Rate My Professor Robert Siston

Robert Siston is Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Ohio State University, holding courtesy appointments as Professor in Biomedical Engineering, Orthopaedics, and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2000, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2002, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2005. Following a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, he returned to The Ohio State University as an assistant professor in 2006. Throughout his career, he has advanced through key administrative roles, including Director of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering undergraduate research program from August 2011 to August 2019, Associate Chair for Administration from July 2019 to August 2021, Interim Chair from August 2021 to January 2023, and Chair since February 2023. In this capacity, he oversees a $16 million operational budget, facilities spanning 230,000 square feet in Scott Laboratory, annual research expenditures of approximately $30 million, over 80 faculty members, 30 staff, 1,900 undergraduate students, and 300 graduate students across programs in mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering.

Siston's research integrates mechanical engineering principles with the study and treatment of human movement disorders, particularly at the intersection of orthopedics and neuromuscular biomechanics. His specializations encompass orthopedics of the lower extremity, neuromuscular biomechanics, computer simulations of human movement, surgical navigation, and rehabilitation. Notable contributions include developing, during his doctoral studies, the only image-free navigation system for total knee arthroplasty in the United States unaffiliated with a medical device company, as well as tools to objectively measure knee laxity during surgeries, in collaboration with mechanical engineers, radiologists, orthopaedic surgeons, and physical therapists. His team conducts muscle-driven simulations and electromyography-based studies examining muscle forces and motor modules in activities such as walking, rising from a chair, and stair climbing, linking these to post-operative outcomes. This work receives sponsorship from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, industry partners, and philanthropic groups. Siston has earned prestigious awards including the Clinical Biomechanics Award from the American Society of Biomechanics, the Richard C. O'Connor Award from the Arthroscopy Association of North America (awarded twice), and the Lumley Research Award from the Ohio State College of Engineering. He directs the NeuroMuscular Biomechanics Laboratory. In education, he pioneered a senior capstone design series partnering mechanical and biomedical engineering students with occupational therapy faculty to create assistive devices for individuals with disabilities, funded by NSF and NIH grants. An early adopter of the flipped classroom model for a large junior-level course, he shared resources with peers and co-founded the department's Future Academic Scholars Training program, preparing PhD students for academic careers; its alumni have secured faculty positions at institutions including MIT, the University of Cincinnati, and Otterbein University. He served as a panelist at the National Academy of Engineering's Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium. His teaching excellence is recognized by the University's Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, the David C. McCarthy Engineering Teaching Award, the Boyer Award for Excellence in Teaching Innovations from the College of Engineering, and the Michael Moran Teaching Excellence Award from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.