Board Elections

University of Virginia

I am honored to be nominated as a candidate for President of the American Society of Biomechanics. Since attending my first ASB meeting as a graduate student, I have been drawn to the society for the incredible science, the collaborative community, and the shared passion for biomechanics. After completing degrees in biomedical engineering at Northwestern and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Stanford, I built my academic career at the University of Virginia, where I now serve as the Robert Thomson Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Along the way, I co-founded Springbok Analytics, connecting biomechanics research to industry applications. One of the greatest rewards of my career has been mentoring students, many of whom have presented, earned awards, and become active members of ASB. I also love teaching biomechanics and exchanging ideas about education with colleagues at ASB. I have been fortunate to serve ASB as Program Chair for the 2018 Annual Meeting in Rochester, MN, and to be recognized with the Pre-Doctoral Young Scientist Award, the Founder’s Award, multiple Journal of Biomechanics Awards, the Goel Award for Translational Biomechanics, and election as an ASB Fellow. I am deeply grateful to ASB for helping strengthen both my own career and those of my trainees.

If elected, I would focus on three priorities to help ASB thrive. First, I would strengthen ASB’s connections with industry to foster innovation and create career opportunities. Second, I would expand support for students and early-career researchers, ensuring ASB remains a dynamic launchpad for future leaders. Third, I would advocate for diversifying funding sources to sustain biomechanics research. I am also committed to promoting interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, biology, health sciences, and movement science. ASB’s strength lies in its people, and I am excited to help the society continue to grow and lead the field forward.

University of Washington

Hello! My name is William (Bil) Ledoux, and I am honored and humbled to be a candidate for ASB President-Elect. I am a Bioengineer focused on foot biomechanics. Since earning my PhD from Penn, I have worked for 25 years at the VA Center for the Limb Loss and MoBility (CLiMB) in Seattle where I am a Senior Research Career Scientist. I am also an Affiliate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine at the University of Washington.

Though it may sound cliché, ASB truly is my professional home. I have attended every meeting but one since 1994. My team has presented 66 abstracts—nearly a third of my total conference proceedings—and I have reviewed submissions for 15 meetings. I supported two previous newsletter editors for eight years before joining the Executive Board as Newsletter Editor from 2012 to 2021, during which I established the ASB archives. In 2022 I was honored to be selected an ASB Fellow. It has long been a goal of mine to return to ASB in a different leadership role.

We are currently navigating challenging times for researchers, with both funding agencies and scientific norms under assault. As President-Elect, I would rely on the experience of the Executive Board and the wisdom of ASB Fellows, as well as input from the membership, to guide our path forward. In addition to soliciting suggestions from various stake holders, I propose to implement several ideas: 1) continue to follow the soon-to-be announced 2025-30 strategic plan, 2) develop both formal and informal mentoring relationships between early career scientists and more senior ASB members, 3) become more engaged with research foundations, and 4) continue ASB’s policy of advocacy with other like-minded societies via signed letters and statements. We need to consider how best to advocate for our field while remaining the student-focused, inclusive, and agile society that we have always been as we approach ASB’s 50th anniversary.

Medical University of South Carolina

The first biomechanics conference I attended was the 2003 ASB meeting in Toledo. From the perspective of a graduate student, the keynote by R. McNeill Alexander was inspiring and the free food was plentiful. But my strongest memory is of a biomechanics celebrity (Rodger Kram!) coming to my poster and actually seeming interested in what I thought. I’ve since seen numerous other junior biomechanics researchers have similar experiences at ASB meetings, which deservedly have a reputation for being student friendly. If elected as Program Chair-Elect, I will continue to promote opportunities for interaction between researchers spanning career levels, building on the success of thematic poster sessions, curated symposia, and the job market poster session. Additionally, I will advocate for organizing sessions that include presenters with backgrounds that cross traditional academic departments. As I’ve progressed from an undergraduate student (biology/physics) to graduate student (biomedical engineering), postdoc (neuroscience), and now faculty member (physical therapy), I’ve seen how having a slightly atypical academic background can spur unexpected ideas. I am excited about the possibility of contributing to ASB’s continued excellence, and I look forward to seeing some great biomechanics research in Pittsburgh!

Texas A&M University

I have been an active member of ASB since I started my PhD in 2008. In 2013, I had the privilege of contributing to the planning and execution of the ASB meeting in Omaha, Nebraska (most remember the zoo and bats at this meeting!). During this time, I had a meaningful experience to work with the Program Chair. Watching the Program Committee carefully plan and outline the meeting, from keynotes to posters, was fascinating. There is much more in curating a meeting program than I realized. Since that time, I have attended ASB meetings with a heightened awareness of the effort and time behind each element of the program. As ASB has grown since 2013, I’ve observed that the traditional meeting structure has been increasingly stretched to accommodate expanding content, resulting in earlier start times, later evening sessions and a growing number of concurrent presentations. If elected ASB Program Chair, I would prioritize a critical evaluation of the schedule structure to enhance the overall flow and accessibility of the meeting, without extending its duration. I am committed to ensuring the program reflects the full breadth of biomechanical research across our membership, with particular attention to emerging and historically underrepresented areas. Collaborating with the Education and Community Committees, I would seek to identify research domains and member groups that merit greater visibility within the program. Moreover, I would actively engage with former Program Chairs to better understand the structural and logistical challenges they encountered, as well as the innovative strategies they employed to address them. Their collective insight will be instrumental in developing a meeting framework that is both efficient and inclusive.

