Dan Romanyk

Biography

Dr. Romanyk completed his BSc Mechanical Engineering degree in 2008 from the University of Alberta. He then entered into graduate studies at the University of Alberta where he obtained his PhD Mechanical Engineering in 2014. His doctoral research focused on modeling the viscoelastic behavior of the midpalatal suture during maxillary expansion treatment. Dr. Romanyk spent a little over two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Dentistry at the University of Alberta. Here, his research focused on the mechanical response of the periodontal ligament to applied loading as well as in vitro experimental methods in orthodontic biomechanics. He finally moved into his current role on academic staff as a Research Faculty Service Officer in August of 2016. Dr. Romanyk is responsible for advancing his own research program as well as facilitating research and collaboration for those in the School of Dentistry looking to explore topics with a major component in the engineering sciences. He obtained his Professional Engineer status in the province of Alberta in 2017. Dr. Romanyk also spends time working as a hockey power skating and skills instructor.

Research Interest

Mechanics and simulation of dental tissues and materials: Viscoelastic modeling of the periodontal ligament and suture tissue Experimental investigation of periodontal ligament tissue mechanics Characterization and modeling of dental restorative materials Finite element analysis Orthodontic biomechanics and appliance design: In vitro measurement of 3D forces and moments generated during orthodontic treatment using full-arch, torque, and friction simulators Simulation of patient response to maxillary expansion and other orthodontic treatments Design, development, and evaluation of composite archwires Design, development, and evaluation of maxillary expansion appliances