Motor Skill Lab

We study how the brain plans and controls complex, goal-directed skilled actions that resemble everyday behavior, and how these processes are disrupted by aging and disease. Our work integrates behavioral assays and controlled perturbations with biomechanics and advanced neuroimaging. Our long-term goal is to restore the grace, efficiency, and independence of skilled hand use for those who have lost it.

Core Research Areas

Flexibility vs. stereotypy in action planning and control
A central theme of our research is how the brain balances flexible, context-specific control with more stereotyped, default strategies. We study how factors such as sensory uncertainty and task repetition bias the system toward one mode or the other, and how this balance shifts with aging, leading to persistent errors and reduced adaptability in everyday behavior.

Sensorimotor interactions in action planning and control
Everyday actions depend on integrating multiple sensory signals, including vision and proprioception. We investigate how the brain weights these signals based on their reliability and how changes in sensory reliability influence both behavior and underlying neural representations across different components of an action.

Aging, disease, and loss of skilled function
We extend our work to understand how sensorimotor control is disrupted in aging and clinical populations. By understanding how changes in the motor system cause errors, we aim to define targets for interventions that preserve or restore functional independence.

Our lab is committed to rigorous, supportive, and increasingly independent scientific training. We aim to help trainees become thoughtful, technically strong, and creative researchers who can contribute meaningfully to the science of skilled action and sensorimotor control.

Michelle leads an independent research program in sensorimotor neuroscience focused on how the brain plans and controls complex, goal-directed skilled actions, and how these processes are disrupted by aging and disease. Her lab combines behavioral assays and controlled perturbations with biomechanics and advanced neuroimaging to identify the neural mechanisms that support dexterous, flexible action.

Her work centers on several linked questions: how the brain represents and plans skilled object manipulation; how sensory reliability shapes action planning; and why aging and other sensorimotor disruptions can bias behavior toward more stereotyped, less flexible control strategies. This work aims to identify mechanisms that support skilled hand use in everyday life and inform approaches to preserve or restore functional independence.

Originally from South Africa, Michelle completed her PhD at the University of Western Australia under Dr. Geoff Hammond, followed by postdoctoral training at Columbia University with Dr. Andrew Gordon and an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship with Drs. Scott Grafton and Gary Egan at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Monash University. She established her lab in the Department of Human Physiology at the University of Oregon in 2020.

Michelle also likes: surfing, skiing, hiking, mosaic hops, and Neopolitan style margarita pizzas.

Catherine is a PhD candidate in Human Physiology. Her research examines how aging and changing task demands influence flexible motor planning, with current work focused on when we plan multi-object actions and how those action plans are neurally encoded. She previously earned a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Iowa and later worked in brain sciences and clinical research while completing a master's degree in Psychology. Outside of research, she enjoys exploring the world, yapping, playing piano, and spending time with her husband and dog.

Philip is a PhD student in the Department of Human Physiology. He earned his M.Sc. in Clinical Exercise Science from the University of Potsdam, where he studied changes in neuromotor control related to Achilles tendinopathy. His current work focuses on proprioception, visually guided movement, and the neural control of sensorimotor behavior. In his spare time, Philip enjoys playing soccer, trekking, and cooking.

Ashley is a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Oregon majoring in Human Physiology with minors in Biology, Chemistry, and Global Health. She is interested in how motor learning and control are shaped by neurological and biomechanical factors, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative disease and rehabilitation. After graduating, Ashley plans to attend medical school. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, skiing, traveling, and spending time with friends.

Max is a fourth-year undergraduate double majoring in Neuroscience and Human Physiology with a minor in Bioengineering. His interests span cellular and behavioral aspects of neuromotor control, and he is broadly interested in how the nervous system supports movement and function. While still deciding between medicine and research, he hopes to pursue a future related to neurology. Outside the lab, he enjoys running, reading, and being an absolute menace on the tennis court.

Daniel is a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Oregon majoring in Data Science with a domain emphasis in Physics. He is interested in applying statistical analysis, machine learning, and programming to questions about motor control, brain function, and human health. He hopes to build computational tools that support research and discovery in biological and medical science. Outside of academics, he enjoys cooking, playing piano, playing and watching sports, and spending time outdoors.

We are currently recruiting graduate students and research assistants interested in behavioral and systems neuroscience, with an emphasis on motor control and skilled action. We welcome applicants interested in designing, programming, and conducting biomechanics, neuroimaging, and brain stimulation experiments in healthy and clinical populations.

The lab is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive research and training environment, and to maintaining a fun, rigorous, and supportive research environment.

If you are interested in joining the lab as a PhD student, postdoc, or research assistant, please email Michelle.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is embedded in how we conduct research, train scientists, and build our lab community. We aim to create an environment in which individuals from diverse backgrounds feel a strong sense of belonging and are supported in developing as independent, rigorous scientists.

We operationalize these values through intentional mentorship, transparent expectations, and inclusive research and recruitment practices. This includes actively seeking diverse trainee pools, fostering respectful and open scientific dialogue, and co-developing lab norms that support collaboration, accountability, and equitable participation.