OUR TEAM
A portion of the Summer 2019 research assistants!
Antonia Zaferiou, Ph.D.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Zaferiou is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and leads the Musculoskeletal Control and Dynamics Lab at Stevens Institute of Technology. Please see Dr. Zaferiou’s publications, personal website: www.antoniazaferiou.com or her faculty website for more information.
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Mitchell Tillman
Ph.D. Candidate
Mitchell Tillman started in the lab August 2019. He received his bachelors and masters degrees from Purdue University and as a student at Purdue. See here for Mitchell’s publications
Sam Liu
Ph.D. Candidate
Sam is a recent graduate from the Masters program in Engineering Science graduating from University of Oxford Spring 2020. He is interested in high speed dynamic movements, particularly in bilateral approach jumping and general movement strategies employed by different groups of people.
Sam’s first full-length publication is published with Sports Biomechanics (DOI:10.1080/14763141.2022.2108490)!
Zahava Hirsch
Ph.D. Student
Zahava Hirsch joined the lab in August of 2022. She received her MS in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, and her BS in Biology from Brooklyn College. She has a varied background working in medical and documentary work serving underrepresented populations. Her research interests include exploring machine learning and AI’s role in the future of accessible and improved healthcare.
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Alex Sniderman
Composer, performer, and producer Alex Sniderman has spent more than 20 years building a formidable, personally charged body of music, making consistently compelling music that's won the hearts of those fortunate enough to hear it, including legendary MC5 guitar hero Wayne Kramer, who produced his first album and called Alex "a true undiscovered genius." Currently completing a Master of Fine Arts in Sonic Arts at Brooklyn College, Sniderman has broadened his artistic palette, composing with traditional and electronic instruments as well as audio feedback and noise elements under the tutelage of Marina Rosenfeld, David Grubbs, Tyondai Braxton, Douglas Geers, Ben Vida, Red Wierenga, and D.D. Jackson.
MASTER’S STUDENTS AND RECENT MASTER’S GRADUATES
Zachary Marvin
Master’s Thesis Student B.E. BME Eng. ‘23
My motivation has always been the intersection of health, technology, and human understanding. My academic foundation in biomedical engineering, bolstered by a strong background in software engineering, has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of medical device design, biological systems, and computational modeling. I also have an incredibly deep passion for music. I view music as a complex arrangement of frequencies, harmonies, and rhythms - mirroring the intricate interplay of our bodily systems. This perception has cultivated my ability to perceive connections and patterns in seemingly unrelated areas, thus fostering a creative mindset. My goal in working at this lab is to connect all of my passions in order to develop a device that can heal patients through music, one note at a time!
Samantha Gajda
Master’s Thesis in BME 2023 Graduate
I have always played different sports including field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer so sports biomechanics is the perfect fit. I have been working in the MSKCD lab since Fall 2022, including defending a master's thesis. My current research focuses on the biomechanics of baseball pitching in high schoolers.
Sydney Mellage
BIOMEDICAL ENG. B.E 2023 ME’24
Being an athlete, Sydney is interested in the sports side of biomechanics. She is interested in learning more about how athlete's movements as well as how an alteration in their movements can both increase performance while also reducing the chance of injury.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Erin Kreis
Inspired by my grandparents, my overarching goal is to develop technology and generate knowledge that promotes healthy aging. I am currently analyzing the impact of a cognitive load on the biomechanics of older adults performing a validated balance test. I plan to extend this study to incorporate realistic dual tasks, like walking while talking.
I am also the founder of SilverStrides, a walking community for older adults. My mission is to empower older adults to maintain their physical and mental health through walking with friends.
Samantha Villanueva
CLARK SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2026
As someone who grew up immersed in music, the sonification aspect of the Musculoskeletal Control and Dynamics lab particularly piqued my interest. This summer, my research focuses on studying balance in autistic children compared to neurotypical children as they respond to the sound biofeedback system. I am very excited and honored to be involved in a project working towards the integration of locomotion in the early diagnosis of autism and I look forward to learning more about how music can be integrated into biomechanics!
