Lab Director

Deanna Gates, Ph.D.

Professor, Movement Science, School of Kinesiology

Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Robotics, College of Engineering

University of Michigan

Clinical Research Coordinator

Kayla Russell-Bertucci, M.S. 

Kayla a B.S. and M.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo.  She is coordinating studies for the RBL and the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Imaging Laboratory 

Silke Kerstens, P.h.D.

Post-doctoral Fellow

Kristin Perrin, M.P.O., C.P.O

PhD Student, Movement Science

Kristin has a B.S. in Biologic Engineering from the University of Arkansas and an M.S. in Orthotics and Prosthetics from Northwestern.  Her research is focused on how prosthetic design influences stability in people with above-knee amputations.

Chinwendu Nwokeabia, M.S.

PhD Student, Robotics

CJ has a B.S. in Mathematics from Notre Dame of Maryland University and did post- baccalaureate study at Columbia University.  Their research focuses on inducing sensation in people with limb loss. CJ was awarded a Rackham Merit Fellowship and a Neural Engineering Training Fellowship from NIH to support their PhD research.

Hiva Razavi, M.S.

PhD Student, Movement Science

Hiva has a B.S. in Prosthetics and Orthotics from Iran University of Medical Science and an M.S. in Biomechanics from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  Her research is focused on improving function in people with lower limb loss.

Martin Kilbane, M.S.

PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering and Movement Science

Marty has a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton and Notre Dame, respectively. His research is focused on wearable sensing for monitoring performance in people with limb loss.  Marty was awarded an NSF fellowhip to support his PhD research. 

Mira Mutnick, M.S.

PhD Student, Biomedical Engineering

Mira has a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech.  She then did a biomechanics internship with the Minnesota Twins before joining the RBL.  Mira received her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering in 2025 and is continuing her PhD focused on assessing outcomes in people with upper limb loss.

Jake Kanetis, B.S.

PhD Student, Robotics

Jake has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA.  Jake's research focuses improving control and providing sensory feedback to people with lower limb loss.

Jessica Carlson, B.S.

PhD Student, Robotics

Jessi has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Boise State University.  Jessi was awarded a Rackham Merit Fellowship to support her PhD work.  

Jenevieve Surkin, B.S.

PREP Scholar

Jenevieve has a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the joint program between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. She is co-mentored by Dr. Deanna Gates and Dr. Stephen Kemp, and her research focuses on improving sensory and motor function in individuals with limb loss.