Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
Human Performance and Neuro-Engineering Lab (HPNE)
Led by Suman Chowdhury · Industrial and Systems Engineering
What we study
The HPNE Lab studies traumatic brain injury and how the brain and muscles work together, using computer models of the head, neck and brain. It applies them to designing safer helmets, exoskeletons, robotic and prosthetic devices, and rehabilitation tools.
What working here is like
- Computational
- Building & testing
- Coding required
- Papers
- 5
Recent papers, explained
- Workplace Ergonomics in Bangladesh: A Scoping Review of Anthropometric Mismatches and Musculoskeletal Disorders
2026 · Ergonomics in Design The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications
Reviews ergonomics practices and education in Bangladesh to reduce workplace injuries.
- Load-Leg Support as a Biomechanical Intervention in Rear-Facing Child Restraint Misuse
2026 · Journal of Biomechanical Engineering
Tests whether load-leg support reduces injuries in rear-facing child seats under misuse conditions.
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- Static Optimization-Based Cervical Spine Load Estimation to Evaluate Firefighter Helmet Effects
2025 · Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
Uses simulations to study how helmet weight affects neck forces in firefighters.
- Firefighter Helmets and Neck Muscle Fatigue
2025 · Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
Measures neck muscle fatigue in firefighters wearing different helmets during tasks.
- An MRI-derived head-neck finite element model
2025 · Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology
Builds a detailed head-neck model from MRI scans to simulate real-world impacts.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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