Ph.D., Human Movement Science, Free University of Amsterdam, University of Connecticut, Storrs, U.S.A
M.S., Experimental Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, U.S.A
B.S/B.A., M.S./M.A., Movement Science and English Linguistics & Literature, Technical University of Munich and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
Email: d.sternad@northeastern.edu

Dagmar grew up in the Bavarian Alps and studied in Munich, Germany. Having been an athlete and dancer from as early as she can remember, she has had an unwavering passion and curiosity for how humans move. After her final university exams, she visited the University of Connecticut for a ‘few months’ to learn more about rhythmic movements – this was more than 30 years ago … After completing her PhD at UConn, she took up a faculty position at Penn State and after 13 years moved to Northeastern University. From her early interest in highly skilled aesthetic movements, she has now also extended her inquiries into impaired movement coordination. Her research has also created bridges to human-robot interaction and movement control in robots.

Link to CV

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Email: s.bazzi@northeastern.edu

Salah is from Beirut, Lebanon. His central research interest is to understand the acquisition and control of skilled human sensorimotor behavior, with the goal of using that knowledge to endow robots with dexterous capabilities for physical interaction and object manipulation. When Salah is not in the lab, he enjoys playing ‘real football’, which is a sport known by the term ‘soccer’ to Americans. He also loves having deep philosophical conversations about life with his two toddlers.

Ph.D., Cognitive Sciences, Grenoble Alpes University, France
M.S., Human Movement Science, University of Montpellier, France
M.S. , Method for Complex Data Analysis, University of Cergy-Pontoise, France
B.S., Economics and Statistics, Toulouse school of Economics, France
Email: h.serre@northeastern.edu

Hélène grew up in southern France and has studied in several different French cities. During her first master’s degree, she investigated the kinematic differences between instrumental and artistic motion in the living arts. She also worked on how humanoid robots in interpersonal coordination tasks may increase physical activity of schizophrenic patients. For her Ph.D. degree she studied the interactions between speech, breathing and limb movements. Currently, Hélène is working on a project that investigates how timing in skilled action influences temporal perception, in collaboration with Prof. Joo-Hyun Song at Brown University. In addition to her studies, Hélène has received training in drama and acting, and she enjoys taking dance classes in her free time.

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering And Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, U.S.A.
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, India.
Email: r.lokesh@northeastern.edu
Website: https://raklokesh.github.io/

Rakshith (Rak) Lokesh is from Bangalore, the Garden City of India. Rak is curious about the mechanisms used by our central nervous system to generate seemingly simple musculoskeletal movements and interact with our environment. In the lab, he researches how we learn to manipulate objects with underactuated dynamics. Being an engineer at heart, he is passionate about applying scientific research findings to develop human-machine interfaces. Outside work Rak likes playing acoustic guitar, dancing, practicing capoeira and playing cricket.

Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
B.S., Industrial Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
Email: s.buscaglione@northeastern.edu

Silvia was born and raised in Rome. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma. During her Ph.D., she spent two years at Newcastle University working in the Neurorobotics Lab, where she used robotic systems to assess human motor control and human-human interaction. She is deeply interested in understanding how the brain plans and controls the body, aiming to apply these insights to learning scenarios and neurorehabilitation. Beyond her scientific interests, she is passionate about basketball.

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, U.S.A.
Email: edraki.m@northeastern.edu
Website: https://mahdiar.sites.northeastern.edu/

Mahdiar was born in Shiraz, Iran, but grew up in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. His current research is on physical human robot interaction. Using motor control principles, Mahdi explores methods to improve trajectory planning for robots when performing a task in physical collaboration with a human. He is a recipient of the 21st Century Leaders Award from UMass Amherst. In his free time he enjoys riding his bike and he loves to print new gadgets on his 3-D printer. In August 2019 he completed his first ever century bike ride (100 miles).

