Daniel (Danny) Davis, PhD

NIH F32 Postdoctoral Fellow

Sayu Lab for Biomechanics and Locomotion, University of Utah

My research aims to enhance mobility by improving functional capacity and performance throughout the lifespan. I bridge bridge basic and translational research approaches from engineering, physiology, and rehabilitation to elucidate novel neuromusculoskeletal mechanisms underpinning functional deficits and leverage this mechanistic understanding to optimally deploy interventions. As an NIH F32 Postdoctoral Fellow, I am examining how foot & shoe properties influence muscle, joint, and whole-body mechanics and energetics to help older adults walk more efficiently.

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If you would like to get in contact with me, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email, Bluesky, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

During my PhD, I...

1) clarified the influence of toe dorsiflexion on foot arch stiffness during walking (Davis & Challis, PLoS ONE, 2022),

2) characterized the mechanical function of the foot's arch during walking, rearfoot strike running, and non-rearfoot strike running (Davis & Challis, J Biomech, 2023),

and 3) developed a computational multi-segment foot model to explore how foot properties alter the metabolic cost of gait in forward dynamics simulations (Davis & Challis, Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin, 2024 & Davis & Challis, Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin, 2025).

As a postdoc, I am training in...

1) cine B-mode ultrasound to explore how mechanisms underlying altered muscle efficiency (Davis et al., J Appl Physiol, 2025)

2) biplane fluoroscopy to examine age-related differences in foot bone motion (Cernucan et al., Footwear Science, 2025)

and 3) functional gait assessment in older adults to assess low-cost interventions (Davis et al., in review; Long et al. ASB 2025; Kundu et al., ASB 2025)

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