Dr. Hebert is the director of the BLINC Lab and has research appointments at the University of Alberta and a clinical appointment at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Her research team studies advanced motor control and sensory feedback systems for prosthetic devices to improve outcomes after limb amputation.  Dr. Hebert has been instrumental in implementing new … Continue reading Jacqueline S. Hebert MD, FRCPC (Faculty)

Dr. Pilarski is a Canada CIFAR Artificial Intelligence Chair (Amii), past Canada Research Chair in Machine Intelligence for Rehabilitation, and an Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta. He is a Fellow of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), co-leads the Bionic Limbs for Improved Natural … Continue reading Patrick M. Pilarski, Ph.D. (Faculty)

Rory is the lead research engineer in the BLINC Lab, and is appointed to the department of Medicine – Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alberta. Rory directly drives and coordinates the engineering projects in the lab related to prosthetics and orthotics including design of training tools, sensory feedback systems, and research platforms. Rory plays … Continue reading Michael (Rory) Dawson, M.Sc., P.Eng. (Research Engineer)

Adam is a PhD candidate in the faculty of rehabilitation science where he is examining the application of TD reinforcement learning methods to artificial arms and hands. Specifically Adam is interested in exploring the potential of these methods in learning to send signals from the device to the user in order to assist the user … Continue reading Adam Parker, B.Sc., Ph.D. Candidate

Dr. Albert Vette is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta. He also is a member of the university’s Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (NMHI) and a research scientist at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Albert received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University … Continue reading Albert H. Vette, Ph.D., P.Eng. (Faculty)

Mayank Rehani is a research associate and study coordinator in the BLINC Lab. He graduated with an MSc in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Alberta in 2013, after completing a BSc with Double Major in Biological Sciences and Psychology (Science) in 2008. He also completed the Project Management Certificate program at the Northern Alberta … Continue reading Mayank Rehani (Research Associate)

Dr. Shehata is an adjunct professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. He joined the BLINC Lab in 2018 as a postdoctoral fellow and in 2021 continued his work with the lab as a research associate. He received a B.Sc. degree in Engineering Materials Science and an M.Sc. degree in Mechatronics Engineering … Continue reading Ahmed W. Shehata, Ph.D. (Adjunct Professor, Research Associate)

  Dr. Chapman studies what appear to be simple motor behaviours like reaching to take a sip of tea from a mug on a messy desk.  These actions are simple in that we never even have to think of them, but they only appear that way, because the exact way the brain accomplishes the control of … Continue reading Craig Chapman, Ph.D. (Faculty)

Dr. Carey is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Dean (Programs and Planning) of the Faculty of engineering. His general research interests are in the areas of composite and biological materials mechanics, biomedical engineering design, biomechanics of orthodontic treatment and orthodontic imaging, tissue mechanics and sports and injury biomechanics.

Mike Stobbe is a research associate with BLINC and works through a collaboration with the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.  He has been a Certified Prosthetist for 14 years working with all levels of limb amputation but has developed specialty in upper limb prosthetic treatment.  He assists BLINC by interfacing the existing and novel technology used at … Continue reading Mike Stobbe, CP (Prosthetist)

A graduate of the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Physical Education in 2002 and Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2005. He is an Occupational Therapist who has been working with the adult amputee population in a tertiary rehabilitation setting since 2009. His current focus is working at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital with amputee, peripheral … Continue reading Glyn Murgatroyd, BPE, B.Sc.OT (Occupational Therapist)

David Home is a research associate with BLINC  and works through a collaboration with the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. He has been a prosthetist for 30 years and has a particular interest in CAD CAM prosthetics.

Dylan is a research associate with the BLINC Lab, appointed to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta. He was previously a student of the BLINC lab, and graduated with an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the U of A in 2019 before spending four years as Roboticist for DeepMind Alberta. His … Continue reading Dylan Brenneis, M.Sc. (Research Associate)

Ewen has a diverse background of researching, teaching, coaching, and community involvement. He holds undergraduate degrees in Biology and Education and joined the Action in Complex Environments Lab and the Bionic Limbs for Improved Natural Control Lab as a Master’s student contributing to research focused on using technologies to assist in the performance assessment of upper … Continue reading Ewen Lavoie, B.Sc., M.Sc. (MD Student and Ph.D. Candidate)

Heather has been a presence in the BLINC Lab since May 2014. She worked as a volunteer researcher for three summers while she was studying for her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (completed in Spring 2017). In this role, she made the following research contributions: conducted e-NABLE prosthetic hand design testing and evaluations, helped to quantify … Continue reading Heather Williams, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Ph.D. Candidate)

