Taylor Dick is a Senior Lecturer in The School of Biomedical Sciences. She was awarded her PhD in 2016 from Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada). Her PhD research, in partnership with the Concord Field Station at Harvard University, focused on developing an experimental and modelling framework to predict in vivo motor function using advanced image-driven musculoskeletal models. Following this, she conducted a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at North Carolina State University- The University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) where her research focused on using wearable assistive devices (e.g., exoskeletons and prosthetics) to augment or restore movement-with a particular focus on how devices influence lower limb biomechanics and neuromuscular function. She has implemented innovative imaging approaches to discover how humans recover from unexpected perturbations during movement, which provided critical biological insight for the design of robotic devices capable of assisting movement in real-world environments.
Taylors research team have developed a uniquely integrative and highly translational approach to studying neuromuscular function that combines motion analysis, advanced tissue imaging, and muscuoloskeletal modelling to answer fundamental questions about how movement underpins evolution, health, and disease. Her current research is focused on.
Exploring the mechanisms of neuromuscular function using both experimental and modelling approaches
Understanding how the anatomy and biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system adapt to challenges such as size, age, and disease. To do this, her team has developed quantitative imaging technologies to visualize and interrogate the mechanisms that underpin motor function in humans and other animals
Designing and applying wearable assistive technologies, such as exoskeletons and prosthetics, to enhance performance in healthy individuals or to restore mobility in those with deficits.
Taylor has established herself internationally as an emerging leader in biomechanics research. This reputation is supported by prestigious awards, invited talks and review papers, and media attention. Her research has been funded through competitive grant schemes and industry partnerships, with total research support exceeding $3.6 million. Her contributions to research and mentorship have been recognized with a 2024 Queensland Tall Poppy Award, 2024 International Union of Physiologists Junior Faculty Award; 2024 International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology Kevin P. Granata Award, and the 2021 International Society of Biomechanics Jaquelin Perry Emerging Scientist Award. Taylor has been nominated (2020 and 2021) for the Faculty of Medicine Rising Star of the Year Award. Taylor is an elected Executive Council member of the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) and the elected Chairperson of the Comparative Neuromuscular Biomechanics Technical group. She is a passionate promotor of STEM for young girls—having co-developed the led a government-funded nationwide program to boost girls’ engagement in STEM, BRInC https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/health/brinc
She currently advises 12 PhD candidates, 1 Master’s student, and 5 Honours students. She has successfully advised 5 PhD, 2 Master’s and 9 Honours students to completion since commencing her faculty position at UQ in 2017.
For more information about her program of research, visit her lab website: https://biomedical-sciences.uq.edu.au/research/groups/neuromuscular-biomechanics
Paul W. Hodges DSc MedDr PhD BPhty(Hons) FAA FACP APAM(Hon) is an National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Principal Research Fellow, Professor and Director of the NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health at The University of Queensland (UQ). He is lead chief investigator on an NHMRC Program Grant that includes colleagues from the Universities of Melbourne and Sydney. Paul is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, which is a Fellowship of the nation’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for outstanding research that has pushed back the frontiers of knowledge. He is also a Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists and was made an Honoured member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, their highest honour.
Paul is a recognised world leader in movement control, pain and rehabilitation. His unique comprehensive research approach from molecular biology to brain physiology and human function has led to discoveries that have transformed understanding of why people move differently in pain. His innovative research has also led to discoveries of changes in neuromuscular function across a diverse range of conditions from incontinence to breathing disorders. These observations have been translated into effective treatments that have been tested and implemented internationally.
Paul has received numerous national and international research awards that span basic and clinical science. These include the premier international award for spine research (ISSLS Prize) on four occasions; three times in Basic Science (2006, 2011, 2019) and once in Clinical Science (2018). International awards in basic science include the SusanneKlein-Vogelbach Award (2010) and the Delsys Prize for Innovation in Electromyography (2009). National medical research awards include the NHMRC Achievement Award (2011). He has also received national community-based leadership awards including the Young Australian of the Year Award in Science and Technology (1997), Future Summit Australian Leadership Award (2010), and Emerging Leader Award (Next 100 Awards, 2009).
Paul is a past president of the International Society for Electrophysiology and Kinesiology and has been the Chair/Co-Chair for several major international conferences. He has led major international consortia to bring together leaders from multiple disciplines to understand pain.
Francois research focuses on the neural control of movement in health and disease. He has developed a neural framework based on the non-invasive recording of motor neurons to reveal the modular organization of movement control at the spinal motor neuron level. He has published >200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and received > 3 000 000 € funding. François received his PhD in human movement sciences from Aix-Marseille university (France - 2003). As Full Professor at Nantes Université (France), he led a research Lab until he moved to Université Côte d’azur (France), in 2021. He is an honorary fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France and an honorary professor at the University of Queensland (Australia) where he spent >5 years since 2011. François is currently Professor (full) in Human Movement Sciences at the University of Côte d’azur (Nice, France). Francois serves on the editorial board of Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology and Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport. He is an expert for the Consensus for Experimental Design in Electromyography (CEDE) project, which is an international initiative which aims to guide decision-making in recording, analysis, and interpretation of electromyographic data.
