Appaji Panchangam, Ph.D., P.Eng., ACTAR
Biomechanical Practice Leader
Background
Dr. Appaji Panchangam received a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Prior to earning his Ph.D., he received two master’s degrees in disciplines of Physics and a B.Sc. in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. He is a registered professional engineer in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Panchangam’s primary areas of consulting expertise include injury causation biomechanics, human gait and balance, slips/trips and falls, vehicle accident reconstruction, and occupant motion.
With 15 years of forensic engineering experience, Dr. Panchangam’s knowledge and broad range of skills enable him to answer complex engineering questions and solve unique problems. He has conducted research in multiple aspects of musculoskeletal injury with emphasis on muscle mechanics and injury, and published numerous research articles in national and international organizations. He was awarded the “Young Investigator Award” in 2012 by the Canadian Society of Biomechanics for his research in muscle mechanics. Additionally, Dr. Panchangam has significant academic and industry experience in high-power laser optics, laser protection, and safety. He has expertise in testing and data analysis.
Dr. Panchangam is also an ACTAR-accredited Traffic Accident Reconstructionist. His assessments have included low- and high-speed collisions, rollovers, fatality accidents, pedestrian and bicycle collisions, driver determination, evaluation of seatbelt and other restraint use, site inspection and mapping, vehicle inspections, speed analysis, time-distance analysis, GPS data analysis, Event Data Recorder download and analysis, crash simulations, and nighttime visibility testing.
He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM), and the International Society of Biomechanics.
Education and Certifications
- Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D.: University of Michigan (2007)
- Applied Physics, M.S.: University of Massachusetts (2000)
- Physics, M.Sc.: University of Hyderabad, India (1997)
- Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, B.S.: Nagarjuna University, India (1993)
- Professional Engineer: Province of British Columbia, Canada
- Traffic Accident Reconstructionist (ACTAR #3327): Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR)
- Certified Crash Data Retrieval Technician and Analyst (Collision Sciences Institute)
- Young Investigator Award: Canadian Society of Biomechanics (2012)
- Finalist for Journal of Biomechanics Award: American Society of Biomechanics (2010)
- Post-doctoral Research Fellowship: NSERC CREATE Program (2009 – 2011)
Publications
- “Overextended sarcomeres regain filament overlap following stretch.” Journal of Biomechanics, 2012.
- “The three filament model of skeletal muscle stability and force production.” Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, 2012.
- “Sarcomere overextension reduces stretch-induced tension loss in myofibrils of rabbit psoas.” Journal of Biomechanics, 2011.
- “Non-uniform distribution of strain during stretch of relaxed skeletal muscle fibers from rat soleus muscle.” Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility, 2011.
- “Magnitude of sarcomere extension correlates with initial sarcomere length during injury to permeabilized single fibers from soleus muscles of rats.” Biophysical Journal, 2008.
- “A novel optical imaging system for investigating sarcomere dynamics in single skeletal muscle fibers.” Proceedings of SPIE, 2006.
- “Evaluation of experimental laser-induced-damage assessment techniques for solid state nonlinear optical elements.” Proceedings of SPIE, 2002.
- “Processing of medical images using real-time optical Fourier processing.” Medical Physics, 2000.
- *Author or co-author of about 20 publications as conference proceedings, abstracts, or posters at various national and international meetings.