Virina Botros
Chem Bio, 2026
As a beginner runner, my research in the past has always focused on exercise and nutrition. It has always fascinated me how they can be the body’s self-healing stimulant. I am interested to learn all of the muscles’ “ins and outs” in something we don’t think of very much, like walking, standing, turning, and sitting, and how they all can be improved by exercise.
Alexa Soroka
CLARK SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2024
As a biomedical engineering student at Stevens, I entered the field knowing that it is extremely versatile. Biomechanics is a field that I was not particularly familiar with prior to joining Professor Zaferiou’s team, however as an athlete with musical experience, the biomechanics sonification project quickly sparked my interest. With sonification being a rather unexplored field, I am excited to gain knowledge on Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation and neurological processes in order to potentially help others in the future.
Jake Stahl
REU STUDENT
visiting from Case Western
As a biomedical engineering major and sports medicine minor, I have been interested in the human body and the biomechanics behind it. This summer, my research focuses on whether baseline measurements correlate with balance behavior during walking and turning. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work on this project and to expand my knowledge on biomechanics and human mobility!
Daivarsi Malik
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2025
My interest lies in how the human body moves and operates. My research this summer focuses on the biomechanics of turning while walking indoors compared to outdoors.
Meredith Czurlanis
BIOMEDICAL ENG. ‘25
I have always been interested in improving my software development skills and coding skills, and at first I though biomedical engineering and programming had no connection to one another. After joining the MSKCD lab, I now know that there are links between the two as my summer research project revolves around software development for biomechanical data.
Ilana Plager
BME ‘25
My interest in sports biomechanics stems from my background as a competitive figure skater. Through my time at the MSKCD lab, I have not only been able to dive into my interest of working with athletes by assisting in data collections, but I have also gained experience in assisting to code a software platform to analyze this biomechanical data. I aim to continue to make an impact in the biomechanics field by improving athlete performance through means of both data collection and software development.
Anya Hadim
Visiting from University of Wisconsin-Madison
As a Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I am extremely interested in the design and fabrication of medical devices. With technology ever so advancing , such innovations have become essential to improving healthcare. I find the biomechanics sonification component of Dr. Zaferiou’s lab unique and fascinating, and I am very excited to be working with it as well as learning from it. This summer, my research involves comparing balance and mobility in neurotypical children as opposed to autistic children using the sound biofeedback system. The purpose of this is to allow for earlier autism diagnosis, and I am eager to work on something that can progress the medical field and help future lives.
Alyssa C. Cavella
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2024
The lab researches the biomechanics involved in baseball and dance, which are two activities I did for a long time and enjoyed. More importantly, like my individual project, the lab is working to directly impact the lives of older adults. The project I will be working on is to create a multi-sensor biofeedback system to help aid older adults in their balance. My main motivation is to directly impact people’s lives and to see my work or research put into practice.
Cesar Noguera
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2023
I have always interested in the biomechanics of our body. When I look at contortionist, I am at awe on how they’re able to stretch their body to that extreme. Or when I look at dancers and how graceful they are with their steps. I hope to learn more about biomechanics and be able to apply it towards my future career to help others.
PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
Franceah Palencia-Quijano PT, PhD, DPT, OCS
I recently graduated from Seton Hall University obtaining a PhD in Health Science. As a physical therapist with many years of clinical experience, I primarily worked with the orthopedic, geriatric, and some neurological population. I also teach at Mercy University Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program. I am excited to work with Dr. Zaferiou and her team to combine physical therapy and music biofeedback to improve clinical outcomes in balance and falls in the older adult population.
Link to my first publication. https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/3082/
Kyle Wikfors, PT, DPT, NCS
Kyle Wikfors is a physical therapy consultant for the Musculoskeletal Control and Dynamics Lab. Kyle works as a physical therapist in the inpatient rehab unit at New York Presbyterian Columbia Irving Medical Center. He received his clinical doctorate in physical therapy from Sacred Heart University in 2015 and is currently an EdD student in the program in movement sciences at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Allison Clark, PT, DPT
I am a physical therapist that works in the outpatient setting, treating mostly musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. I have been fortunate enough to make connections with this lab to broaden my work as a physical therapist and learn about the musculoskeletal system from a different perspective. I offer my knowledge of working hands on with adults with gait and balance deficits to ensure their safety is a top priority during the lab sessions. It has been a pleasure to work hand in hand with a variety of professionals throughout the research process.
