Carolyn.J.Sparrey 

Dr. Sparrey is an Associate Professor of Mechatronic Systems Engineering at Simon Fraser University and a Principal Investigator at the International Collaboration on Repair Discovery (ICORD) in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley and was a CIHR postdoctoral fellow in Neurosurgery at the University of California San Francisco. Before joining SFU, Dr. Sparrey worked as an accident reconstruction specialist with Applied Biomechanics in California.

Shervin Jannesar 

Shervin has received his PhD in Mechatronic Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University back in 2019. His research has focused on the application of computational mechanics on the study of human injury. He has developed a novel computational platform for modelling cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) based on in-vivo experiments on non-human primates. In his recent research, Shervin is focusing on developing a systematic impact protocol for generating consistent experimental SCI in large animal models.

Shervin has been in industry for many years back in Iran, China and Canada. In his recent industrial experience, he is developing a design framework for tuning structural properties of shoe insoles in a MITACS industry partnered project.

He enjoys reading, a fan of James Joyce and Sadegh Hedayat, and loves barbeque. His research focus never stops him from climbing the Vancouver Grouse Grind every Saturday.

Numaira Obaid

I completed my Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and my B.A.Sc. from the University of Waterloo. My research journey has made me an expert in investigating the mechanical behavior of multi-constituent materials both experimentally and through computational modeling. Before returning to academia, I was employed at the leadership team of two entrepreneurial firms including Steadiwear Inc. (biomedical devices) and ChopValue (composite manufacturing). As a postdoctoral fellow in SCI biomechanics, I am using FEA to investigate how individual-specific factors contribute to more severe tissue damage during an SCI. I am also an actively involved research trainee at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD). My research interests include FEA of complex materials and behaviors, injury biomechanics in older adults, and postural deformity.

Ehsan Daneshi

Ehsan received his M.Sc in Control Systems from the University of Sheffield, UK and his B.Sc in Electrical Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Iran. He moved to Canada in 2011 and joined Neurospine lab as a PhD student in computational neuroscience at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. Ehsan’s research is focused on developing computational models of nervous system based on its anatomical and electrophysiological properties. 

Mae Shojaei

Mae received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Tehran and Amirkabir University of Technology. She has industry experience on renewable energy systems design and have been involved in various experimental and computational projects in field of biomechanics. Currently, her research as a Ph.D. student focuses on investigating and modeling in vivo characteristics of palmar soft tissue for better understanding the tissue behavior in different injury scenarios.

Fatemeh Khorami

Fatemeh completed her undergraduate degree, with honors in Biomedical Engineering, at the University of Isfahan in Iran. She later moved to Tehran where she completed her Master’s degree in Biomedical engineering while her graduate work focused on finger joint implants and Finite Element Analysis. Her doctoral research investigates the tissue contact mechanics during fall.

Cesar Jimenez-Gonzalez

Cesar received his B.S. in Mechatronics Engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico. He first joined the Neurospine Lab in May 2019, under the MITACS Globalink Research Internship Program, and now he's back as a graduate student working towards his Master’s degree.

His research experience includes the study of human injuries, specifically spinal cord injury (SCI), as well as the mechanical properties of 2D and 3D cellular materials. Regarding industry, he has worked as CAD designer of tooling & instrumentation equipment at ITP Aero (aircraft turbines manufacturing), and as Analyst for the health platform from a biotechnology company at Deloitte (consulting). Currently, his work focuses on improving the accuracy of the existing Finite Element models of SCI.

In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, going hiking, playing basketball and getting to know the city of Vancouver.

Digant Ray

Digant is a final year undergraduate student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. He joined the Neurospine lab at Simon Fraser University, Surrey in May 2014 for his Summer Internship under the MITACS Globalink Research Internship Program, Canada. Digant is working on developing an Instrumented Surrogate Spinal Cord for humans to prevent injuries in the future. His interests lie in the areas of Biomaterials and Biomechanics. He likes to read novels and travel in his free time. His future goals are to work as a technical consultant for an engineering firm where his engineering skills can be tested.

Hananeh Haghdadi

Hananeh is currently pursuing her B.A.Sc in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical option, at the University of British Columbia. At Neurospine laboratory she is mainly involved in a research on mechanics of vehicle-pedestrian interactions in a collision. She has worked in the areas of aerodynamics and petrochemical refinery systems as her previous undergraduate Co-op work terms. Hananeh is interested in designing, modeling and testing biomedical and prosthetic devices, and hoping to work as a biomechanical engineer in future.

Brett Erickson

Graduated with a BASc in Mechatronic Systems Engineering and a minor Microbiology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University. Brett assisted the NeuroSpine Biomechanics Lab with understanding Electric Powered Wheelchair (EPW) tip dynamics and passenger trauma. With a strong background in data acquisition, computational methods and rigid body dynamics, he is currently refining the NBL’s EPW/passenger MADYMO model and investigating simulation characteristics. With future aspirations of working in the Biomechanical industry, he is very excited to be a part of the NeuroSpine team.

Charlie Bennett

Charlie is currently working towards his BASc in Mechatronics Systems Engineering at SFU. He joined the lab on co-op Fall 2014, and is working on investigating safety standards for energy absorbing lanyards and observing the dynamic effects of environmental factors in fall arrest systems. Charlie has past work experience in mechanics, thermodynamics and material research with hydrogen fuel cells. With his interest in mechanical systems and energy conversion he hopes to be a part of the energy industry in the future, developing renewable energy generation.

Mayank Kalra  

Mayank has done his M.A.Sc in Mechatronic Systems Engineering. He has a B.A.Sc from University of British Columbia in Mechatronics Engineering (2012). Mayank is passionate about biomedical engineering and using creative ideas to solve challenging problems.