Our Team

Karim Malek
Karim Abdel-Malek is Professor of Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Iowa. He is the founder and director of the Virtual Soldier Research program where he manages a group of 35 researchers comprising faculty, staff scientists, graduate and undergraduate students. The VSR team has received national and international recognition for advancing research in the area of human modeling and simulation, and in particular, in creating the Santos™ environment, which is a comprehensive environment for simulating biomechanics, dynamics, and many other aspects of human studies. Santos™ is used in the study of safety, motion, biomechanics, clothing effects, energy requirements, disability research, forensic simulation, and much more. The VSR team has active funded partnerships with the military, defense contractors, automotive manufacturers, and construction equipment manufacturers.
Dr. Abdel-Malek's research is in real-time simulation, kinematics and dynamics, robotics, human simulation, and virtual reality. He is internationally recognized for his work on swept volumes, manipulator kinematics, and digital human motion prediction.
Dr. Abdel-Malek has authored or co-authored a US patent, 82 journal papers, and 85 conference papers. He is the recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship, the IASTE Scholarship, the 2000 John T. Parsons Outstanding Manufacturing Engineer award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), 2001 Arch T. Colwell best paper award from the Society of Automotive Engineers for his pioneering work on understanding human motion, was nominated to the Academy of Sciences Frontiers of Engineers, the 2004 Outstanding paper award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and he serves on several national and international committees of conferences and review panels. Dr. Abdel-Malek is the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Robotics and Automation and the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Human Modeling and Simulation. Under this effort, Dr. Abdel-Malek will serve as Principal Investigator (PI) with overall responsibility for the research program, line management oversight, budgetary issues, and meeting requirements for deliverables.
Jasbir Arora
Dr. Jasbir Arora is F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the College of Engineering. He is also Professor of Civil Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. His main area of research is optimization of complex engineering systems. He has developed state of the art optimization algorithms and applied them to optimize structural and mechanical systems subjected to static and dynamic loads. He has worked on optimal control of nonlinear systems, and more recently on optimization-based simulation of human motion. He has taught basic and advanced level courses on optimization theory and its applications. He has written books on the subject and published more than 160 journal articles and more that 125 conference papers. He has guided 42 Ph.D. disertations and 12 M.S. theses. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, U.S. Army, Ford Motor, and others. Dr. Arora is on the editorial board of several technical journals. He is winner of several awards including the 2004 Excellence in Research Award in the College of Engineering. Dr. Arora enjoys working on digital human modeling problems and will lead the effort on modeling and simulation of Warfighter's tasks under this project.
Tim Marler
Dr. Tim Marler is the senior research scientist with University of Iowa's Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program, serving as the project manager for a variety of efforts, program manager for externally funded programs, and coordinator for research efforts. His general research interests include optimization, game theory, fuzzy function theory, and human modeling. Specifically, he works with predictive human models, developing optimization-based posture prediction capabilities, and developing new methods and techniques for multi-objective optimization. Tim received his Bachelor's degree from The University of Rochester in Mechanical Engineering, in 1991. While at Rochester, he helped develop a new process for creating sound-absorbing materials made from ultra fine iron powders, for the U.S. Navy. Tim received his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University in 1992, with a focus on mechanical design and vehicle modification. His Master's thesis addressed the design of a new system for automatically transporting a wheel chair into an automobile. After graduating from Penn State, he worked in a manufacturing lab at Drexel University, where he helped develop new methods for optimizing injection-molding processes. Tim then went to work at Ford Motor Company as a product design engineer and as a technical analyst. During his time at Ford, he completed the Ford FCG training program with rotations through manufacturing plants, the pilot plant, the research lab, and various product design departments. After working at Ford, Tim returned to graduate school and received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Iowa in 2005. His thesis focused on the analysis and development of algorithms for multi-objective optimization, with applications to crash models and human models. While at Iowa he also worked with a variety of industries. He worked at the Amana refrigeration plant as a manufacturing engineer responsible for designing assembly lines and manufacturing processes while being trained in lean manufacturing. He worked at Pacific Northwest Nation Laboratory as a software engineer involved in the development of optimization algorithms for biological models. He worked on the design and optimization of heat exchangers at Hon Technology. Also while at Iowa, he taught Optimization, Dynamics, and Statics.
Steve Beck
Steve Beck is the Research and Development Projects Manager at the University of Iowa's Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD) and the Senior Project Manager with the Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program. While the first 25 years of Steve's life was focused primarily on music, his professional interests shifted almost exclusively to 3D computer graphics in 1987. By the mid-90's Steve had developed and was teaching a four course curriculum in 3D computer modeling and animation at the University of Iowa where he taught well over 250 students during the 10 years that these courses were listed in the University's course catalog. Steve's 3D modeling course development and teaching efforts at the University of Iowa brought him to the attention of Alias Research who contracted him to teach 3D modeling concepts and techniques to industrial clients. Steve's experience as an industrial trainer led to a variety of additional opportunities to further his technical modeling expertise while working with clients including Henry Dreyfus, Mattel, Mercedes Benz, Black & Decker, Porter Cable, GM Truck, Tupperware, Honda R&D;, and Microsoft. Dramatic increases in the visual quality of real-time 3D computer games in the late 90's led to Steve's experimentation with 3d game technology as a means of developing low-cost immersive environments. In 2000, through a grant from the UI's Obermann Center, Steve worked with University of Iowa Theatre Arts Prof. Alison Ford on a proof of concept project to enable theatre production staff to remotely collaborate on theatre-specific works though the recreation of the University of Iowa Thayer Theatre using an off-the-shelf game engine with multi-player capabilities. This project ultimately led to a variety of similar funded projects over the next 3 years, all of which were presented at IEEE VR2003. Steve's interest in real-time visualization technology lead to his current position as Senior Projects Manager with the Virtual Soldier Research group in October 2003 where he is responsible for hiring, firing, and training of professional staff assigned to the VSR director, manages project and product development for the VSR team, and has ultimate responsibility for client relations. Steve accepted an additional challenge as Research and Development Projects Manger at the Center for Computer-Aided Design in February of 2006 where he maintains a leadership position in managing project and product development for CCAD, directs professional staff on all ongoing inter-related efforts, is responsible for process, procedure, and policy management for all software development activities, and is responsible for collaboration and partnership management with a variety of organizations and committee efforts though-out the University of Iowa ranging from Department Executive Officers, Associate Deans, and Dean of the College of Engineering.
Rhonda Grant
Rhonda Grant is the President and CEO of the Grant Consulting Group, with over 25 years of experience in government and the private sector, including for-profit and not-for-profit corporations. Grant Consulting Group specializes in government and public relations consulting and focuses on issues pertinent to clients at the international, federal, state and local levels. The members of the firm have extensive expertise in government (both legislative and regulatory), media and investor relations, ensuring proper and expert handling of issues at all levels of government. Taking a 21st century approach Grant Consulting Group has firmly established themselves in Washington, D.C. and in state capitols across the country as trusted advocates.
ESI, North America
ESI is an official distributor of Santos Engine software. ESI is a world leading software editor for the numerical simulation of prototype and manufacturing process engineering in applied mechanics. The key to ESI's success is the use of realistic material physics, providing "as good as real" virtual solutions, in order to replace the lengthy trial and error processes on real prototypes.
Kostech, South Korea
Korea Simulation Technologies is an official distributor of Santos Engine software.