LAB ALUMNI
Valerie Franco
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE ’21-’22
Valerie Franco lives and works in New York. She received a BFA from the Cooper Union in 2020.
Her work interpolates (her) medical history into forms of sound, sculpture, and performance as a method to regain agency over systems of quantification and qualification.
Louise Bogéa Ribeiro
ISB International Affiliate Development Grant Awardee, VISITING PHD STUDENT
We are eager for Louise to join us when it is safe to travel. Louise is interested in developing early diagnosis for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder by better understanding motor impairments at a young age. Her ISB grant will support this research as well as early testing of using sonified biofeedback for balance training in this population. Her review article on the topic was recently presented at MOCO’20.
Tristan Bacani
MECHANICAL ENG. 2023
Being both a musician and an engineer drew me to the study of sonification, as I am passionate about integrating music and technology to help the greater good. I am interested in studying current sonification designs and how to improve them for the use of biomechanic exploration. I am specifically focused on the ability to compare different sound designs to distinguish the best design for our lab’s research.
Alex Smith
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2021;
MASTERS THESIS STUDENT
My research interest is the biomechanics of hitting and pitching in baseball. Specifically, my Master’s thesis focuses on how the hip’s range of motion is controlled during the pitch.
Roy Iverson
MECH. ENG. 2021
MASTERS THESIS STUDENT
Having played baseball most of my life my interest lies in the role biomechanics plays in a pitching delivery. My master thesis focuses on how linear and angular impulses in the legs influence fastball velocity, and differences in front and back leg impulse generation.
Ava Wang
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
BIOMED ENG. 2025
My research interest lies within the functionality of and beauty of human motion. It is incredible to take part in studying a piece of artwork that took nature hundreds of thousands of years to produce.
Jana Mucci
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2024
My passion for music is what drew me to sonification. I specifically want to learn more about which methods of music therapy will best treat patients going forward. Overall, this aspect of biomechanics is extremely interesting to me and I am excited to learn more about the topic.
Anastasia Pergament
INNOVATION AND ENTREPENEURSHIP SCHOLAR
PHYSICS & BIOLOGY 2023
As a double major in Physics and Biology, I am interested in the intersection of both topics. Although I am new to the biomechanics sphere, I am excited to explore this field. This summer I will be working on a Tele-medicine physical therapy system that employs sonified biofeedback to help patients.
Eleanor Katsman
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2025
As a young child, it was my dream to one day be a ballerina. As I grew older, it became clear that professional ballet and I weren’t a good fit for each other, but my fondness for the art remains. I traded ballet lessons for classical voice training, and then ultimately chose to pursue a career in STEM. My favorite part of being an engineering student is having the chance to blend mathematical and scientific principles with artistic and creative patterns of thought. This summer I look forward to exploring my love of music and movement through the lens of biomechanical engineering for the first time.
Kayla Eng
REU Scholar
Biology, County College of Morris
I am interested in biomechanics, specifically the mechanics of human balance control, due to the impact of my mom’s medical conditions that have affected her mobility. I want to have an in-depth understanding of the musculoskeletal mechanics to better care for my mom. Additionally, as an EMT, the knowledge will aid my treatment of fall victim patients.
Ashley Muliawan
INNOVATION AND ENTREPENEURSHIP SCHOLAR , 1st place elevator pitch competition
BIOLOGY 2023
I am a rotational thrower for the Stevens Track and Field team. I have always understood that I need to turn, but I want to learn how I actually perform that turn and how to apply this knowledge to prosthetics. My research this summer looks to apply the biomechanics of professional baseball pitchers to lower-limb prosthetics to enable whole-body, dynamic rotation.
Vibha Iyer
REU SCHOLAR FROM GEORGIA TECH
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2025
As someone who has done research in prosthetics and exoskeletons, I have always been fascinated with the biomechanics behind human movement. Specifically, my research this summer will focus on the biomechanics of "catch" turns and late-cued turns and I am excited to delve into a new aspect of biomechanics.
Daniel Galindo
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
CYBER SECURITY 2024
Having been an athlete my whole life, the biomechanics behind movement in sports has always been something I’m interested in. I would like to learn more about how new biomechanics technology can be used to prevent injuries and increase performance and efficiency in athletes.