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Dr. Alejandro Melendez-Calderon has an interdisciplinary background in robotics and biomedical engineering with extensive experience in human augmentation technologies used in medicine (robotics, wearable devices) and computational approaches to understand human neuromuscular control (unimpaired, stroke and SCI population). He has over 19 years of experience gained in academic, clinical and industrial environments.
He leads the NeuroEngineering, Rehabilitation and Medical Robotics Lab at UQ, and is currently a Senior Lecturer within the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (affiliate) at the University of Queensland (Australia; Jan 2020-present). He is also a Principal Research Fellow at the Jamieson Trauma Institute, Queensland Health (Australia, Jun 2022-present).
Work experience | Clinical - He was previously a Senior Research Scientist and acting Head of Technology at the cereneo Advanced Rehabilitation Institute / cereneo Center for Neurology and Rehabilitation (Switzerland; 2017-2019), where he led and conducted research in the area of neuromechanics of movement deficits after stroke. He was also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Northwestern University (USA; 2014-2020) and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) (2012-2013), where he conducted research in cross-modal multisensory interactions and assessment of neuromuscular impairments. Medical industry - He led the areas of Robotic Hand Rehabilitation and Assessments, and work on adaptive control of robotic trainers (arm and legs) at Hocoma AG (Switzerland; 2014-2016), one of the world-leading manufacturers of robotic and wearable technologies for rehabilitation. Academic research - He was a Guest Researcher at ETH Zurich (Switzerland; 2016-2019), where he conducted research in biomechanics and motor control/learning. He received his PhD degree from Imperial College London (UK; 2007-2011) for research in robotics, rehabilitation and human motor control.
Interests | Dr. Melendez-Calderon has a scientific interest in understanding principled mechanisms of human behavior, in particular related to movement control/learning and physical interaction; his technical interests are in robotics and computational modeling for medical diagnostics, assistive applications & (bio)medical education.
I'm a biological anthropologist specialising in bone histology of humans and other mammals. I work with modern, archaeological, and palaeontological samples. I have been an Honorary Senior Lecturer at UQ since 2021, a Correspondent Researcher at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden (The Netherlands) since 2022, and an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Kent in Canterbury (UK) since 2016. I have >60 publications and have secured ~$1.6 million in grants as a PI, including a 2019–2022 ARC DECRA (DE190100068) and 2025–2028 ARC Future Fellowship (FT240100030). As a CI/AI, I have featured on ~$1.7 million worth of grants, including a 2023–2027 ARC DP (DP230100440).
In 2022 I was a Martin & Temminck Fellow at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands. Until 2022, I spent almost 7 years at the Australian National University in Canberra working as an ARC DECRA Fellow (2019–2022), Senior Lecturer, and Lecturer. Between 2015 and 2016 I was a Research Assistant in medicine at Imperial College in London. Until 2014, I spent about 8 years at the University of Kent in Canterbury completing a BSc (2010), PhD (2014), and PGCHE (2014), and working in various teaching roles, including tutoring, lab demonstration, sessional lecturing, and lecturing. I was previously Treasurer of the Australasian Society for Human Biology, Editor (2022) and Associate Editor (2023) of The Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, and Editorial Board Member (2022–2024) of Scientific Reports. I am currently Editorial Board Member of Anthropological Review and Review Editor (2023) of Human Bioarchaeology and Paleopathology (Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology).
Dr Shaun O’Leary is a Senior Fellow in Physiotherapy between the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Queensland (UQ), and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) Physiotherapy Department and Neurosurgical/Orthopaedic Screening Clinics. He is also a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists. Dr O’Leary’s combined academic and clinical track record underpins his conjoint UQ/RBWH appointment. His service to health is broad, spanning the supervision of clinical research (clinician-initiated, research higher degree, honours, coursework masters), clinical education and mentoring across all levels of the physiotherapy profession (undergraduate, postgraduate, professional development and specialisation), with a particular interest and role in developing clinician-scientist career pathways in Australian public health. Dr O’Leary also serves as a councillor and senior examiner for the Australian College of Physiotherapists, and is the Chair of the colleges Fellowships Program Standing Committee.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Hons) (1993) University of Queensland (UQ), Master of Physiotherapy Studies (Musculoskeletal) (2000) UQ, Doctor of Philosophy (Physiotherapy) (2005) UQ, Fellowship of the Australian College of Physiotherapists by Specialisation (Musculoskeletal) (2008).
