ONE Lab members together at Ontario Tech University

Leadership

Director

Dr. Nick La Delfa

Associate Professor · Director, ONE Lab

Nick La Delfa directs ONE Lab and is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Ontario Tech University. His research spans occupational biomechanics, neuromuscular science, digital human modelling, and applied ergonomics.

Faculty profile ↗ · Email

Current lab

Graduate researchers

Ryan Foley

PhD Candidate

Research focus: Ryan studies neuromuscular fatigue and recovery. His research examines how occupational work patterns influence physical capacity, and he is developing computational models that can support better decisions about task design during the complex work typically observed in industry.

Fatigue & RecoveryStrength & CapabilityDigital Ergonomics

Michael Watterworth

PhD Candidate

Research focus: Michael studies overhead-work exposure and works closely with automotive partners to develop physical risk-assessment approaches. His thesis work examines how task demands influence acceptable overhead-work exposures.

Strength & CapabilityField ErgonomicsApplied Ergonomics

Bita Kakhani

Master's Student

Research focus: Bita is studying how manual arm strength is influenced by the hand-grip interaction used during the force exertion.

Strength & CapabilityDigital Ergonomics

Kirsten Nowell

MHSc Student

Research focus: Kirsten studies the physical exposures and ergonomics of manual massage therapy, including occupational postures, forces, repetitive demands, and musculoskeletal outcomes.

Field ErgonomicsApplied Ergonomics

Current lab

Undergraduate students

Graham Salvisburg

Undergraduate Student

Neil Patel

Undergraduate Student

AlumniGraduate, postdoctoral, and undergraduate alumni32 former ONE Lab researchers and trainees

Graduate and postdoctoral alumni

15 former graduate researchers and postdoctoral fellows.

Gillian Slade

MHSc · 2026

Thesis: The Effect of Cycle Time on Shoulder Fatigue Development During Repetitive Overhead Work

Nolan Ford

MHSc · 2026

Research area: Ergonomic gaming mouse evaluation

Supervisor

Adam Murphy

MHSc · 2025

Thesis: Predicting fastball velocity from range of motion, strength and co-contraction

Supervisor, part-time

William Auray

MHSc · 2025

Thesis: The effect of supra-maximal reach distance on manual arm strength

Supervisor, part-time

Benjamin Allen

MHSc · 2024

Thesis: Developing a library of manual force durations for common automotive assembly tasks

Supervisor

Ryuta Dharmaputra

MHSc · 2024

Thesis: Examining the effect of virtual reality immersion on physical ergonomics exposure metrics

Supervisor

Jeffrey Graham

Postdoctoral Fellow · 2020–2022

Research area: Effect of mental fatigue on occupational and sport performance

Co-supervised with Dr. Nick Wattie

Megan McIntosh

MHSc · 2022

Thesis: Construct validity and sensitivity of the Spine Dysfunction, Stress and Sensory-Motor Integration Questionnaire in individuals with neck dysfunction

Co-supervisor with Dr. Bernadette Murphy

Michael Watterworth

MHSc · 2022

Thesis: An evaluation of upper-limb exoskeletons and overhead cycle time on shoulder loading

Supervisor

Sarah Fitzgerald

MHSc · 2022

Thesis: The effect of mental fatigue on novel perceptual-motor task performance and neuromechanics

Supervisor

Fahima Wakeely

MHSc · 2021

Thesis: The effect of handedness on upper-limb strength

Supervisor

Rahul Pabla

MHSc · 2021

Thesis: Exploring the interaction of physical and mental fatigue on upper-limb neuromechanics

Co-supervisor with Dr. Jeffrey Graham

Ushani Ambalavanar

MHSc · 2021

Research area: Development and validation of tools examining neural correlates and constructs associated with sensorimotor integration

Co-supervisor with Dr. Bernadette Murphy

Daniel Abdel-Malek

MHSc · 2019

Thesis: Examining the effects of duty cycle and exertion-intensity thresholds on neuromuscular fatigue and recovery

Supervisor

Matthew Russell

MHSc · 2019

Thesis: Evaluation of subclinical neck pain on shoulder kinematics and occupational performance

Co-supervisor with Dr. Bernadette Murphy

Undergraduate alumni

17 former undergraduate researchers and trainees.

Aleena Butt

Research Practicum Student · 2024–2025

Hayley Janes

Research Practicum Student · Research Assistant · 2024–2026

Shane Fredericks

Research Practicum Student · 2023–2024

Gillian Slade

Research Practicum Student · 2022–2024

Mya Ching’anda

Research Practicum Student · 2022–2023

Jessica Issa

Research Practicum Student · 2022–2023

Ryuta Dharmaputra

Research Practicum Student · Research Assistant · 2021–2022; 2025–2026

Joecy Peters

Research Practicum Student · 2021–2022

Danny Callaghan

Research Practicum Student · 2020–2021

Nicole Irwin

Research Practicum Student · 2020–2021

David Abdel-Malek

Research Practicum Student · 2019–2020

Sarah Norman

Research Practicum Student · 2019–2020

Michael Watterworth

Research Practicum Student · 2019–2020

Shanice Adair-Samuel

Research Practicum Student · 2018–2019

Fahima Wakeely

Research Practicum Student · 2018–2019

Mia Stoicescu

Research Practicum Student · 2017–2018

Brittany Bulbrook

Research Assistant · 2020–2021