Darío Villarreal

Dario Villarreal is a PhD Candidate of Biomedical Engineering working as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Locomotor Control Systems Laboratory. He received a B.Eng. in Mechatronics Engineering, in 2012, from Saltillo Tech (Instituto Tecnológico de Saltillo) in Mexico, where he graduated as first of his class. He then moved on to pursue his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas. His main areas of research are Biomechatronics and Control Systems. His research primarily looks into reverse engineering human locomotion and aims at understanding the underlying neuromechanics that allow humans parameterize the gait cycle. The main application of this research is to augment the control of wearable robots, e.g., prostheses and orthoses. In 2012, he received an award from the ANFEI (National Association of Engineering Schools and Faculties) recognizing him as one of the top graduate engineers in Mexico. That same year, the Mexican government awarded him the prestigious CONACYT (National Council of Science and Technology) fellowship to support his PhD studies. He is a current IEEE student member.