M.S., Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
B.S./M.S., Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russia
Email: krotov.a@northeastern.edu

Aleksei is from Russia beyond the Ural. Aleksei came to the US as a Fulbright Foreign Graduate Fellow. His master’s thesis has been on ‘tool use’, specifically on how humans crack a whip, a somewhat crazy, but also perfect example for the immense dexterity that humans can display. Given the fascinating challenges in this high-dimensional motor skill, he continues with this research for his graduate degree. From the many results from his analyses, Aleksei aims to discover the underlying mechanisms of human motor control. In his spare time Aleksei enjoys dancing, hiking and photography. In the near future he hopes to adopt a dog.

M.S., Electrical & Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
B.S., Engineering, Swarthmore College, Philadelphia, U.S.A
Email: blodgett.l@northeastern.edu

Nora is from Flagstaff, Arizona. As an undergraduate at Swarthmore College, she took an interdisciplinary approach towards engineering. Nora has an interest in using computational techniques such as machine learning and signal processing methods to better understand questions pertaining to human movement and motor control. She received the Clare Booth Fellowship to work as a research assistant in the Action Lab. Outside of her academic pursuits, Nora is a competitive runner in cross country and track. Her favorite racing event is the 3000m steeplechase, which involves jumping over multiple barriers as well as a water pit!

M.S., Electrical & Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
B.S., Honors Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, U.S.A
Email: desabhotla.k@northeastern.edu

Vani is from Houston, Texas. At the University of Houston, Vani studied biomedical engineering with a specialization in neural, cognitive, and rehabilitation engineering. Vani’s research interests include motor control, motor learning, and brain-machine interfaces for rehabilitation. Her current work explores complex object control, especially as it relates to the recovery of upper-body mobility in stroke patients. Outside of the lab, Vani enjoys reading, going for walks, and visiting local libraries and bookstores. Before living in Boston, Houston was the coldest place she had lived in.

M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, U.S.A
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, U.S.A
Email: schmitz.x@northeastern.edu

Xenia is from New Vernon, New Jersey. As an Undergraduate and Master’s student at Northwestern University, she worked in the Agility Laboratory exploring how to encourage the practice of reactive balance in unpredictable walking environments. In the Action Lab, Xenia has an interest in further exploring human movement and learning. Beyond her academic endeavors, Xenia is an enthusiastic distance triathlete, with her favorite discipline being running.

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Email: norouzibehjat.n@northeastern.edu

Nima is from Rafsanjan, Iran, a city renowned for its pistachio gardens and copper mines. During his undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at Sharif University, he focused his research on using EMG signals for movement recognition and knee joint angle analysis. He is looking forward to work on human interaction with complex objects, including robots. Outside of the lab, Nima enjoys playing football (soccer of course) and futsal (indoor soccer). He also hopes to learn to play a musical instrument, perhaps the electric guitar.

B.S., Electrical & Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
B.S., Behavioral Neuroscience, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
Email: annapragada.s@northeastern.edu

Sidharth Annapragada is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His experience includes mechanical design, embedded firmware, and software development for robotics. He is interested in gaining a better understanding of the brain through an engineering lens, and in applying neuroscience to engineering. In his spare time, Sid likes to rock climb and read. He has cooked every dish from the book series Redwall but also loves to create unique foods.

Anticipated B.S., Health Science, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
Email: malejczyk.j@northeastern.edu

Julia Malejczyk is from Burlington, Connecticut. She originally joined the lab with an interest in exploring the connection between predictive abilities and fine motor skills in children with ASD.  She plans on attending medical school and is interested in pediatrics. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, and practicing yoga.

Anticipated B.S., Computer Science & Behavioral Neuroscience, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
Email: skotarczak.d@northeastern.edu

Drew Skotarczak is from New Providence, New Jersey. He is an undergraduate pursuing a combined degree in Computer Science and Behavioral Neuroscience as well as a minor in Philosophy. He plans to complete his degree in 2025. Drew’s research interests lie at the intersection of motor control and athletics. He is particularly interested in understanding fine motor control and manipulation of dynamic objects as well as how movement science can inform rehabilitation after concussions and spinal cord injuries. He is fascinated with philosophical topics surrounding artificial intelligence and the human brain. Outside of his academic work, Drew enjoys reading, live music, and any sport he can play.

