Faculty Directory
The Faculty and Students leading cutting-edge research at the Biomechanics Lab at NC State.
Last Updated: 12/23/2025 | All information is accurate and still up-to-date
Faculty and Student Directory
Faculty
Xu Xu
Associate Professor
xxu@ncsu.edu
919.512.7205
4351 Fitts-Woolard Hall
Education
Ph.D., NC State University, 2008
M.S., NC State University, 2006
B.S., Tsinghua University, 2004
Prior to joining the NC State faculty, Xu Xu started his career as a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Public Health at Harvard University. Then, he became a research scientist at Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, where he received multiple best paper and outstanding scientific contribution awards. Furthermore, his research interests are generally in the areas of biomechanical modeling, optimization, simulation, and data mining. Specifically, his work addresses human daily activities to promote workplace and at-home injury prevention as well as driving safety. In addition, Xu has published more than forty journal articles on these research topics.
See specific projects he is involved in through the projects page or the National Science Foundation.
Karen Chen
Associate Professor
kbchen2@ncsu.edu
919.515.6403
4349 Fitts-Woolard Hall
Education
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015
M.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010
B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009
Karen Chen’s research studies human performances and uses human factors and ergonomics frameworks as its foundation. Also, she implements technologies such as virtual reality to explore the potential of improving the health and safety of various populations. Additionally, she has investigated the use of virtual reality to understand older driver biomechanics and the utility for ranges of motion rehabilitation of chronic pain patients. Besides research, she also offers courses in Human Factors in Systems Design, Musculoskeletal Biomechanics, Human-Computer Interface, and Special Topics in Technology and Healthcare Applications.
See specific projects she is involved in through the projects page or the National Science Foundation.
Graduate Students
Andy Li
Ph.D. Student
M.S., University of Chicago, 2024
B.S., University of California – Riverside, 2022
Yuanzhe Li
Ph.D. Student
M.S., RWTH Aachen University, 2025
B.S., Tongji University, 2020
Alumni
SeHee Jung
Education
Ph.D., NC State University, 2025
M.S., Hanyang University, 2019
B.S., Hanbat National University, 2017
Liwei Qing
Education
Ph.D., NC State University, 2025
M.S., Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2021
B.S., Xi’an Jiaotong University, 2019
Bingyi Su
Education
Ph.D., NC State University, 2025
M.S., RWTH Aachen University, 2022
B.S., Shandong University, 2016
First employer after graduation – Amazon
Lu Lu
Education
Ph.D., NC State University, 2024
M.S., Shandong University, 2019
B.S., Shandong University, 2016
First employer after graduation – BYD Auto
Maya Peleg
Education
M.S., NC State University, 2023
B.S. Ohio State University, 2020
First employer after graduation – Humanscale
Hanwen Wang
Education
Ph.D., NC State University, 2023
M.S., NC State University, 2020
B.S., Harbin Institute of Technology, 2018
First employer after graduation – Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Ziyang Xie
Education
Ph.D., NC State University, 2023
M.S., NC State University, 2019
B.S., Xi’an Jiaotong University, 2017
First employer after graduation – Nextdoor
Matt Hutmacher
Education
M.S., NC State University, 2021
B.S., NC State University, 2018
First employer after graduation – John Deere
Li Li
Education
Ph.D, NC State University, 2021
B.S., Zhejiang University, 2017
First employer after graduation – ByteDance
Bobby Hazel
Education
M.S., NC State University 2020
B.S., UNC/NC State University, 2017
First employer after graduation – Emergo
Rebecca Widmayer
Education
M.S., NC State University, 2019
B.S. University of Delaware, 2014
First employer after graduation – Premier Inc.
Melissa White
Education
Ph.D., NC State University, 2018
M.S., University of Notre Dame, 2013
B.S., University of Miami, 2012
First employer after graduation – University of Florida