Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics (OEB) Laboratories
Our Motto
UT PROSIM THAT I MAY SERVE
Welcome to the Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics Laboratories
The Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics (OEB) Laboratories conduct work in theoretical and applied ergonomics, occupational biomechanics, and work physiology, primarily relating to worksite, workstation, and equipment evaluation and design. Specifically, research is focused on:
- Biomechanics of the human body (modeling, strength, motions, and working postures);
- Human engineering of systems, equipment, tools, workstations, and work tasks;
- Ergonomic design for safety, efficiency, and performance.
Major application domains for the work in the laboratories are manufacturing, construction, and healthcare. The Laboratories consist of several rooms, which are used as needed for research, development, and evaluation. Those Laboratories are well equipped to do research in a variety of areas.
OEB Lab News
View more on the News page
We are delighted to congratulate OEB Lab Co-Director Dr. Sol Lim on two exciting milestones! She has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure, and has been named the inaugural Vinod and Ranjana Chachra Faculty Fellow in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department — a wonderful recognition of her outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and mentoring. Congratulations, Dr. Lim! (June 2026)
Sol Lim named Chachra Faculty Fellow (5/11/2026 on Virginia Tech News)
OEB Lab Co-Director, Dr. Maury A. Nussbaum received the David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), presented at the IISE Annual Conference and Expo in Arlington, Texas. This lifetime achievement award honors outstanding researchers whose work has made significant contributions to academia and industry.
You can watch his brief acceptance speech, in which he expressed his gratitude to his colleagues, industry partners, and students. Congratulations, Dr. Nussbaum! (June 2026)
New article, Vision-language models for occupational physical exposure assessment: Classification and temporal segmentation of manual material handling tasks, was published in Applied Ergonomics. The work was authored by current and former OEB Lab Ph.D. students Mohammad "Sadra" Rajabi and Aanuoluwapo "Aanu" Ojelade, alongside Sunwook Kim and Maury Nussbaum. (June 2026)
Dr. Michael Madigan, Co-Director of the OEB Labs, has been voted as this year's Outstanding ISE Undergraduate Course Instructor!
Recognized for his exceptional teaching in ISE 3624: Industrial Ergonomics, Dr. Madigan has demonstrated a remarkable ability to bring complex concepts to life and connect students with real-world applications. Congratulations, Dr. Madigan! (May 2026)
Two more articles by the OEB Lab faculty and current & former Ph.D. students have been published in Applied Ergonomics (May 2026):
- Evaluating model-estimated shoulder muscle activity during overhead work with varied task demands and exoskeleton use by Sunwook Kim, Maury Nussbaum, and current Ph.D. students Lingyu Li and Mohamad Behjati Ashtiani
- Passive back- and arm-support exoskeletons have effects on physical demands and user perceptions in simulated manual mining tasks that are generally beneficial but are both device- and task-specific by Sunwook Kim, Maury Nussbaum, and recently graduated Ph.D. student Feyisayo Akinwande
Two new articles were published in Applied Ergonomics by the OEB Lab faculty and current graduate students (April 2026):
- Effectiveness and usability of a trunk posture feedback system: A longitudinal field study for up to six weeks in a distribution center by Sunwook Kim, Sol Lim, Maury Nussbaum, and a graduate student Jiwon Choi
- Use of Evaluating the accuracy and feasibility of a commercial AI-powered ergonomic assessment system for automotive assembly work by Sunwook Kim, Maury Nussbaum, Sol Lim, and a graduate student Saman Jamshid Nezhad Zahabi
Sol Lim's recent publications have been added to the Peer-Reviewed Journal Papers database (March 2026):
- Fairness in machine learning-based hand load estimation: A case study on load carriage tasks in Applied Ergonomics
- Age and Sex Effects on Cybersickness in Virtual Forklift Training: An Exploratory Study with Practical Mitigation Strategies in IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors
- Navigating with haptic gloves: Investigating strategies for horizontal and vertical movement guidance in International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
New article Use of wearable sensors for continuous field monitoring of upper arm and trunk postures among construction workers by Sol Lim and Maury Nussbaum was published in Ergonomics. (February, 2026)
Thrilled to share that two of the OEB Labs' Ph.D. students, Feyisayo "Feyi" Akinwande and Mohamad Behjati Ashtiani, have successfully defended their dissertations! Your hard work and dedication have paid off — wishing you both continued success in your careers. 🎉 (February 2026)
OEB Lab graduate student Feyisayo Akinwande (advisor: Dr. Maury Nussbaum) successfully defended his dissertation, "Assessing the Effects of Exoskeletons on Physical Demands, Trip and Slip Risks, and User Perceptions in Manual Mining Tasks." He has transitioned into an industry role, working as an EHS Ergonomics Specialist at Amgen North Carolina since December 2025. Congratulations, Dr. Akinwande! (February 2026)
OEB Lab graduate student Mohamad Behjati Ashtiani (advisor: Dr. Maury Nussbaum) successfully defended his dissertation, "Musculoskeletal Modeling of Back-Support Exoskeletons: Comparative Evaluation of Spine Loads, Muscle Activity, and Optimization Strategies." Congratulations, Dr. Behjati Ashtiani! (February 2026)
New article Rigid and soft back-support exoskeletons affect biomechanical and perceptual demands, but in different ways, during simulated shingle installation by Sunwook Kim, Maury Nussbaum, and two students, Jiwon Choi and Ahmad Raza Usmani, was published in Applied Ergonomics. (February 2026)
See all news on the News page!