Faculty listed by Alphabet
Research Areas : Physical Cultural Studies
Research Focus : Social Injustices and Inequalities, Sociology of Sport, Health, and Physical Activity
Research Summary : Sports and late capitalism; Cultural Studies; Contemporary cultural theory; Globalization and sport; For more information please see Physical Cultural Studies Website or Dr Andrews' research webpage.
Research Areas : Exercise Physiology
Research Focus : Molecular Aspects of Exercise
Research Summary : Dr. Eva Chin is an Assistant Professor in Kinesiology. She received her PhD in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo in Canada and then completed postdoctoral fellowships in Physiology at the University of Sydney in Australia and in Molecular Cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Prior to coming to the University of Maryland Dr. Chin worked for Pfizer Global Research & Development as a Principle Scientist in the Frailty and Diabetes therapeutic areas. She then became an Associate Director working with teams on early stage clinical trials for novel Obesity and Osteoporosis drugs. Dr. Chin's research emphasis is on calcium signaling in skeletal muscle and the role that calcium plays in both maintaining muscle force output and regulating muscle gene expression. By understanding how calcium signals in skeletal muscle, this research may help in optimizing exercise and drug prescriptions for treating age-related muscle wasting and insulin resistance in diabetics. To date, she has 35 publications, most in top-tier journals, and a number of them very highly cited (one more than 400 times already).
Clark, Jane
Professor and Chair, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Developmental Motor Control, Motor Development, Movement Disorders
Research Summary : Jane E. Clark is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology. Her work focuses on understanding the development of movement control and coordination in motor skills. Using a dynamic systems approach, Dr. Clark and her colleagues have demonstrated that the newly walking infants limbs, like those of the adult walker, act like coupled nonlinear limit cycle oscillators at both the intralimb and interlimb levels of coordination. Her current work examines the role of sensory information in the development of upright posture and locomotion in infants.
Contreras-Vidal, Jose Luis
Associate Professor, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Brain Machine Interaction, Computational Motor Neuroscience, Motor Control, Motor Learning, Movement Disorders
Research Summary : Dr. Contreras-Vidal's research program integrates behavioral, neuroimaging, and computational neuroscience methods to study the neural mechanisms and computational principles underlying adaptive sensory-motor control in humans during normal and neurological conditions. To accomplish the above goal we use motion sensing, high-density scalp electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIR), and computer simulations of large-scale, biologically-plausible, neural networks of motor systems including the spinal cord, fronto-parietal networks, the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. His translational research involves the development of smart neuroprosthetics, and the transfer of relevant biological principles (hardware and algorithms) to the design and development of a new generation of artificial hands and arms (bio-robotics).
Research Areas : Physical Cultural Studies
Research Focus : Sociology of Sport, Health, and Physical Activity
Research Summary : Dr. Friedman's research focuses the relationship between sport and governance in the postindustrial city with a perspective informed by cultural studies and cultural geography. By examining sports facilities such as stadiums and arenas, he is concerned with the ways in which space expresses and (re)produces power relationships, social identities, and societal structures. His research has been recognized by the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport and has been published in the Sociology of Sport Journal, Journal of Urban Affairs, Journal of Sport History, and Economic Development Quarterly. For more information, please visit the Physical Cultural Studies website.
(301) 405-2490
2144 E SPH Bldg.
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Computational Motor Neuroscience
Research Summary : Dr. Gentilli's research focuses on the investigation of functional non-invasive brain biomarkers, which assess the level of cognitive-motor performance and learning when humans interact with new dynamics or kinematics tools. Another aspect of his research is to develop bio-inspired control systems able to learn to manipulate anthropomorphic robot limbs (arm/finger), while at the same time incorporating the main biomechanical features of human movement. These two research fields contribute to the development of next generation smart prosthetics.
Research Areas : Exercise Physiology
Research Focus : Aging, Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology, Exercise Intervention, Exercise and Genomics
Research Summary : Jim Hagberg, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr Hagberg is also the Co-Chair of the University of Maryland Institutional Review Board (IRB). He is also a Professor of Geriatrics/Gerontology in the Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine and Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center. His major academic emphasis is research and teaching and he is and has been funded by NIH, the VA, the American Heart Association, and the US Olympic Committee. His graduate students, both Masters and Doctoral, are intimately involved in his research grant projects. His current research is addressing the effect of genetics, aging, and physical activity on conventional and novel cardiovascular disease risk factors, especially endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Dr. Hagberg is also deeply committed to undergraduate teaching as evidenced by his KNES 260 course entitled "Science of Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health" that he teaches as part of the campus-wide liberal arts CORE program. Dr Hagberg was one of six campus-wide UMCP Distinguished Scholar-Teachers for 2002-2003. In 2002 Dr Hagberg also received the University System of Maryland Regent's Award for Research. He also was awarded the American College of Sports Medicine Citation Award in 2004.