PUBLICATIONS AND SUPERVISION: Dr O’Leary has over 100 publications including 90 original research articles, 6 invited review articles, 4 book chapters, 2 mainstream clinical text books translated to multiple languages, and 1 international patent. He has supervised 8 research higher degree (7 PhD and 1 MPhil) students to completion and has 4 current students (3 PhD, 1 MPhil), and has supervised 14 honours and 11 masters coursework research projects to completion. Dr O’Leary has delivered presentations at 23 National and 23 International Conferences.
INTERNATIONAL PROFILE: Dr O’Leary has established research collaborations with researchers in the USA (Northwestern University, Chicago), UK (Birmingham University), Sweden (Umea University and Linköping University), Belgium (Ghent University), and Denmark (University of Southern Denmark). Dr O’Leary is also a renowned clinical educator having delivered numerous hands-on clinical workshops in Australia and internationally.
MAJOR FUNDING SUPPORT: Dr O’Leary has to date obtained over AUD$1.6 million in research funding.
I am a Research Scientist. With over 15 years of experience, I have developed advanced skills in data analytics, machine learning, mathematical modeling, and research & development.
I am Research Fellow at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, specializing in applying data science and wearable devices to solve problems in health, biomechanics, and sports. In my role, I leverage wearables to study human movement and physiology, providing actionable insights that drive innovation and improve health outcomes. My work involves collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to integrate data-driven solutions that enhance performance and well-being.
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Dr T. Thang Vo-Doan is a Lecturer of the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at the University of Queensland. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Biology I, University of Freiburg, Germany (2019-2023). He was also a Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore (2016-2018). He was awarded his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, NTU in 2016. He received his M.Eng. degree in Manufacturing Engineering and B.Eng. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam in 2010 and 2008 respectively. He was awarded the prestigious Human Frontier Science Program Cross-disciplinary Fellowship (2019-2022).
He directs the UQ Biorobotics lab after joining in the University of Queensland. Current research activities of the lab focus on insect-machine hybrid robots, bio-inspired robotics, insect structures and functions, biomechanics, fast lock-on tracking, and brain imaging in untethered insects.
Dr Wheeler is a proud Ngarabal person and Accredited Exercise Scientist (ESSA). Dr Wheeler specilises in implementation science in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
Dr Wheeler was the first Aboriginal person to graduate with a PhD from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Dr Wheeler’s research examines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can co-design programs that build community capacity and engage children and young peoples in a broad range of development areas. Dr Wheeler’s research strengths consist co-designing physical movement-based programs, ensuring a trauma informed and culturally-responsive approach towards community engagement and empowerment.
Dr Wheeler has led high performing teams working on education programs that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families through a strength-based and holistic framework. Extending this work, Dr Wheeler's research focuses on developing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce to better address the complex health needs of community. Dr Wheeler has provided FIrst Nations leadership to a range of projects that have catered for the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and through this experience has partnered to deliver diverse governance solutions and educational engagement frameworks.
Dr Wheeler also specialises in biomechanics, sport analytics and performance analysis as well as strength and conditioning research. Dr Wheeler works currently with a range of sporting organisations to implement best-practice sport servicing, testing and athlete management to achieve excellence. Dr Wheeler is the lead researcher in partnership with Indigenous Basketball Australia. Dr Wheeler has worked with a variety of professional sporting organisations and teams such as the Wallabies, Brumbies Rugby and World Rugby as well as the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra Raiders, Canberra Comets, Canberra Meteors and GWS Giants. Dr Wheeler co-design training programs to promote optimal performance in a range of sports. Dr Wheeler is a passionate about how sport and exercise can be used to enrich community as well as health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Dr Wheeler is the Chair of the ESSA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy Working Group for Exercise and Sport Science Australia.
Dr Wheeler is the Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy for the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences.
Dr Wheeler is the Program Convenor for Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Sciences, the University of Queensland.
Dr Wheeler was named in the top 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people changing the world from COSMOS.
Awards
2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award from the Australian Academy of Science
2022 LSQ Merck Life Science Rural and Regional Service Award from Life Sciences Queensland
2020 Accredited Exercise Scientist of the Year Award from Exercise and Sport Science Australia
2021 Science Peoples Choice Award from National Science Week
2021 Outreach Award from National Science Week
2020 Science Leadership Excellence Award from National Science Week
2017 NAIDOC Award from Fraser Coast NAIDOC Committee
Rebeka R. Zsoldos is an animal biomechanist who graduated at the Animal Science Faculty of the University of Kaposvar/Hungary (2008). In Vienna/Austria, she then completed her PhD on the biomechanics of the equine cervical vertebral column at the Movement Science Group at the Veterinary University (2011), followed by her own collaborative research project titled “Generic Motion Models based on Quadrupedal Data” at the University of Natural Resources together with the Veterinary University and the University of Bonn/Germany (Multimedia, Simulation and Virtual Reality Group). During this time, she taught Animal Biomechanics to undergraduate and graduate students. Having completed the project, she continued work with her collaborators at the University of Bonn in Germany. After that she worked on a mathematical approach to the elastic behaviour and shape of the equine spine as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Computational Sciences Group, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
