Biomechanics
Convenor: Peter Aerts, University of Antwerp
Deputy Convenor: Graham Askew, University of Leeds
Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, ranging from the molecular to the organismal level and including the interactions with the environment. As such, the Biomechanics Group of the SEB brings together scientists of a wide variety of disciplines, such as zoologists, botanists, molecular biologists, kinesiologists ,…, but also mathematicians, engineers or computer scientists.
From a fundamental biological point of view, biomechanical analyses provide a strong explanatory tool in evolutionary morphology and ecology. Understanding how mechanical principles or biomaterial properties assist or constrain biological form and/or function is essential to obtain causal insights in the outcome of the process of adaptation through natural selection and thus into biodiversity. Obviously, comparative biomechanics (as the above approach is often called) strongly overlaps with other fields such as ecology, physiology, developmental biology, paleontology, etc.
Although the SEB biomechanics group has a strong focus on comparative biomechanics, also those working in more applied biomechanics are very welcome. A few illustrative examples may encourage you to join the meetings of our group:
- Biomimetics is a hot topic in engineering and relies heavily on profound biomechanical analysis of both plants and animals
- Neuromechanicists investigate how musculo -skeletal dynamics interact with neural control, thus linking biomechanics with fundamental neurosciences and motor control as well as with more applied biomedical or sport sciences.
Contact Details
Peter Aerts
FunMorph -lab
Department of Biology
University of Antwerp
Universiteitsplein 1
B2610 Antwerp
BELGIUM
Ph. +3232652269
Email: peter.aerts@ua.ac.be
Graham Askew
The Faculty of Biological Sciences
University of Leeds
Leeds
LS2 9JT
UK
Ph. +441133432897
Email: G.N.Askew@Leeds.ac.uk