Dr. Sibylle Thies

Current positions

Research Fellow

Biography

Sibylle Thies obtained her PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics from the University of Michigan, USA, in 2004. She spent six years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Salford, UK. First she worked on the European Framework VI project Healthy AIMS, supporting the design of a movement pattern recognition algorithm to trigger functional electrical muscle stimulation to assist stroke patients with hand opening. Through this she gained extensive experience in use of inertial sensors and signal processing. Next she worked on the EPSRC-funded IDGO TOO project concerned with Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors, for which she led the evaluation of older adults when crossing the road and investigated the effect of tactile pavement on their gait.

Since 2011 she has been working at the University of Salford as permanent staff on a range of projects concerned with stability and falls of older adults, with a special interest in walking aid ambulation. Her research on walking aids received funding from the Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust, the Dunhill Medical Trust, and Innovate UK. She has authored and co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications to date, has given talks at international and national conferences, serves on the board of the 3D Analysis of Human Movement Technical Group of the International Society of Biomechanics, and is a very active reviewer for several journals.

Areas of research

Biomechanics Engineering, Human Movement Analysis, Biomechanics: human movement analysis, falls , Balance, Stability, Walking aids, Prostheses