Funded PhD Assistantships, Neuromechanics and Applied Locomotion Lab, University of Utah

[Peter Fino]

The Neuromechanics and Applied Locomotion Lab at the University of Utah, led by Dr. Peter Fino, anticipates 2 funded PhD Assistantships available for new PhD students starting Fall 2026. We concentrate on the intersection of biomechanics and neural control during ecologically-relevant balance and locomotion to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and functional rehabilitation of populations with impaired mobility. We anticipate PhD assistantships to be available related to at least two of the following projects:

1. Developing new robotic perturbation systems to study locomotor control
2. Wearable inertial sensor systems for continuous monitoring of fall-risk during daily life
3. Quantifying and improving reactive balance in people with mild traumatic brain injury (i.e., concussion)
4. Virtual reality to understand and reduce fall-risk in older adults

Our research team is an interdisciplinary and collaborative group. We accept PhD students from the following programs:

• Health & Kinesiology (application deadline December 1, 2025)
• Mechanical Engineering (application deadline January 1, 2025)
• Robotics Center (application deadline January 1, 2025)
• Biomedical Engineering (application deadline December 1, 2025)
• Rehabilitation Science (application deadline December 1, 2025)

Application deadlines vary by program, and we encourage students to apply for the program that best suits their background and future career goals. We anticipate the assistantships can cover any of the above programs, but there may be additional assistantships available to support students who apply to the Cognitive and Motor Neuroscience Research Theme within the Department of Health & Kinesiology. Please contact Dr. Peter Fino (peter.fino@utah.edu) if you are unsure about what program to apply for.