Simon Sponberg

Simon Sponberg
simon.sponberg@physics.gatech.edu

During his graduate work at UC, Berkeley, Simon sought to uncover general principles of animal locomotion that reveal control strategies underlying the remarkable stability and maneuverability of movement in nature. His work has demonstrated the importance animals’ natural dynamics for maintaining stability in the absence of neural feedback. His research emphasizes the importance of placing neural control in the appropriate dynamical context using mathematical and physical models. He has collaborated with researchers at four other institutions to transfer these principles to the design of the next generation of bio-inspired legged robots. 

Simon received his Ph.D. in Integrative Biology at UC, Berkeley and has been a Hertz Fellow since 2002. His work has led to fellowships and awards from the National Science Foundation, the University of California, the Woods Hole Marine Biological Institute, the American Physical Society, the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, and the International Association of Physics Students. He is also currently affiliated the new Center for Interdisciplinary Bio-Inspiration in Education and Research (CIBER) at Berkeley.

Dunn Family Associate Professor; Physics & Biological Sciences
Director; Agile Systems Lab
Phone
404.385.4053
Office
Howey C205
Additional Research
A central challenge for many organisms is the generation of stable, versatile locomotion through irregular, complex environments. Animals have evolved to negotiate almost every environment on this planet. To do this, animals'nervous systems acquire, process and act upon information. Yet their brains must operate through the mechanics of the body's sensors and actuators to both perceive and act upon the environment. Ourresearch investigates howphysics and physiologyenable locomoting animals to achieve the remarkable stability and maneuverability we see in biological systems. Conceptually, this demands combining neuroscience, muscle physiology, and biomechanics with an eye towards revealing mechanism and principle -- an integrative science of biological movement. This emerging field, termedneuromechanics, does for biology what mechatronics, the integration of electrical and mechanical system design, has done for engineering. Namely, it provides a mechanistic context for the electrical (neuro-) and physical (mechanical) determinants of movement in organisms. Weexplore how animals fly and run stably even in the face of repeated perturbations, how the multifuncationality of muscles arises from their physiological properties, and how the tiny brains of insects organize and execute movement.
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Robotics > Core Faculty
Robotics
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Physics

Stephen Sprigle

Stephen Sprigle
stephen.sprigle@design.gatech.edu

Stephen Sprigle is a Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology with appointments in Bioengineering, Industrial Design and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. 

A biomedical engineer with a license in physical therapy, Sprigle directs the Rehabilitation Engineering and Applied Research Lab (REARLab), which focuses on applied disability research and development. The REARLab’s research interests include the biomechanics of wheelchair seating and posture, pressure ulcer prevention, and manual wheelchair propulsion. Its development activities include standardized wheelchair and cushion testing and the design of assistive and diagnostic technologies. Sprigle teaches design-related classes in both the Schools of Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering.

Professor
Phone
404-385-4302
Office
Architecture 0155
Additional Research
Applied research and device development targeting the increased heath and function of persons with disabilities. Specific areas of interest include: wheeled mobility and seating, pressure ulcer prevention and treatment; design of diagnostic tissue interrogation devices; design of assistive technology. Wheeled Mobility and Seating; Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment; Design of Diagnostic Tissue Interrogation Devices; Design of Assistive Technologies
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
People and Technology > Affiliated Faculty
People and Technology
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Design > School of Industrial Design

Sharon Sonenblum

Sharon Sonenblum
sharon.sonenblum@coa.gatech.edu

Educational Experience:
Doctor of Philosophy, December 2009, Georgia Institute of Technology (Bioengineering), Masters of Science, May 2003, Brown University (Bioengineering), Bachelor of Science, May 2002, Brown University (Mechanical Engineering)
Research Interests:
Wheeled mobility and seating, Pressure ulcer prevention and early detection, Assistive technology, Rehabilitation engineering.

Senior Research Scientist
Phone
404-385-0633
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Biological Sciences

Terry Snell

Terry Snell
terry.snell@biosci.gatech.edu

Terry Snell, an Emeritus Professor in the School of Biological Sciences, is a member of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.

