Lara Thompson.

Lara A. Thompson, Ph.D.

Professor, Associate Chair Undergraduate Program

College
Francis College of Engineering
Department
Biomedical Engineering
Office
Falmouth Hall, Suite 302
Email
lara_thompson@uml.edu

Expertise

Balance and Gait in Aging and Impaired Populations; Rehabilitation Utilizing Assistive Robotics, Sensory Substitution, and Virtual Reality Training

Research Interests

  • Rehabilitation Utilizing Assistive Robotics, Sensory Substitution, and Virtual Reality Training
  • Balance and Gait in Aging and Impaired Populations
  • Balance and Mobility in Able-Bodied Individuals
  • Human Performance
  • Rehabilitative devices, Prosthetics, and Social Robotics
  • Student-Perceptual & Educational Research tied to STEM

Education

Ph.D.: Biomedical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST)
M.S.: Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Chancellor’s List), Stanford University
B.S.: Mechanical Engineering (Summa Cum Laude), University of Massachusetts Lowell

Biosketch

A native to the Boston area, Professor Thompson earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UMass Lowell. She then went on to pursue a Master of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Stanford University. After working for over two years at Charles Stark Draper Laboratory as a mechanical engineer, she pursued and obtained her doctoral degree from the Harvard-Masschusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) in Biomedical Engineering. Her doctoral research was the first to demonstrate that a vestibular-based sensory prosthetic can improve the ability to maintain balance during head-turns.

Prior to joining UMass Lowell as a professor of biomedical engineering, she was a professor of mechanical engineering and was the founding director of the Biomedical Engineering program (the first ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering program at a historically black college and university (HBCU)) and the Center for Biomechanical & Rehabilitation Engineering (CBRE) (a state-of-the-art research facility focused on human mobility) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) in Washington, DC for over a decade. Further, as the sole principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health C06 grant, she led the design of a new, expansive, multi-laboratory facility (a specialized center for assistive rehabilitation research) aimed to focus on gait and balance, assistive robotics, virtual reality and biomechanics.

Professor Thompson is a 2022 recipient of the National Science Foundation Alan T. Waterman award, our nation’s top honor for early career scientists and engineers. Since the Alan T. Waterman award’s inception in 1975, she was the first awardee from a HBCU, and further, she was the first self-identified female of color recipient. She has experience trailblazing new research initiatives and educational programs and spearheading new infrastructure tied to biomedical engineering. Professor Thompson is excited to bring these experiences toward her alma mater, UMass Lowell.

Selected Awards and Honors

  • Blavatnik National Awards 2023 Nominee (2023)
  • Alan T. Waterman Award Laureate 2022: awarded the highest national honor for early-career scientists and engineers from the National Science Foundation; the award comes with $1 million grant (2022)
  • 2019 BEYA STEM Innovator Award National Recognition (2019)
  • Diverse Issues in Higher Education Emerging Scholar National Award (2017)