Hatfield, Bradley
Professor, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Aging, Exercise Psychophysiology, Exercise and Genomics, Sport Psychology
Research Summary : Dr. Hatfield and his research team investigate exercise and sport psychology issues from a cognitive neuroscience or biological psychology perspective. Their research focuses on 1) health-related issues such as the effect of exercise on the aging brain and the protective effects of physical activity on brain processes that underlie memory and executive function. An important question is whether the neurobiological benefits of exercise are more prominent in those individuals who are genetically at risk for dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The research team also addresses 2) issues related to human performance in order to understand critical brain processes underlying superior cognitive-motor performance, how emotion alters the brain and the quality of performance, and the management of stress in high-performance individuals such as competitive athletes and specialized military personnel.
Haufler, Amy
Research Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Introduction : Dr. Haufler's research focuses on the psychology of human physical activity, performance-related research examines the mechanisms underlying the continuum of skill acquisition and performance (novice to expert), strategies to optimize and accelerate skill learning and the role of stress in skilled performance. Health-related research examines the role of physical activity and health status on cognitive performance across the lifespan. Specifically, the role of physical activity, motor skill, and cognition in school-aged children and the aged are of particular interest.
Hurley, Ben
Professor, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Exercise Physiology
Research Focus : Aging, Exercise Intervention, Exercise and Genomics
Research Summary : My research interests consist of the effects of aging and exercise training on risk factors for age-related diseases and disability, with emphasis on the effects of age, gender and genetics on health-related responses to strength training.
Research Focus : Sport Psychology
Research Summary : Dr. Iso-Ahola's research interests and activities are two-fold: (1) Social psychological factors in athletic performance (e.g. mental training), and (2) social psychology of exercise and health (e.g. motivation for exercise). He has published four books and over 70 research articles in refereed journals and chapters in edited books. He has received 3 prestigious research awards and has been invited to serve as distinguished visiting professor in Australia, Canada, Finland, Holland, and New Zealand.
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Computational Motor Neuroscience, Motor Control, Movement Disorders, Sensorimotor Integration
Research Summary : In my laboratory, we study how the brain combines sensory information about the environment and one's own body movement to better understand patient populations with neurological disease and injury that lead to balance problems.
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Computational Neuroscience, Motor Control, Neural Modeling
Introduction : My research focuses on the mathematical modeling and analysis of motor control. The motor control behaviors I study include the postural control of standing in humans and swimming in lampreys. My emphasis is on system-level models that illuminate key aspects of motor behavior and the use of empirical data to develop and parameterize such models.
Kogut, Susan
Adjunct Faculty, Kinesiology
Introduction : Susan Kogut is an instructor in the Physical Education Teacher Education Program. She has been a NASPE Physical Education Teacher of the Year as a public school teacher, has worked at the University of Maryland for the last 10 years dedicated to helping our undergraduate physical education majors become excellent teachers. She brings the dedication and passion to the university as she did to her physical education classes in the public schools. She has recently received the School of Public Health's Leda Amick Wilson Mentoring Award for her outstanding efforts in the Department of Kinesiology in mentoring the undergraduate physical education majors.
Research Focus : Sport Consumer Psychology
Research Summary : Dr. McDaniel holds an affiliate appointment with the Department of Communication. His teaching and research are focused on marketing and media phenomena, in the area of sport management. He has presented his work to a number of academic groups including: The American Marketing Association, The Association for Consumer Research, The American Academy of Advertising, The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the North American Society for Sociology of Sport and the North American Society for Sport Management.
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Motor Control, Motor Development, Movement Disorders
Introduction : Dr. Oliveira's research focuses on the developmental changes in a neural network, the so-called mirror neuron system (MNS), which is thought to be involved in action understanding and production during early experience. He also has on-going projects that seeks to characterize the developmental process of finger force control that aims to understand changes in the neuromechanical variables as motor control develops.
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Summary : Dr. Palla-Kane is the Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Kinesiology. Research: She is interested in studying the impact of diversity in the delivery of quality physical education, and she has studied physical education teachers' perceptions and attitudes toward teaching students with disabilities and with culturally-diverse backgrounds. Dr. Palla-Kane's dissertation "Adapted Physical Education Specialists perceptions of diversity issues in the delivery of Adapted Physical Education Services in California Urban Schools" was the first in the field of Adapted Physical Education to explore attitudes and experiences teachers toward students with diverse backgrounds.
