Doctoral advisor Felix Zajac | Academic advisor Felix Zajac | |
Residence United States of America, Mexico Institutions University of Southern California, Cornell University, Stanford University Thesis Identification of Biomechanical Factors Limiting Finger Force Production (1997) Known for Motor control, Biomechanics Alma maters Stanford University, Swarth College Fields Biomedical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy | ||
Henaac25 part 3 outstanding technical achievement dr francisco valero cuevas usc
Francisco J. Valero-Cuevas is an Engineer of Mexican origin, and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. He is known for his work on how the human hand works, and its clinical applications. He is notable for several inventions, including devices for measuring hand function, leg function, and the construction of archways in civil engineering. Among his scholarly contributions is a textbook on the mathematical foundations underlying the study of motor control and biomechanics. He is an Elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) (2014), an Elected Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and a Thomas J. Watson Fellow.
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Education
He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1988 with a BS in Engineering. As a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, he spent one year in the Indian Subcontinent, studying Philosophy and learning Hindi. In 1991, he received an M.S. from Queen's University in Mechanical Engineering, under the guidance of Prof. Carolyn Small. He joined Stanford University in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and obtained a PhD in 1997, under the guidance of Prof. Felix Zajac.
Career
His first job was as a Research Associate and a Lecturer at Stanford University in Mechanical Engineering. He then joined Cornell University's Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering as an Assistant Professor, with a joint appointment at the Hospital for Special Surgery as an Assistant Scientist. After being promoted to an Associate Professor (with tenure) in 2005, he moved to the University of Southern California as an Associate Professor (with tenure), then promoted to a full Professor in 2011. His primary appointment at the University of Southern California are in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. He has joint appointments in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Computer Science.
Strength-Dexterity Test
This method for the assessment of hand function was invented by Francisco Valero-Cuevas in 2000, and available as a device. He has applied this successfully to study hand function in adults with disabilities, children, and even for assessing leg function. He founded a company in 2015, Neuromuscular Dynamics, LLC, based on these devices.