Selected Publications

  • Butler J, Bhatta A, Arnold N, El Hakour Y, Thompson LA. Investigating Muscle Activation Patterns and Muscle Synergies Pre- and Post-Balance Training in Older Adults. Appl. Sci., 15: 6151, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15116151
  • Okhuoya O, Thompson LA. Comparing Virtual Reality and Robotic Training Effects on Balance Ability and Confidence in Older Adults. Appl. Sci., 15:5909, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115909
  • Newby AA, Bhatta A, Kirkland C III, Arnold N, Thompson LA. The Role of Facial Action Units in Investigating Facial Movements During Speech. Electronics, 14:2066, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14102066
  • Wilson O, Arnold N, Thompson LA. Investigating the Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Training on Balance Ability and Balance Confidence in Older Individuals, Appl. Sci.,14(11):4581, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14114581
  • Romero R, Thompson LA. Investigating anchoring strategies used by subjects donning a simulated xEMU spacesuit. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(19), 8773, https://doi.org/10.3390/app14198773
  • Arnold N, Wilson O, Thompson LA. Virtual reality training effects center of pressure (COP)- based balance parameters in older individuals. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(16), 7182; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14167182
  • Wilson O, Arnold N, Thompson LA. Investigating the Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Training on Balance Ability and Balance Confidence in Older Individuals. Appl. Sci. 2024; 14(11):4581. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14114581
  • Thompson LA, Romero Melendez R, Chen J. Postural Control in Aging Adults: Gait Strategies and Balance in Healthy Older Adults and Survivors of Stroke. Biomechanics. 2024; 4(1):153-164. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomechanics4010010
  • Melendez RAR, Thompson LA. Investigating the Effects of Center of Gravity (CoG) Shift Due to a Simulated Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) Suit on Balance. Appl. Sci. 2024; 14(10):4032. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14104032
  • Thompson LA, Badache M, Brusamolin JAR, Savadkoohi M, Guise J, Paiva GV, Suh P, Sanchez Guerrero P, Shetty D. Investigating the relationship between balance confidence and balance ability in older adults. Journal of Aging Research, 2021; 2021, Article ID 3214366. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/3214366
  • Savadkoohi M, Oladunni T, Thompson LA. Deep Neural Networks for Human's Fall-risk Prediction using Force-Plate Time Series Signal. Expert Systems with Applications, 2021; 182(15). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2021.115220
  • Savadkoohi M, Oladunni T, Thompson LA. A machine learning approach to epileptic seizure prediction using Electroencephalogram (EEG) Signal, Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, 2020; 40(3):1382-1341. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbe.2020.07.004
  • Thompson LA, Haburcakova C, Goodworth AD, Lewis RF. An Engineering Model to Test for Sensory Reweighting: Nonhuman Primates Serve as a Model for Human Postural Control and Vestibular Dysfunction. J Biomech Eng, 2018; 140(1). doi: 10.1115/1.4038157
  • Thompson LA, Haburcakova C, Lewis RF. A distinctive platform-system to study the effects of a vestibular prosthesis on non-human primate postural control. J Medical Diagnostics, 2018; 1(2), 021004. doi: 10.1115/1.4039140
  • Thompson LA, Badache M, Cale S, Behera L, Zhang N. Balance performance as observed by center-of-pressure parameter characteristics in male soccer athletes and non-athletes. Sports, 2017; 5(4):86. doi:10.3390/sports5040086
  • Thompson LA, Haburcakova C, Lewis RF. Vestibular ablation and a semicircular canal prosthesis affect postural stability during head turns. Exp Brain Res, 2016; 234(11): 3245-3257. doi: 10.1007/s00221-016-4722-5

Selected Presentations

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator, Track H, PI Meeting (one of three invited speakers to PI awardees). Converging medicine and engineering: biomedical solutions. (2024)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institutes on Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) Advisory Board Invited Lecturer – Lopez Lecture (2023)
  • Virtual Keynote Speaker - 2023 NAAS (National Association for Academy of Sciences)/AJAS (American Junior Academy of Sciences) Annual Meeting (2023)
  • Plenary Speaker: American Association for Anatomy (AAA) Annual Meeting: Anatomy Connected 2023 (2023)
  • Alan T. Waterman Laureate Public Lecture: Falls and aging — the need for biomedical solutions to a global problem, National Science Foundation (2022)
  • Featured alumni: Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) webpage, Lara A. Thompson is the first PI and faculty member of an HBCU to receive the NSF’s Alan T. Waterman Award (2022)
  • Featured alumni: MIT Institute for Medical Engineering & Science (IMES) webpage, Dr. Lara A. Thompson is the first principal investigator faculty member of an HBCU to receive the NSF’s prestigious Alan T. Waterman Award (2022)
  • Featured in “Forbes”: NSF Recognizes Three University Scientists With The $1 Million Alan T. Waterman Award (2022)
  • Featured alumni: University of Massachusetts Lowell, Engineering Alumna Awarded Nation’s Highest Honor for Early-Career Scientists, Engineers (2022)
  • Invited Panelist: National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering Advisory Committee Meeting Fall 2022, presentation entitled: Supporting Engineering Discovery Research at Primarily Undergraduate Settings: A faculty’s perspective on building new research infrastructure (2022)
  • Invited panelist: National Science Foundation distinguished panel discussion, Black Scientists & Engineers at Our Nation’s HBCUs: Making American History Now (2021)
  • Featured alumni: Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Speech and Hearing Biosciences and Technology (2021)
  • Featured speaker: Presentation to Congress: National Science Foundation (NSF) Hill Event, entitled Broadening Participation in STEM: Brought to you by NSF sponsored by the United States House Committee on Science, Space and Technology (2020)
  • Featured speaker: 2020 BEYA TechTalks: Falls and aging: nexgen biomedical solutions (2020)
  • Featured alumni: Fall edition of Harvard Otolaryngology magazine: Finding the right balance between research and medicine (2019)
  • Featured scientist: National Science Foundation Science Nation: Research immerses HBCU undergrads in biomedical engineering (2019)
  • Featured scientist: HBCU Research Magazine article: Next Generation Scientist: Making Great Strides
    (2018)

Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research

National Science Foundation (NSF), 2550361, 2022
Role: sole Principal Investigator
Title: Alan T. Waterman Awardee 2022, Highest early career honor for early-career scientists and engineers

University of the District of Columbia HEERF, 2022
Role: Principal Investigator
Title: Cultivating educational and research growth within the new UDC Biomedical Engineering program

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 80NSSC21K2061, 2021
Role: sole Principal Investigator
Title: Investigating Human Mobility and Activity while Robed in an EVA Spacesuit (MARS)

National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1C06OD030155, 2020
Role: sole Principal Investigator
Title: Creating a Specialized Technological center for Assistive Rehabilitation Research (STAR) at the University of the District of Columbia

National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1R25AG067896, 2020
Role: Principal Investigator
Title: NIA MSTEM: Advancing Diversity in Aging Research through Undergraduate Education at the University of the District of Columbia

Department on Aging and Community Living (DACL), 2019
Role: sole Principal Investigator
Title: Facilitating Aging individuals’ Living and Learning preventative fall Strategies (FALLS)

Department of Defense (DOD), 2018
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Title: An Intelligent Optimization, Clustering, and Classification Framework for Large Scale Photo-Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy (PT-IRIS) Big Data

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 2018
Role: Senior Personnel
Title: University of the District of Columbia (UDC) – National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP)

National Science Foundation (NSF) 1700219, 2017
Role: sole Principal Investigator
Title: Research Initiation Award (RIA): Investigating a new Generation of Assistive, Innovative Technologies (GAIT) for balance rehabilitation

National Science Foundation (NSF) 1654474, 2017
Role: Principal Investigator
Title: EAGER: Nurturing Women’s Innovativeness and Strength in Engineering through experiential learning in biomedical engineering (WISE).

Department of Defense (DOD), W911Nf-16-0546, 2016
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Title: Acquisition of a Laser Rapid Manufacturing System, BEAM: Broadening Education through Advanced Manufacturing at UDC.

University of the District of Columbia Faculty Incentive Research Grant, 2016
Role: Principal Investigator
Title: Investigating Forceplate-based Measures in Non-Athlete and Athlete Populations

National Science Foundation (NSF) 1533479, 2015
Role: Principal Investigator
Title: Targeted Infusion Project: Integration, Cultivation, and Exposure to Biomedical Engineering at the University of the District of Columbia.

NIH/NIDCD T32 DC00038 9/2007 – 8/2013
Role: Doctoral Trainee
I was a doctoral trainee under a Harvard-MIT Health Science and Technology Training Grant dedicated to multidisciplinary training in basic, clinical and applied approaches to the study of all aspects of human communication and the treatment of its disorders.

R01 NIH/NIDCD DC8362 7/2008 – 6/2013
Role: Doctoral Trainee/Research Assistant
Title: Vestibular prosthesis tested in a vestibulopathic model