Research Areas : Exercise Physiology
Research Focus : Exercise Intervention
Research Summary : Trained as an exercise physiologist, Dr. Rogers' research interests are the effects of aging on skeletal muscle structure, function and metabolism. Dr. Rogers is currently the Human Subjects' Liaison for the Department of Kinesiology with the Institutional Review Board at the University. He can be contacted with questions about the process of human subjects review of research projects in the department.
Roth, Stephen M.
Associate Professor, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Exercise Physiology
Research Focus : Aging, Exercise and Genomics, Molecular Aspects of Exercise
Research Summary : Dr. Roth's areas of interest include understanding the role of genetic variation (and environmental interaction) in determining inter-individual differences in body composition, sarcopenia risk, exercise responses, and other health-related phenotypes; as well as understanding the role of exercise/physical activity in modifying DNA structure (e.g., telomere length, methylation). He directs the Functional Genomics Laboratory.
Functional Genomics Laboratory
Affiliate Faculty, NACS Program
Research Areas : Physical Cultural Studies
Research Focus : History of Sport and Physical Activity
Research Summary : Dr. Schultz is an Assistant Professor in Physical Cultural studies with an affiliate appointment in Women's Studies at the University of Maryland. Her research on sport and physical activity is informed by feminist cultural studies and new cultural history perspectives. She is concerned with narrativity, particularly as it intersects with issues of power including sex, gender, sexuality, "race" and ethnicity. Her research has won awards from the North American Society for the History of Sport, the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport, the Sport Literature Association and the International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport. Her publications appear in The Journal of Sport History, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Sociology of Sport Journal, The International Journal of the History of Sport, Aethlon, Sport in Society, and Stadion.
Women's Studies
Scott, Marvin
Instructor, Kinesiology
Introduction : Dr. Scott has been on the faculty in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland, College Park for the past sixteen years. He serves as an instructor and as the Coordinator of the Kinesiological Science program in the Department of Kinesiology. Dr. Scott has presented at local, state, regional and national AAHPERD conventions. In addition he has presented at the Black Faculty and Staff Association Conference at the University of Maryland and at the American Association of University Women annual conference.
Shim, Jae Kun
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Aging, Biomechanics, Brain Machine Interaction, Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology, Motor Control, Movement Disorders
Research Summary : Our research is currently focused on biomechanics and motor control of (1) hand and digits and (2) persons with lower extremity amputations as well as their applications to medicine, rehabilitation, and ergonomics. We are especially interested in understanding the CNS control mechanism for motor redundancy, developments of motor functions in typically developing children as well as children with developmental coordination disorder, developmental changes and intervention & adaptation of motor functions in elderly persons and the persons with neurological/genetic disorders or stroke, and physiological and biomechanical risk and interventions of persons with lower extremity amputations. We use techniques of biomechanics, motor control, neurophysiology, and exercise physiology: kinematic analysis using motion capture systems, kinetic/dynamic analysis, neuromuscular training, TMS, EMG, MEG, MRI, optic fiber Bragg grading (FBG) force sensors, 6-D kinetic pen, cardiovascular exercise, neuromuscular training, epidemiology, etc.
Neuromechanics Laboratory (NML)
Fischell Department of BIoengineering Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science (UM Medical School)
Spangenburg, Espen
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Exercise Physiology
Research Focus : Integrative Exercise Biology, Molecular Aspects of Exercise
Research Summary : The primary goal of Dr. Spangenburg's NIH-funded laboratory is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle and adipose tissue function. In particular, the laboratory emphasis is focused on the cellular signaling mechanisms that various hormones and growth factors utilize to alter gene expression.
Molecular Systems Lab
Interdisciplinary Training Program in Muscle Biology. School of Medicine; Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology Molecular and Cell Biology Graduate Group, College Park, MD
Research Areas : Physical Cultural Studies
Research Focus : Feminist Cultural Studies, History of Sport and Physical Activity, Social Injustices and Inequalities
Research Summary : Dr. Damion is a member of the Physical Cultural Studies Research Group in the Department of Kinesiology. For more information see the Physical Cultural Studies website.
Witkowski, Sarah
Adjunct Faculty, Kinesiology
Research Areas : Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
Research Focus : Exercise and Genomics
Research Summary : Jo Zimmerman is an instructor in the Department of Kinesiology. She earned her undergraduate and master's degrees from George Mason University, and held the ACSM Health Fitness Specialist certification since 1996. Jo has been working in the health and fitness industry for nearly 20 years and teaching for over 12 years.
