Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, 2022
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 2017
Professional Honors
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Professional Affiliations
  • Member, American Society of Biomechanics

Dr. Nigro has extensive expertise across a wide range of biomechanical disciplines, from the design of orthopedic assistive devices for human locomotion to the analysis of complex, high-performance sports movements. His background spans both academic research and private industry, enabling him to provide comprehensive support in biomechanical experimental design, data analysis, and product performance evaluation. He has led many human subject studies utilizing advanced technologies such as optical marker-based and markerless 3D motion capture systems, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and indirect calorimetry. His collaborative work with engineers, physical therapists, and prosthetists/orthotists in both research and clinical environments underscores his multidisciplinary approach.

Dr. Nigro earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware, where he was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. His doctoral research focused on the development of an innovative ankle-foot orthosis featuring stepwise bending stiffness to more accurately replicate the dynamic rotational stiffness of the human ankle during walking, pushing the state-of-the-art of ankle-foot orthoses forward. Following his Ph.D., Dr. Nigro completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he leveraged low-cost IMUs to develop empirically driven alignment protocols for prosthetists and clinicians working with lower-limb amputees.

In the private sector, Dr. Nigro has applied his expertise to sports biomechanics, ranging from pitching and batting in baseball to optimize performance to shoe and insole fitting for elite runners to reduce injury risk.