Mahshid Mansouri
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering
Email: mm64@illinois.edu
Education:
B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, September 2018.
Biography:
I graduated from Sharif University of Technology (Tehran, Iran) in September 2018 with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and now I’m a first year Ph.D. direct student in the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department of UIUC. I joined HDCL in August 2019. I’m going to work on designing and manufacturing an assistive device for patients with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) to help them overcome the difficulties they face in doing their activities of daily life (ADLs). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their demise. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. Therefore, the muscles become weak and then nonfunctional, thus leading to muscle weakness, disability, and eventually death. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe.
Research Interests:
- Biomechanics
- Dynamics & Controls
- Human Assistive Devices
- Mechatronics & Robotics
Personal Interests:
- Travelling
- Swimming
- Cooking
- Dancing