Keira Mizzi
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2023
Being an athlete and a biomedical engineering major at Stevens, biomechanics was really interesting to me. I have always been interested in helping people move better and I am excited to see how sonification can help. I am looking forward to learning more about how the field of biomechanics and specifically sonification can be integrated into the real world and for the greater good.
Lizette Vital
BIOMEDICAL ENG., 2023
Although I am not a professional dancer, but dance as a hobby. My interest in dance biomechanics grew ever since I can remember. My main goal is to expand my knowledge in understanding muscle use, forces acting on body, and issues on motor control, particularly in dance. This is with the purpose of being able to educate people to detect the root that causes injuries. Injuries caused by imbalances, poor technique, and posture when dancing. I am very delighted to see what my future biomechanics studies have in store for me.
Mackenzy Garden
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2024
As an athlete, I always had an interest in how the body moves and what capabilities it has. My interest in Dr. Zaferiou’s research has stemmed from this and she enjoys having the opportunity to learn more about the specific biomechanics involved in different sports.
Elise Fauske
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2023
As a softball athlete myself, the biomechanics behind athletics have always been an interest of mine, particularly in the area of better training technologies and injury prevention. This research opportunity allows for me further explore the technologies implemented in modern athletics, which corresponds to my future professional interest in applying movement/signal collection devices in the clinical field.
Franzisca Komar
MASTERS STUDENT
Franzisca graduated with her bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering from Stevens in Spring 2019, and is currently pursuing her masters in BME with a concentration in biomechanics and physiology.
Her interest in biomechanics stems from being an athlete her entire life. Franzisca is fascinated by movement and how people learn specific movements to improve performance.
Christian Silos
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
UNDECIDED ENG. 2022
As both an engineering major and an athlete, I am interested in pursuing research regarding the biomechanical processes involved in complex athletic movements.
Grier Conville
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2021
My past experiences as a pianist are what originally drew me to sonification. However, I am interested in learning ways to develop a familiarization protocol with biomechanics and audio concepts for non-engineers. Specifically, I am interested in animating movements of the human body for patient visualization during sonification.
Aashita Dixit
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2022
My interest in understanding the principles and future implications of sonification stems from my music background and my curiosity towards investigating applications of rhythmic auditory stimulation.
Sophia Mains
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2024
As a member of the women’s volleyball team at Stevens, I am interested in the way that athletes’ bodies move and play their sport. It is particularly fascinating to me how studying these movements can improve the way in which different sports train and prevent injury.
Corey Heckel
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
SOFTWARE ENG. 2024
Being an athlete for my entire life, I have always been interested in the biomechanics of athletes. I would like to learn more about how biomechanics plays a role in injury management and efficiency in players.
Claudio LoBraico
BIOMEDICAL ENG. & COMP. SCI.
ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Visiting undergraduate research assistant Summer 2019
I am interested in the application of wearable technology and biomechanics to improve training and recovery methods for athletes.
Caitlin Blackburn
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2023
I’ve always been interested in how athletes use their bodies during athletics to optimize their performance. After playing softball for many years, I know how important it is to have proper mechanics to have successful results on the field. I am excited to learn more about biomechanics and the complex movements athletes execute during competition.
Anthony Kloza
PINNACLE SCHOLAR 2019 & 2020
MECHANICAL ENG. 2022
Anthony is interested in the biomechanics of the knee during rotation and cutting maneuvers. Therefore, he is interested in exploring whole body and lower body rotation and translation during pitching and batting.
Va’Shayna Williams
CHEMICAL BIOLOGY 2022
I am interested in the movement of the body when it comes to athletes and the contribution of position has on an action. I am also interested in how certain movements have the ability to cause injury.
Audrey Azeez
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2022
My research interests focus on human machine interfaces and how auditory feedback affects one’s movement.
Kyle Hart
PINNACLE SCHOLAR 2019
COMPUTER ENG. 2022
My interest in this research is to be able to apply machine learning to repetitive motions. In addition, I would like to see how this motion analysis applies to other sports like hockey.
