Dr. Ashley Dalrymple, recently a postdoctoral fellow working jointly between the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has joined our Utah faculty, effective March 1, 2023. She is part of an increasing number of joint Utah Engineering-School of Medicine faculty hires seeking to bridge both biomedical parts of our university with relevant expertise, training and research collaboration. Ashley’s research in neural prostheses and neuromodulation is complementary to ongoing research at the University of Utah and is anticipated to contribute to many exciting collaborative research and training efforts on campus.
Prior to her Pittsburgh work, Ashley completed postdoctoral research at the Bionics Institute in Melbourne, Australia. Her PhD and undergraduate training were completed at University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, in neuroscience and electrical and biomedical engineering, respectively. She has experience working with several preclinical models in basic science, exploratory proof-of-concept, and pre-clinical research. Her postdoctoral work provided experience in conducting basic science and human clinical trials, including first-in-human studies. A foundational and attractive aspect of Ashley’s research is interdisciplinary, spanning neuroscience, engineering, rehabilitation, and computing science, and her experience spans the spectrum of translation in neurotechnologies that are highly desired at Utah.
Ashley’s recent research in Neural Engineering and Neuroprosthetics focuses on understanding sensorimotor systems and neural mechanisms of disease, and application of that knowledge to develop and innovate neurotechnologies that restore function. This expertise will synergize current Utah efforts in her position between BME and PM&R, and catalyze new research with the substantial clinical research resources available at the UU Nielsen Rehabilitation Hospital. We are extremely excited about Ashley’s addition to the University of Utah faculty. As both an engineer and neuroscientist, she employs the interdisciplinary approach necessary to effectively translate neurotechnologies to restore function after neural injury or disease. Her expertise should greatly enhance our student teaching and training missions.