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
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New article, Characterizing adaptation to using exoskeletons: A narrative review and assessment framework for occupational contexts, was published in Applied Ergonomics. The work was authored by Maury Nussbaum and a former OEB Lab Ph.D. student Hanjun Park. (October 2026)
OEB Labs Co-Director Dr. Sol Lim recently published 2 peer-reviewed journal articles with her former Ph.D. and M.S. students (October 2026):
- Toward context-aware and personalized sit-stand desk interventions: Insights from a field observational study in International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, with her M.S. graduate Junghoon Chung
- Investigating sensitivity to vibrotactile stimulation in isometric and dynamic work for effective ergonomic intervention in International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, with her Ph.D. graduates Mahdis Tajdari and Md Shafiqul Islam, as well as another OEB Labs graduate Xiang Yang
Go to Recent Publications page
The OEB Lab graduate students have made this a heck of a mid-September week!
The fourth and final student, Mohammad "Sadra" Rajabi (advisor: Dr. Maury Nussbaum), successfully defended his dissertation, "Development and Evaluation of Vision-Language Models for Ergonomic Physical Exposure Assessment in Occupational Manual Material Handling." Upon completion, he'll start his full-time position as an EHS Engineer with Tesla at Gigafactory Texas. Congratulations, Dr. Rajabi! (September 2026)
The OEB Lab graduate students are on a roll! Mohammadreza "Reza" Freidouny (advisor: Dr. Michael Madigan), successfully defended his dissertation, "Effects of Back-Support Exoskeletons on Balance Recovery from Overground Slips and Trips." Congratulations, Dr. Freidouny! (September 2026)
Another OEB Lab graduate student, Xiang Yang (advisor: Dr. Maury Nussbaum), successfully defended his dissertation, "From Vibration to Action: User Interpretation, Mapping Compatibility, and Transitions in Directional Vibrotactile Warnings." Congratulations, Dr. Yang! (September 2026)
OEB Lab graduate student Saman Jamshid Nezhad Zahabi (advisor: Dr. Sol Lim) successfully defended his dissertation, "Assessing Cognitive Workload using Electroencephalogram (EEG) in Technology-Mediated Work Environments." Congratulations, Dr. Jamshid Nezhad Zahabi! (September 2026)
New article, Adaptation to a Whole-Body Powered Exoskeleton: Human–Exoskeleton Coordination During Load-Handling Tasks, has been published in Annals of Biomedical Engineering by Hanjun Park - a former OEB Lab student and current Assistant Professor at Texas Tech - along with Sunwook Kim and Maury Nussbaum. (September 2026)
See all news on the News page!