Dr Bart Bolsterlee is a mechanical engineer (BSc) and biomedical engineer (MSc, PhD) who studies the generation of force and movement in humans. His specialty is the use of imaging technologies such as MRI and ultrasound to study human movement biomechanics. In 2014 he completed his PhD in biomechanical modelling of the human upper limb at Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands). His current work at NeuRA focuses on the use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI; an MRI technique) to measure muscle structure. He has recently developed novel algorithms to obtain quantitative measurements of muscle architecture by combining information from anatomical MRI and DTI scans. He applies these techniques to study mechanisms of muscle contracture (stiffening of muscles) in patients with stroke and cerebral palsy. He also performs studies in basic muscle physiology and biomechanics to elucidate the mechanical role of active and passive structures in muscles, and to study how muscles change shape following exercise.

Dr Bart Bolsterlee’s work has been published in high-quality journals such as Journal of Biomechanics, Journal of Applied Physiology and PlosONE. He is the secretary/treasurer of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Biomechanics.