Anticipated B.S., Behavioral Neuroscience, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
Email:kimberwhite.j@northeastern.edu

Jayne Kimber White is from Boston, Massachusetts. She is pursuing an undergraduate degree in behavioral neuroscience at Northeastern University. Her experiences include EKG, fMRI, and post-concussion studies. She is interested in gaining a better understanding of the fine motor aspect of behavior as well as applying this knowledge towards her interests in executive function disorders, specifically post-concussion. In her spare time, she likes to read and exercise. One of her favorite things to do is explore the city with her friends and family.

Anticipated B.S., Behavioral Neuroscience, Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A
Email: haecherl.g@northeastern.edu

Grace Haecherl is from Laguna Hills, California. She is a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience candidate. She joined the Action Lab to pursue research in motor control and executive function in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has interests in fine motor control as it intersects with neurodegenerative disorders including Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease. In the future, she plans to pursue an MD and hopes to become a surgeon. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and exercising. One of her favorite ways to spend a day off is at the beach with her family pets.

B.S., Biology,  Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.A

Email: young.jess@northeastern.edu

Jessica Young is from Warren, New Jersey. She originally joined the lab as an undergraduate student with an interest in investigating the link between timing in skilled motor performance and time perception. Continuing since her graduation in December 2023, she plans on attending paramedic school in the spring of 2025 before eventually applying to medical school. Currently, her hobbies include reading, going to the gym, and spoiling her new kitten!

Sabra is from Bethesda, Maryland. She will be pursuing a PhD program in biomedical engineering starting in fall 2024 at Stanford. She joined the Action Lab as an Undergraduate Research Fellow investigating the role of motor adaptation with assistive and rehabilitative devices. When not in the lab, she enjoys camping, listening to audiobooks, playing board games, and eating pomegranates.

Ph.D., Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
B.S./M.S., Mechanical Engineering,  Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran.
Email: m.sadeghi@northeastern.edu

Mohsen is from Isfahan, Iran. His research focuses on the computational aspects of motor control and motor learning. Specifically, he is interested in computational models of behavior that can explain complex and skillful object manipulation in humans and monkeys. Mohsen has a (rusty) black belt in Karate, and enjoys Persian poetry, reading novels, and having deep philosophical conversations with Salah’s two toddlers!

B.S., Northeastern University, Behavioral Neuroscience
Email: bond.s@northeastern.edu

Sabrina joined the Action Lab to pursue research on motor challenges in individuals with autism. Over the past three years, she has explored motor control and computational techniques to understand the predictive impairments of the disorder. She received the Schafer Research Scholarship to work full time as a research coop in the Action Lab. Sabrina now aims to pursue an MD-PhD and hopes to contribute to the ongoing clinical and basic research of neurodegenerative diseases. Being originally from
Brazil, you can always find Sabrina wearing the thickest winter gear on campus.

Ph.D./MASc, University of Waterloo, Canada, Systems Design Engineering
B.S., Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, Mechanical Engineering

Reza is from Tehran, Iran. In his research work he seeks to find out if robots can be like humans or can humans be studied as robots? He borrows from control theory and dynamical system analysis tools to better understand how humans move and interact with their environment. Reciprocally, the gained insights may lead to more agile and dexterous robots. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow supported by the Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research fellowship. Outside the lab Reza enjoys hiking and woodworking. A fun fact is that Reza has a (very) sweet tooth and loves baking cake for his labmates.

Ph.D., Tor Vergata University, Rome, Neuroscience
M.S., Sapienza University, Rome, Neuroscience
B.S., Sapienza University, Rome, Physics

Marta is from Italy. She is interested in neuromuscular mechanisms at multiple scales, from postural control and human-human interaction in professional dancers to reaching and catching in clinical populations. Her approach includes virtual environments and computational modeling. She is a recipient of the Society for Neural Control 2020 Scholarship and she has applied her experience as a Virtual Reality Design Intern at Facebook Reality Labs. She enjoys doing puzzles, practicing yoga and she is a ‘Friends’ pundit, her roommates even call her Monica!