Kinesiology Graduate Alumni Updates

Here's what our recent graduate alumni have been up to:

Sikha Pudasaini ’25MS

During my time at UMass Amherst, I worked in Dr. Richard Van Emmerik’s Motor Control lab, where I contributed to an NIH-funded research project focused on human movement and motor control. This experience strengthened my research skills and deepened my understanding of how movement science can be applied to rehabilitation. After graduating, I pursued my passion for clinical care and am currently working as a Physical Therapist at UHS Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation in New York. My goal is to continue growing as a clinician while integrating my background in kinesiology, motor control, and research into evidence-based physical therapy practice. I hope to continue learning and contributing to improved outcomes for patients through the application of movement science.

Dissertation Title: “Age and Its Impact on Gait Termination”

Michael Jensen ’26MS

At the musculoskeletal and orthopedic lab at UMass, I worked mostly alongside Ross Brancati and Jacob Thomas when I was there. With Ross, I mainly assisted him with his dissertation work. I mainly helped him with data collections, along with Jacob and the work that he did with the SAGE study. I assisted with the processing of the data, and just after participants came in, I would help with the flow of visits. We worked with runners with knee pain and tried to determine and find approaches where we could almost predict knee pain. With the SAGE study, we were trying to understand what happens as we age from a biomechanical and physiologic perspective. Currently, I am a performance science intern for the Tampa Bay Rays where I work with performance science staff, coaches and players with things like Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), biomechanics, and everyday activities (practice, games, etc.) to assist in any ways we can to improve player health and keep them on the field. Mainly revolving around things like fatigue monitoring, strength and conditioning changes in the weight room, workload management, etc. and mainly just trying to make inferences based on the data we have so we can help as much as we can. My future plans is to pursue my PhD in January at UConn. My ultimate goal is to work in a biomechanical space, whether that be in or out of sports. I want to be able to make decisions and pursue a director position where I can help an organization leverage biomechanical data to better anyone who is involved in health and wellness.

Dissertation Title: "Inter-segmental Coordination in Baseball Pitching: Identifying Skill-level Differences and Injury Risks"

Kaitlyn Kleeman ’26MS

While at UMass I worked in the NeuroMuscular Biomechanics Lab (NMBL). My research focused on investigating how dynamic balance control, neuromuscular control, and strength are influenced by pregnancy, as well as how being physically active during pregnancy might modulate changes to those metrics. This fall, I will begin my PhD at UMass in the NMBL lab.

Dissertation Title: "The Impact of Pregnancy and Physical Activity on Dynamic Balance, Neuromuscular Control, and Strength"

Zachary Fiske ’26MS 

Zach is currently running Route 66. You can follow him here.

Dissertation Title: “Strain-dependent Effects of Phosphate on Myosin in an Ultrafast Optical Trap”

Zachary Fiske ’26MS 

Zach is currently running Route 66. You can follow him here.

Dissertation Title: “Strain-dependent Effects of Phosphate on Myosin in an Ultrafast Optical Trap”

Adalyn Hahn ’26MS

I worked in the Neuromuscular Biomechanics Lab (NMBL) while at UMass, and my research was on gait biomechanics and neuromuscular control after ACL reconstruction surgery. I also was a teaching assistant for Anatomy and Physiology I/II and the Biomechanics lab. I have moved to Laguna Hills, California to start a job as a Biomechanical Engineer in Forensic Injury Biomechanics at a company called MEA forensics. Here’s a description of the company: MEA’s Injury Biomechanics group combines specialized knowledge of injury, anatomy and human performance with fundamental engineering mechanics to determine how injuries are caused and prevented. My goals are to use my knowledge and experience to bring justice to those who have experienced an injury.

Dissertation Title: “The Effect of Psychological Skills Training on Putting Performance and Competitive State Anxiety in Amateur and Youth Golfers”

Montgomery Bertschy ’26PhD

My research focuses on understanding how musculotendon mechanics contribute to human movement, with the goal of promoting healthy and efficient gait. As a graduate researcher in the UMass Integrative Locomotion Laboratory (UMILL) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst under the supervision of Dr. Hoogkamer, I investigated running biomechanics and energetics, particularly the effects of footwear cushioning on running performance and muscle mechanics. I am now a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I study how Achilles tendon morphology influences function, health, and performance. 

Dissertation Title: “Understanding the mechanisms underlying the metabolic effects of footwear cushioning”