Darryl Thelen

Biography

Thelen is the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs in the College of Engineering, and the Harvey Spangler Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. He also has affiliate appointments in materials science and engineering, orthopedics and rehabilitation and the Institute on Aging. As associate dean, he provides overall leadership for the College of Engineering Office of Research—the mission of which is to support and grow the college research enterprise. He oversees college research centers, shared facilities, research safety, and administration of sponsored research. Thelen’s research interests are in the field of neuromuscular biomechanics. His lab (http://uwnmbl.engr.wisc.edu/) develops computational models, novel sensor technologies and dynamic imaging protocols to investigate the structure, mechanics and behavior of musculoskeletal tissues within the human body. Current projects are aimed at improving orthopedic treatments of gait disorders in children, enhancing the precision of total knee joint replacement and investigating factors that may contribute to osteoarthritis following ACL reconstructive surgery. The projects are highly inter-disciplinary involving active collaborations that span medical physics, radiology, orthopedics, rehabilitation, physical therapy and sports medicine. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB). He has won numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the NSF CAREER Award (1997-2001), UW-Madison Biomedical Engineering Professor of the Year (2010), the Clinical Biomechanics Award (2015) and the Spangler Award for Technology Enhanced Instruction (2016). His research activities have been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and a number of private companies and foundations. Thelen received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University in 1987 and his MSE and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1988 and 1992, respectively. He has been on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2002.

Research Interest

Thelen’s research interests are in the field of neuromuscular biomechanics. His lab develops computational models, novel sensor technologies and dynamic imaging protocols to investigate the structure, mechanics and behavior of musculoskeletal tissues within the human body. Current projects are aimed at improving orthopedic treatments of gait disorders in children, enhancing the precision of total knee joint replacement and investigating factors that may contribute to osteoarthritis following ACL reconstructive surgery. The projects are highly inter-disciplinary involving active collaborations that span medical physics, radiology, orthopedics, rehabilitation, physical therapy and sports medicine.