Melbourne School of Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering

Tom Correa

PhD Candidate

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biography

Tom is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, having completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics) and a Bachelor of Computer Science in 2005. His major undergraduate project concerned the design of several brake-by-wire brake pedals (with active or passive pedal feel emulation) for a leading automotive supplier.

Tom has technical and commercial experience in the resources sector, and commenced PhD candidature in 2008 in the Biomechanics Research Group, supervised by Professor Marcus Pandy. He is researching biomechanics of normal walking in children with gait disorders caused by Cerebral Palsy. Advances in computational modelling, data collection techniques, and medical imaging will be integrated with the goal of improved understanding of lower limb muscle and joint function in children with CP. Tom has obtained pertinent skills in this area, having worked on a casual basis as a Gait Laboratory Engineer at the Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne.

During his studies, Tom tutors on a casual basis at the University of Melbourne and has a "night job" as a performing & songwriting musician.

research interests

Tom's interests within the area of biomechanics include muscle and neuromuscular function (normal and pathological) in humans, development and use of patient-specific musculoskeletal models for diagnostic and treatment planning purposes, orthopaedic surgical procedures that aid improved development of children's bodies (from a biomechanical standpoint), and design and control of electromechanical systems involved with motion capture and realtime noninvasive medical imaging.