Professor Emeritus
Phone
404-385-4498
Office
Cherry Emerson 201
Additional Research
Chemical ecology of zooplankton; mate recognition; evolutionary ecology; aquatic toxicology; gene expression in response to environmental stress; aquaculture. 
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Biological Sciences

Jeff Skolnick

Jeff Skolnick
skolnick@gatech.edu
Regents’ Professor, School of Biological Sciences
Director, Center for the Study of Systems Biology
Mary and Maisie Gibson Chair & GRA Eminent Scholar in Computational Systems Biology
Additional Research
Systems Biology, Computational Biology, and BioinformaticsCancer MetabolomicsPrediction of protein tertiary and quaternary structure and folding pathwaysPrediction of membrane protein tertiary structurePrediction of DNA-binding proteinsProtein EvolutionPrediction of small molecule ligands for drug discoveryPrediction of druggable protein targetsDrug DesignAutomatic assignment of enzymes to metabolic pathwaysSimulation of Virtual Cells
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Data Engineering and Science > Leadership
Data Engineering and Science
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology

Saurabh Sinha, Ph.D.

Saurabh Sinha, Ph.D.

Saurabh Sinha received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 2002, and after post-doctoral work at the Rockefeller University with Eric Siggia, he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 2005, where he held the positions of Founder Professor in Computer Science and Director of Computational Genomics in the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology until 2022. He joined Georgia Institute of Technology in 2022, as Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Engineering, with joint appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Industrial & Systems Engineering. Sinha’s research is in the area of bioinformatics, with a focus on regulatory genomics and systems biology. Sinha is an NSF CAREER award recipient and has been funded by NIH, NSF and USDA. He co-directed an NIH BD2K Center of Excellence and was a thrust lead in the NSF AI Institute at UIUC. He led the educational program of the Mayo Clinic-University of Illinois Alliance, and co-led data science education for the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Sinha has served as Program co-Chair of the annual RECOMB Regulatory and Systems Genomics conference and served on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Computational Biology (2018-2021). He was a recipient of the University Scholar award of the University of Illinois, and selected as a Fellow of the AIMBE in 2018.

Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Engineering
Professor
Office
3108 UAW
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Data Engineering and Science > Faculty
Data Engineering and Science
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Jennifer Singh, Ph.D.

Jennifer Singh, Ph.D.
jennifer.singh@hsoc.gatech.edu

Jennifer S. Singh is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the School of History and Sociology in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech. She has a PhD in sociology from the University of California, San Francisco and specializes in medical sociology and science and technology studies. Her research investigates the intersections of genetics, health and society, which draws on her experiences of working in the biotechnology industry in molecular biology and as a public health researcher at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Her book, Multiple Autisms: Spectrums of Advocacy and Genomic Science, explores a range of perspectives from scientists, activists, parents, and people living with autism surrounding the rise and implementation of autism genetics research. Her current research investigates structural inequities to autism diagnosis and services based on race, social class and gender. 

Associate Professor of Sociology
Director of Undergraduate Studies, School of History and Sociology
Office
221 Bobby Dodd Way
Additional Research
Science, Technology, and Society; Medical Sociology; Autism; Health Inequities 
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience

Ankur Singh

Ankur Singh
ankur.singh@gatech.edu

Prof. Singh has a joint appointment with the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.

Prof. Singh started at Cornell University as an Assistant Professor in 2013 and was promoted with tenure to Associate Professor with joint appointments in the Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. At Cornell, he served as the Associate Director of the NIH T32 training grant on Immuno-engineering, executive council of the Center for Immunology, and the Cornell (Ithaca) – Weill Cornell Medicine (NYC) Academic Integration initiative. Prior to joining Cornell, he completed his postdoctoral training in cell mechanobiology, cell-matrix interactions, and stem cell engineering at Georgia Tech in Mechanical Engineering.

Professor
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems

Annabelle C. Singer

Annabelle C. Singer
asinger@gatech.edu

The central goal of Dr. Singer’s research program is to understand how neural activity produces memories and spurs the brain’s immune system. Dr. Singer’s research integrates innovative behavioral, electrophysiological, and computational methods to identify and restore failures in neural activity that lead to memory impairment. Dr. Singer has established and continues to develop a new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer’s disease, novel forms of non-invasive stimulation, and new ways to manipulate the brain’s immune system. Additionally, using non-invasive approaches, she is translating her discoveries from rodents to develop radically new ways to treat diseases that affect memory in humans.

Assistant Professor
Phone
404-385-4936
Office
UAW 3105
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering