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.jpg "Martin W. Ferguson-Pell, PhD photo")
Professor
University of Alberta, Canada
Martin Ferguson-Pell completed a BSc in physics (1973) at Exeter University in UK and then a PhD in biomedical engineering at the University of Strathclyde (1977), where he subsequently was appointed lecturer for 5 years. In 1982 he was appointed as a Research Scientist in Rehabilitation Engineering at Helen Hayes Hospital. He was appointed in 1995 Founding ASPIRE Chair in Neuromuscular Restoration and Rehabilitation (Disability and Technology) at University College London, Institute of Orthopaedics. In 2007 he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at University of Alberta in Canada. Since 2016 he has also led the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute as Executive Director. From 2011 -2018 he held a range of senior administrative positions at University of Alberta and has now resumed his research and academic interests. He has dedicated his academic career to the application of technologies for people with physical disabilities, studying underlying causes of secondary complications and ways to reduce their incidence.
He designed and developed the Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory at University of Alberta where he uses virtual reality systems to simulate the biomechanical and physiological conditions faced by long-term wheelchair users and elite wheelchair athletes. His research team is also advancing methods for delivering assessments and treatments using tele-rehabilitation, extending the scope of care that can be delivered remotely using advanced IT systems and advanced, easy to use sensor systems.