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About

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab stands at the forefront of translational rehabilitation science, uniquely bridging cutting-edge robotics, neuroscience, and clinical medicine to transform recovery for individuals with neurological injury and disability. Based in Chicago, this world-renowned research and clinical institution has established itself as a global leader in rehabilitation robotics, neuroprosthetics, and motor learning—producing scholarship that has fundamentally reshaped how clinicians and engineers approach human movement restoration. The institution's research portfolio is anchored by landmark contributions to brain-machine interfaces, robotic-assisted therapy, and prosthetic limb control. Its most-cited work—a seminal 2006 paper on neuronal ensemble control of prosthetic devices in a human with tetraplegia, now carrying over 3,300 citations—helped define the modern field of neuroprosthetics. Equally influential are pioneering multicenter clinical trials evaluating robotic gait training systems such as the Lokomat and body-weight-supported treadmill training for stroke and spinal cord injury survivors, establishing evidence-based standards now used globally. Researchers at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have made transformative advances in understanding how adaptive robotic forces can optimize motor learning—whether by enhancing or augmenting movement errors to drive neuroplastic recovery—and in developing novel exoskeletons, cable-driven finger rehabilitation devices, and hybrid robotic prosthetic knees. Their work on targeted muscle reinnervation and EMG-based prosthetic control has opened entirely new avenues for intuitive limb replacement. With deep expertise spanning shared autonomy in assistive robotics, surface EMG clinical applications, and gravity-supported arm rehabilitation, the AbilityLab offers an extraordinary environment for prospective students and collaborators seeking to conduct research where engineering innovation and direct patient impact converge with unmatched intensity and purpose.