It is with genuine enthusiasm and a deep respect for the mission of ASB that I express my interest in this role. I am eager to contribute to the continued excellence of the Annual Meeting and to support a dynamic, engaging, and forward-looking experience for all participants.

University of Idaho

Dr. Joshua Bailey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Movement Sciences at the University of Idaho. He has been an active member of the American Society of Biomechanics since 2013. He is deeply engaged in the Northwest biomechanics community, regularly attending regional meetings and playing a key role as co-host of the 2022 regional conference. He values being an active contributor to the scientific community through engagement in national organizations and chapters. He has previously served as a moderator at the national conference but is looking to increase his involvement within the organization.

Dr. Bailey has a proven track record of mentoring the next generation of scholars. During his tenure at the University of Idaho, he has successfully guided three Ph.D. students, all of whom have gone on to secure faculty positions. Committed to fostering academic growth, Dr. Bailey actively involves undergraduate students in research, annually mentoring between five and fifteen undergraduates on his research team. His passion for developing young talent underscores his dedication to education and leadership in academia.

His scholarly work centers on optimizing athletic performance and reducing injury risk by exploring the complex interactions between movement mechanics and neuromuscular coordination. Dr. Bailey’s research spans a diverse population of athletes, including recreational endurance runners, ROTC cadets, and Division I competitors. His commitment to biomechanical science and its practical applications in athletic performance makes him a dedicated advocate for the field.

Dr. Bailey is honored to be considered for the Nominating Committee and looks forward to supporting the continued growth and impact of ASB.

San Diego State University

Dr. Frankie Wade is an Assistant Professor of Biomechanics in the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University. Her research focuses on walking adaptability, propulsive mechanics, and the biomechanical and emotional contributors to mobility decline with age. She has been an active member of ASB since 2016, contributing to the society through service as an Awards Committee member, session chair, and pre-conference workshop leader. Dr. Wade also serves on the organizing and communications committees for the Black Biomechanics Association and is a passionate advocate for broadening representation and inclusion within the biomechanics community. With experience across academic, clinical, and mentoring settings, she brings a strong commitment to building candidate slates that reflect the interdisciplinary and diverse makeup of ASB.

Stevens Institute of Technology

Dr. Antonia Zaferiou is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering and a Presidential Faculty Fellow at Stevens Institute of Technology, where she directs the Musculoskeletal Control and Dynamics Lab. Her research focuses on how balance and momenta are regulated during agile movements and her team is developing music-based biofeedback as one way to incorporate art into movement training approaches. Antonia received her BE in Mechanical Engineering at The Cooper Union and master’s and doctoral degrees in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan in the Department of Mechanical Engineering before becoming a faculty member in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the Director of Sports Medicine Motion Analysis at Rush University Medical Center. Her research has been funded by an NSF CAREER grant, the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Engineering Research Career Development program, and Major League Baseball grants. Antonia demonstrates steadfast dedication to her role as an educator and to broaden participation in STEM by teaching in special GK-12 programs and hosting dance and sports-themed National Biomechanics Day events to encourage young students to identify with and explore STEM.

Antonia has been attending American Society of Biomechanics meetings since 2009 as her primary conference and has begun to view each ASB meeting as a professional family reunion. She has contributed to ASB service as a student mentor, an abstract reviewer, and she has been a member of the awards review committee since 2021. Antonia is thrilled for the opportunity to serve ASB in a meaningful way as a member of the Nominating Committee. 

Vanderbilt University

It would be an honor to work with the ASB Executive Board and serve as a member of the Nominating Committee. ASB has been my academic home for 18 years and has greatly shaped my career. I’ve contributed to the society and annual conference by organizing symposia, presenting research, moderating sessions, leading student roundtables, mentoring students, and supporting partners and affinity groups like the International Women in Biomechanics, Black Biomechanists Association, and National Biomechanics Day. It’s been a pleasure to grow and learn with ASB, and to help foster a supportive, inclusive environment where early-career and established biomechanists can thrive.

On the Nominating Committee, I would leverage my experiences with leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration, science communication, mentorship, and advocacy to help identify and support future ASB leaders across career stages and sectors. I believe I’m well-prepared to serve in this role.

More about me: I’m an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University and co-direct the Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology. My mission is to improve health, mobility, and independence for people with disabilities and to enhance human performance and well-being through biomechanics and assistive technology. I’m also Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of HeroWear, a university spin-off making exosuits for workers, and I serve on the Board of the non-profit American Bionics Project, which helps advance technologies for people with lower-limb disabilities. Additionally, I do industry consulting on biomechanics and wearable tech and am deeply engaged in science communication, outreach, and mentorship.