People

PostDoctoral Fellows

Charlotte DeVol Caskey

Charlotte received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from NC State University in 2019 before earning her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington in 2024. Her dissertation, with Dr. Kat Steele, focused on quantifying the effects of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation on gait mechanics for children with cerebral palsy. With the Human Neuromechanics Laboratory, Charlotte is studying how neural mechanisms change with age and affect mobility using novel techniques of mobile brain imaging and uneven terrain treadmill walking in older adults. Her research interests span gait biomechanics, neuroscience, rehabilitation, and assistive technology for individuals with neurological injury across the lifespan. Outside of research, Charlotte also enjoys hiking, baking, yoga, and painting.

Brendan Pinto

Brendan received a BSc with Honours in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo, a MSc in Biomechanics & Neurophysiology from the University of Guelph and a PhD in Biomechanics from the University of Waterloo. Prior to joining the Human Neuromechanics Laboratory, he worked as an exercise professional for 12 years and in industrial research and development for 5 years. Brendan’s personal, professional and academic experiences have motivated his research and teaching interests to broadly focus on advancing strategies to equip individuals with the sensorimotor ability to achieve peak physical performance and injury resiliency.

PH.D. Students

Walter “Sebastian” Barrutia

Sebastian was born and raised in Peru and moved to the United States when he was in high school. Since then, he has lived in Texas, New York, and now in Florida. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2019. He is currently a fourth-year PhD student. His current research interests include the development of novel lower-limb exoskeleton designs to aid walking in healthy and disabled populations. His favorite hobbies are practicing taekwondo and kayaking. (Email)

Jonel “Raven” Morris

Raven received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Indiana Institute of Technology in the Fall of 2020. Her degree was primarily focused on mechanics and the development of orthopedic implants. She will be working on the Mind In Motion project in the Human Neuromechanics Lab. She is interested in the relationship between the visual cortex and motion. Her career goal is to research for a company or lab focused on the development of visual prosthetics. (Email)

Jacob Salminen

Jacob got his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida in 2019. In his undergrad, he studied Respiratory Neurobiology and Physiology under Dr. David Fuller, in the McKnight Brain Institute (MBI). He co-authored on several papers and wrote his undergraduate thesis on histological image analysis techniques. As a post-grad, he worked under Dr. Gordon Mitchell and Dr. Yasin Seven (MBI) developing and optimizing machine learning programs for the purpose of automated quantification of neuromodulators (5HT_2A/2B) in immunofluorescence images. In his PhD, he will aim to develop techniques that aid in EEG data analysis and further our understanding of brain dynamics. His research interests include biological signal processing, neurophysiology, and brain dynamics. (Email) (LinkedIn)

Lauren Hanchar

Lauren graduated in 2024 from Elon University with a B.S degree in Engineering. She is interested in the neurophysiology and biomechanics of human movement to improve health and support individuals with disabilities. Outside of research, she enjoy running, hiking, and cooking.

Ryan White

Ryan graduated from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University in 2024 with a B.S. In Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Neuroscience. There, he completed an honors thesis project entitled “Default and Executive Network Coupling Leads to Higher Creative Thinking: A Neurofeedback Study,” in which he studied the leading proposed mechanism for creative cognition. Ryan is largely interested in the field of cognitive neuroscience as a whole, and is looking forward to learning more about the cognitive neuroscience behind motor planning. Outside of research, he enjoy being active whenever possible, whether it be biking, hiking, kayaking, or playing baseball or basketball.

Visiting Scholars

Israel Luis Peña

Israel received his B.S. in Mechatronics Engineering from Pontifical University Catholic of Peru in 2016 and his Ph. D. in Engineering Mechanics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2024. He is currently a post-doctoral researcher at KTH MoveAbility focused on developing simulation-based exoskeleton controllers and quasi-passive exoskeletons. He was a post-doctoral visitor at the Human Neuromechanics Laboratory, where his main focus was on developing and testing an ankle exoskeleton based on 3D-printed carbon-fiber reinforcement materials.

Masters Students

Madison Tenerowicz

Madison graduated in 2021 from the University of Florida with a BS in Psychology. She has volunteered in the McKnight Brain Institute as well as Shands Hospital and is working towards entering an MD-PhD program. She is interested in neuroscience and the study of inner speech, which she plans on being the focus of her research.

Udaya Sankar Nadendla

Udaya received his B. Tech degree in Biomedical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Rourkela in 2023. During undergrad, he worked at the Applied Biomechanics Laboratory under Dr. A. Thirugnanam, developing sensors for vibrational analysis and his thesis on design and development of sensors for vibrational analysis. He is currently pursing his master’s in Biomedical Engineering, and he wants to continue his academic career towards obtaining a doctorate degree. His interests are device development, gait analysis, neuro-mechanics.

Lab Manager

Ethan Swierski

Ethan received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Gannon University in 2023 and is currently pursuing a M.S. in Applied Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. His previous research was primarily focused on biomechanics, virtual reality as a training tool, and industrial ergonomics. Outside of research, he has two cats, plays volleyball, and rock climbs.