Reihaneh graduated with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering, Bioelectric branch in 2017. In her M.Sc. project, she presented a neural model to identify the desired muscle activation patterns by Hopf oscillator during gait. Her research interests include human locomotion, gait and balance, and lower limb prosthesis control. She started her doctoral study under … Continue reading Reihaneh Ravari, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Ph.D. Student)

Quinn has been working as a research associate with the BLINC lab since completing her MSc in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Jacqueline Hebert in the winter of 2019. Before beginning her MSc program, Quinn also worked for a year as a research assistant with Dr. Hebert and a team of interdisciplinary researchers … Continue reading Quinn Boser, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Research Engineering Associate)

Anna Rita is currently pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Jacqueline Hebert. She received a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California Davis (UCD) in 2016 and a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from UCD in 2023. Anna Rita aims to bring accessible advancements for bionic control with the … Continue reading Anna Rita Moukarzel, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Ph.D. Student)

Laura is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Computing Science under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Pilarski and Dr. Matthew E. Taylor. She received a B.Sc. with Honors in Computing Science from the University of Alberta in 2019 and an M.Sc. in Computing Science from the University of Alberta in 2022. Her research interests include reinforcement … Continue reading Laura Petrich, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Ph.D. Student)

Mitchell graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering in 2020. He was exposed to research when he conducted a compatibility study on syringes and took a liking to it during his undergraduate degree. After graduation, he decided to venture off independently to create upper limb myoelectric prostheses, where he further … Continue reading Mitchell Dumba, B.Sc. (M.Sc. Student)

Annette is pursuing her final year of undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering. Throughout her degree, she has completed four research positions providing her a diverse range of experiences that led her to explore further into biomedical engineering. In these positions, she explored wearable sensors for workplace risk assessment, vibration mitigation in surgical robots, bone anchored … Continue reading Annette Lau (B.Sc. Student)

Alexander (a.k.a Xander) is an undergraduate student currently pursuing his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering with a Biomedical Option. In his second year, Xander designed an adaptor capable of joining a myoelectric armband sensor to the VIVE tracker, which incorporates computer-aided design models of current robotic hands. This adapter led into his current co-op placement at … Continue reading Alexander Nichols (B.Sc. Student)

Riley is a computer engineer with the BLINC Lab. He graduated with a BSc in Computer Engineering – Software Option at the University of Alberta in 2014. His educational background includes extensive exposure to biological sciences and mechanical engineering, and he is currently pursuing a combined MBA/MEng degree. Riley’s work experience spans a diverse subset … Continue reading Riley Dawson, B.Sc. (MBA/MEng Student)

Salma acquired a B.Sc. with distinction in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Malaya in 2022. During her undergraduate degree, she worked as a research assistant, where she attained theoretical knowledge and undergraduate research experience in the biomedical engineering field. She also constructed a tendon-driven hand exoskeleton that aids in stroke and spinal cord injury … Continue reading Salma Soliman, B.Sc. (M.Sc. Student)

Zahra is going into her third year of Computing Science at the University of Alberta. During the first half of her undergraduate degree, she had the opportunity to work with the NCBL Lab based at the University of Alberta. She was involved in creating a mobile application which provided a risk assessment score to the … Continue reading Zahra Hamilton, (B.Sc. Student)

Emma is a 4th-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Alberta. She has an interest in Rehabilitation Engineering and Biomechanics. She began volunteering at BLINC lab in March 2022 and is working on optimizing a sensory-feedback device for transtibial and transradial amputees. When she is not busy doing schoolwork, you can find her reading … Continue reading Emma Durocher (B.Sc. Student)

Applying Reinforcement Learning to the control of prosthetic arms to make them easier for amputees to use. View Craig’s MSc thesis here. Education: BSc Engineering Physics (University of Alberta) – 2005 Computer Engineering Technologist (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) – 2000 http://sherstan.com sherstan@ualberta.ca

Liam Jack. Undergraduate Researcher (2020-2021) After his tenure with BLINC, accepted an engineering position at Tevosol Transplant Technologies Helen Zhao. Undergraduate Researcher (2020) After her tenure with BLINC, accepted a systems engineering position at Next Level Games Madihah Khan. Undergraduate Researcher (2021) After her tenure with BLINC, continued B.Sc. in Neuroscience at the University of … Continue reading Previous Lab Members