Karen J. Nolan, PhD

Karen J. Nolan, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist in the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation, Associate Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Clinical Research Scientist at Children’s Specialized Hospital, and Affiliated Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Dr. Nolan is a recognized leader in the field of biomechanics and motor rehabilitation. Her research focuses on improving neurophysiological and functional motor recovery through robotic, orthotic and clinical interventions, and beginning to understand how the central nervous system recovers after acute and chronic brain injury. She is currently leading multiple randomized clinical trials to investigate the impact of rehabilitation robotics for recovery of walking function in adults and children post brain injury through the National Institutes of Health (NIH R01); National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) and industry-sponsored funding. Dr. Nolan is also co-principal investigator of a double blind randomized controlled trial (US Department  of Defense, CDMRP) investigating the efficacy of a virtual reality balance intervention for military, veteran and civilian populations with traumatic brain injury. Dr. Nolan has extensive experience in leading the design and implementation of biomechanical research and strong expertise in balance, gait, rehabilitation robotics, and peripheral motor control. She serves as a grant reviewer for NIH, NIDILRR, and the Veterans Administration, and is a member of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, and the Wearable Robotics Association.