Parisa Alaei – PhD Candidate
Parisa is a PhD Candidate in Kinesiology with a background in Physiotherapy (B.Sc.) and Sports Physiotherapy (M.Sc.). Her research focuses on sex and age-related differences in neuromuscular science and the full spectrum of motor control, from functional abilities to the underlying physiological aspects like motor unit activity, which serves as the final common pathway in movement control. In her PhD thesis, she is specifically investigating these processes in individuals with Parkinson’s disease, aiming to better understand how this neurological condition impacts motor control and the underlying mechanisms that drive movement and functional ability. Through her work, she seeks to explore how dopaminergic medication influences neuromuscular properties and motor function, with the goal of contributing to advancements in improving mobility and quality of life for those living with Parkinson’s Disease.
Shamim Noroozi – PhD Candidate
Shamim is a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering. Shamim received both her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on medical image processing and robotic rehabilitation during her bachelor’s and master’s projects, respectively. During her PhD, she focuses on fall risk prediction and prevention in older adults and people with Parkinson’s Disease. Her PhD project aims to employ machine learning techniques to predict the risk of falls in older adults and people with Parkinson’s Disease. She is also interested in applying wearable sensors to assess fall risk and the integration of these sensors with machine learning algorithms. A fun fact about Shamim is that she never gets tired of learning about Artificial Intelligence and believes that everyone should be kind to AI models using words such as “please” and “thank you” when asking for things.
Cori Calkins – PhD Student
Cori is a PhD student in Kinesiology. She really started to think about how the body moves from her gymnastics background. She is interested in research that involves training modalities such as action observation (i.e., viewing of a physical task) and motor imagery (i.e., the mental rehearsal of a physical task) and how these training modalities can impact motor performance across the lifespan. When she is not at school, she enjoys coaching gymnastics and crocheting.
Lani Campbell – Master of Science Student
Lani is a Master of Science student in neuromuscular physiology. Her research interests involve looking into sex-specific and age differences in motor unit properties and force steadiness. Her undergraduate research is looking at the influence of the menstrual cycle phase on force steadiness and motor unit properties in the elbow flexors. Lani’s future research goals are to understand how the absence of sex hormones post-menopause may influence motor unit properties and force steadiness. Her ultimate goal is to understand how sex hormones may impact force control and help optimize motor function for females across different stages of life. When not in the lab, Lani likes to be outdoors running and hiking in the beautiful Okanagan, and hanging out with the people she loves. A fun fact about Lani is that she was born and raised in Kelowna and has enjoyed living here her entire life.