Dr Taylor Dick

Senior Lecturer

School of Biomedical Sciences
Faculty of Medicine
t.dick@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 52198

Overview

Taylor Dick is a Senior Lecturer in The School of Biomedical Sciences. She was awarded her PhD in 2016 from Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada). Her PhD research, in partnership with the Concord Field Station at Harvard University, focused on developing an experimental and modelling framework to predict in vivo motor function using advanced image-driven musculoskeletal models. Following this, she conducted a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at North Carolina State University- The University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) where her research focused on using wearable assistive devices (e.g., exoskeletons and prosthetics) to augment or restore movement--with a particular focus on how devices influence lower limb biomechanics and neuromuscular function. She has implemented innovative imaging approaches to discover how humans recover from unexpected perturbations during movement, which provided critical biological insight for the design of robotic devices capable of assisting movement in real-world environments.

Taylors research group uses novel imaging methods and modelling frameworks to answer fundamental questions about how movement underpins evolution, health, and disease. Her current research is focused on:

  • Exploring the mechanisms of neuromuscular function using both experimental and modelling approaches
  • Understanding how the anatomy and biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system adapt to challenges such as size, age, and disease. To do this, her team has developed quantitative imaging technologies to visualize and interrogate the mechanisms that underpin motor function in humans and other animals
  • The design and application of wearable assistive technologies, such as exoskeletons and prosthetics, to enhance performance in healthy individuals or to restore mobility in those with deficits.

Taylor has established herself internationally as an emerging leader in biomechanics research. This reputation is supported by prestigious awards, invited talks and review papers, and media attention. Her research has been funded through competitive grant schemes and industry partnerships, with total research support exceeding $1.5 million since the completion of her PhD (2016). She was awarded the Jaquelin Perry Emerging Scientist Award from the International Society of Biomechanics (2021) and has been nominated (2020 and 2021) for the Faculty of Medicine Rising Star of the Year Award. Taylor is an elected Executive Council member of the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) and the elected Chairperson of the Comparative Neuromuscular Biomechanics Technical group. She is a passionate promotor of STEM for young girls—having co-developed the led a government-funded nationwide program to boost girls’ engagement in STEM, BRInC https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/health/brinc

Research Interests

  • Muscle and tendon mechanics
  • Biomechanics
  • Musculoskeletal imaging
  • Comparative biomechanics
  • Neuromuscular health

Research Impacts

The outcomes from my groups research will advance our understanding of neuromotor and musculoskeletal function to (1) augment healthy locomotor performance; (2) treat and prevent movement impairments that result from age, obesity, or neuromotor disease and (3) inform the design of biologically-inspired assistive wearable robotic devices.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Simon Fraser University

Publications

View all Publications

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Punith, Laksh Kumar, Williamson, James, Dick, Taylor J. M. and Sawicki, Gregory S. (2022). Spring like passive elastic exoskeletons may improve stability and safety of locomotion in uneven terrain. 5th International Symposium on Wearable Robotics, WeRob2020, and of WearRAcon Europe 2020, Virtual, 13-16 October 2020. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-69547-7_7

  • Li, Brighton, Williamson, James, Kelp, Nicole, Dick, Taylor and Bo, Antonio P. L. (2021). Towards balance assessment using Openpose. Annual International Conference of the IEEE-Engineering-in-Medicine-and-Biology-Society (IEEE EMBC), Electr Network, 1-5 November 2021. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9631001

  • Punith, L. K., Mcknight, M., Narsipur, S., Dick, T. J. and Sawicki, G. S. (2018). Muscle-tendon units can automatically reject perturbations without feedback during everyday cyclic tasks. Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), San Francisco, CA, United States, 3-7 January, 2018. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/icb/icy002

  • Dick, T. J. M., Wakeling, J. M. and Clemente, C. J. (2016). Scaling of muscle architecture: from world's smallest to world's largest Monitor lizard. Annual Meeting of the Society-for-Integrative-and-Comparative-Biology (SICB), Portland, OR United States, 3-7 January 2016. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/icb/icw001

  • Dick, T. J. and Clemente, C. J. (2015). Scaling of muscle architecture in arboreal and terrestrial Varanus lizards: from V. tristis to V. komodoensis. Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), West Palm Beach, FL, United States, 3-7 January, 2015. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/icb/icv011

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor