Muthu Wijesundara, Ph.D.
Principal Research Scientist
Group: Research Staff
817-272-5994
muthuw@uta.edu
Biography
Muthu B. J. Wijesundara, Ph.D., is a Principal Research Scientist and leads the Biomedical Technologies Division at The University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute (UTARI). The Division focuses on advances in technology related to tissue regeneration and wound healing, rehabilitation robotics, and human-machine interfacing. His research has been funded by CDMRP, MTEC, NIH, NSF, and several nonprofit organizations.
His work on tissue regeneration and wound healing focuses on negative pressure wound therapy devices for the hand to promote faster healing and compliant tissue growth. Regarding rehabilitation robotics, Dr. Wijesundara is working on soft-robotic exoskeletons for applying motion therapy to aid recovery from physical and neurological injuries and conditions. The human-machine interfacing techniques he develops are targeted towards the prevention of deep tissue pressure injures and skin conditions (pressure ulcers) due to mobility and sensation deficiencies (spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, or stroke), diabetic foot ulcers due to diabetic neuropathy, and skin and soft-tissue injuries due to prosthetic use. With these technological developments, his team hopes to provide better wound healing, rehabilitation, and preventive care systems to improve the quality of life of those in need.
He joined UTARI in 2010. Previously, he served as Process Engineering Manager at the Northern California Nanotechnology Center at the University of California at Davis from 2008-2009. From 2001-2008 he was on staff at the University of California, Berkeley, first as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering and then for five years as a Research Specialist in the Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center. He earned a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2001 and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, in 1991. Dr. Wijesundara is the author or co-author of over 75 peer-reviewed scientific articles and the co-inventor of eight U.S. patents. Dr. Wijesundara is a senior member of the prestigious National Academy of Inventors.
Subject matter: Biomedical Technologies