Research Portfolio

Current and prior projects.

Visual of design feedback given after lab testing of the V3 shoe

Current Project

Clinical Footwear Research & Development

In collaboration with biomedical engineers in the Donahue Research Lab, I am working on developing 3D printed walking shoes with a bio-inspired lattice structure. We have created a neutral control walking shoe and are working on optimizing a variable stiffness shoe for individuals with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. In this project, I lead biomechanics data collections and analysis, and provide insights and design recommendations based off of biomechanical and perception data.

Route 66 Centennial Run Images and OpenPose Tracking

Current Project

Multiple N-of-1 Ultraendurance Running Case Study: 100 Marathons in 100 Days

Key Nahan, PhD and I are conducting an observational case study of a runner completing 100 marathons over 100 days for the Route 66 Centennial (learn more about the Route 66 Centennial Run here). This project will quantify the impact of an ultraendurance run on running economy, biomechanics, and muscle function during pre- and post-event laboratory visits. This will be the first study to measure biomechanics and neuromuscular fatigue during repeated marathon running. To capture these data, I developed a custom iPhone app (screenshot above) to capture hourly percieved exertion during accelerometer-confirmed activity, countermovement jump and gait trials at a standardized phone orientation and camera distance, and daily logs during the event. I also built OpenPose data processing pipelines that use the UMass Unity High-Performance-Computing cluster to process gait and countermovement jump recordings captured during the run. This research is supported by Stryd, Inc.

Current Project

Understanding Fatigue in Older Adults (NIH R01 AG058607)

Inspired by a figure in a Neuromechanics Journal Club article on monitor lizards (Cieri et al., 2021, Biology Letters), I created a composite measure to quantify the change in an individual's gait mechanics induced by prolonged walking. This "Global Redistribution Score", and whether larger magnitudes of gait change are reflective of muscle fatigue in older adults, is the focus of my WCB 2026 presentation and a manuscript in preparation.

Master's Thesis

Advanced Footwear Technology Habituation

Here I invesitgated the effects of using AFT in training on footwear-specific running economy and biomechanics in collegiate and competitive cross-country runners. With both retrospectiove and prospective study designs, we found that runners who use AFT in training exhibit greater acute metabolic benefits from AFT compared to those who had not used AFT before (by ~1.7-1.9 percentage points) or who were assigned to a control group (by ~1 percentage point). Concomitant changes in biomechanical responses to AFT were observed at the ankle and metatarsophalangeal joints.