Dr. Nick La Delfa is an Assistant Professor in Kinesiology and Director of the Occupational Neuromechanics and Ergonomics Laboratory at Ontario Tech University. He received his PhD in Occupational Biomechanics & Ergonomics from McMaster University followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in shoulder biomechanics at the University of Waterloo.
Dr. La Delfa’s research program aims to reduce the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) through enhancement of our knowledge on human capability, function and performance. Specific objectives of this research are: 1) to understand human strength capability in a variety of occupationally-relevant scenarios and worker populations; 2) to study how transient factors such as neuromuscular and cognitive fatigue affect occupational performance; and 3) to continually update predictive models of human capability within digital human modeling and work simulation frameworks.
Dr. La Delfa endeavors to translate his research into advanced methods that proactively assess injury risk, with particular emphasis placed on integration within digital human modeling and proactive work simulation technologies. By doing so, work tasks can be assessed virtually, early in the design phase, well before they ever exist in reality - saving both workers and employers from the financial, physical and emotional burdens of WMSDs.