Eve Sarracco
CLARK SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2022
As a former athlete and someone who enjoys fitness and being active, I am attracted to the field of sports biomechanics. Specifically, I am very interested in learning more about how different athletes move and the ways in which these movements can be altered to improve training and performance while simultaneously reducing injury.
Magdalena Botrous
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, 2021
My research interest in biomechanics stems from my fascination in the way the human body is able to accomplish such complicated movements with ease. Each segment performs in specifically calculated and precise motions to which our muscles are grown accustomed. I am interested in delving into the complexity of human body biomechanics, especially as they apply to whole-body rotation, in order to better understand how we move and maintain control.
Cosmo Gallaro
INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMER 2020 SCHOLAR
As an aspiring musician and physics student at Stevens, I truly enjoy thinking about different ways to incorporate any mode of thinking into the ideas that arise. Working in Dr. Zaferiou’s lab is a thrill because I get to use my skills as a musician to create a system that can help people in the real world.
Cameron Clifford
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2022
As a trained dancer, I am highly interested in the complex biomechanics of the human body. I plan to utilize open-source software to expand video motion tracking and digital feedback to the home for more widespread biomechanical studies.
Joseph Yang
INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMER 2019 SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2021
I’m a rising senior biomedical engineer at Stevens Institute of Technology, largely interested in learning and using information concerning sonification of the body in order to improve human health and mechanics. The potential of sonification is nearly unexplored, and I’m strongly interested in seeking out knowledge that could help improve our ability to help others.
Joan Marie Tubungbanua
SOFTWARE ENG. 2022
Growing up as a dancer/performer and discovering a passion for technology made me crave to find a way so that I could combine the two disciplines. During this summer of research, I plan to expand my knowledge in both biomechanics and software that will provide dancers with both audio and visual feedback which will allow them to safely pursue their craft.
Patrick Walther
PINNACLE SCHOLAR 2019
INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENG. 2022
As a former pitcher and current baseball player, I would like to learn about the biomechanics of hitting and pitching. Specifically, I would like to find ways to improve these motions as well as prevent injuries.
Paul Brellis
PINNACLE SCHOLAR
BIOMEDICAL ENG. 2022
As a biomedical engineer and violinist my interest in biomechanics and sonification drew me to Dr. Zaferiou’s fascinating research. I hope to expand my knowledge of the biomechanics related to balance as well as gain experience using motion capture technology.
High School Research Assistant Alumni
dev sangha
The Packer Collegiate Institute High School
Emily Zhang
Princeton High School 2022
As a trained ballet dancer, I quickly found my interest in biomechanics and motor control research. I’m fascinated by techniques that can guide people to better activate muscles to improve performance and reduce chances of injury. I am excited to gain experience working alongside such a knowledgeable group!
Maria Teresa Bazdekis
Irvington High School, New York
Maria is learning about developing sonified biofeedback for rehabilitation applications.
Raahim Iftikhar (Liberty Science Center summer fellow)
Emily Anghad
Isabel Dubov, Tenafly High School Class of 2022
EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS
Luke Dahl, Ph.D. (University of Virginia)
Christopher Knowlton, Ph.D. (Rush University Medical Center)
Teal Darkenwald (East Carolina University)
Jill McNitt-Gray, Ph.D. (University of Southern California)
Joanne O’Keefe, P.T., Ph.D. (Rush University Medical Center)
Marijeanne Liederbach, Ph.D., P.T., A.T.C. (Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Health)
J.P. Pollak, Ph.D. (Cornell Tech)
Philip Malloy, P.T., Ph.D. (Arcadia University)
Lauro Ojeda (University of Michigan)
Anthony Romeo, M.D. (Rothman Orthopaedic Institute)
Nikhil Verma, M.D. (Rush University Medical Center)
Gregory Nicholson, M.D. (Rush University Medical Center)
Brian Forsythe, M.D. (Rush University Medical Center)
Witaya Mathiyakom, P.T., Ph.D. (VA of Greater Los Angeles; California State University Northridge)
Vangelis Lympouridis, Ph.D. (University of Southern California)
Marientina Gotsis (University of Southern California)
Travis Peterson, Ph.D. (California Lutheran University)
CONTINUE TO LEARN ABOUT…
our STEM education outreach or see our growing collection of biomechanics videos.