:00pm – 12:50pm
Abstract: Injury and disease can impact anyone, at any time, and can have devastating consequences, imparting physical, social, economic, and mental burdens that dramatically reduce quality of life. Yet, in many instances, our understanding of the mechanisms behind these conditions, and how to effectively rehabilitate these individuals, is lacking. In the first part of this talk, I will discuss my efforts to use a combination of biomechanics, neuromusculoskeletal modeling, and magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the mechanisms for post-traumatic osteoarthritis development after ACL injury and subsequent reconstruction surgery. In the second part of this talk, I will touch upon my more recent efforts in the field of rehabilitation engineering, examining novel applications of wearable robotic exoskeletons to improve therapeutic approaches.
Biography: Jack Williams is a postdoctoral scholar within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northern Arizona University. Prior to joining NAU, he earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware. As a graduate student working under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Buchanan (Mechanical Engineering) and Dr. Lynn Snyder-Mackler (Physical Therapy), he investigated the biomechanical mechanisms for post-traumatic osteoarthritis development after ACL reconstruction surgery, with a specific emphasis on the patellofemoral compartment of the knee. After completing his PhD in the Spring of 2022, he started his postdoctoral work in Dr. Zachary Lerner’s Biomechatronics Lab, where he is currently working on the development of an open-source exoskeleton system and exploring novel rehabilitation applications of exoskeleton devices. His long-term goal is to determine the biomechanical and neuromuscular mechanisms for injury and disease and to use this knowledge to inform the development of novel rehabilitation devices and approaches to improve lives.
For a zoom link please contact June Norton at jnorton@wpi.edu or Kate Harrison at kharrison@wpi.edu