Dr Ale Aranceta-Garza
- Position: Associate Professor in Motor Control
- Areas of expertise: Motor control; neurophysiology; neuromuscular function; movement science; high-density electromyography; neurorehabilitation; digital biomarkers; stroke rehabilitation; assistive technology
- Email: A.Aranceta-Garza@leeds.ac.uk
- Location: 5.59 Garstang
- Website: ORCID
Profile
Dr Ale Aranceta-Garza is an Associate Professor in Motor Control at the University of Leeds. Her research focuses on understanding how the nervous system controls human movement and how this knowledge can be applied to improve rehabilitation, health, and quality of life.
Ale completed her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, where she investigated the use of high-density surface electromyography (HDsEMG) for upper-limb prosthetic control. Since then, she has developed an interdisciplinary research programme spanning motor control, neurophysiology, rehabilitation, biomechanics and assistive technologies.
Her work combines advanced electrophysiological techniques with clinical and translational research to investigate movement in health, disease and following injury. She has particular expertise in the assessment and interpretation of neuromuscular signals and the quantitative evaluation of rehabilitation outcomes.
Before joining Leeds, Ale was Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Dundee, where she established the NeuroRehabilitation and Technology Laboratory within Ninewells Hospital and secured over £1 million in competitively awarded research funding. Her research has led to patented assistive technologies, international collaborations, and partnerships with healthcare and industry organisations.
Alongside her research, Ale is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, student mentorship, public engagement, and translating scientific discoveries into meaningful real-world impact.
Research interests
My research seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying human movement and how the nervous system adapts during health, disease, ageing and recovery from injury.
I use advanced neurophysiological and electrophysiological approaches, particularly high-density surface electromyography (HDsEMG), to investigate how muscles are controlled by the nervous system during movement. By studying the neural and muscular components of motor behaviour, my work aims to uncover objective markers of function, recovery, adaptation and disease progression.
Current areas of research include:
- Motor control and movement science
- Neuromuscular physiology
- HDsEMG
- Neurorehabilitation and recovery following neurobiological injury
- Digital biomarkers and quantitative health assessment
- Stroke recovery and post-stroke rehabilitation
- Motor adaptation, fatigue, and movement variability
- Prosthetics, orthotics and assistive technologies
- Rehabilitation engineering
- Clinical translation of movement technologies
A major goal of my research is to bridge fundamental understanding of motor control with clinical practice, creating objective tools that can support diagnosis, monitor recovery, personalise rehabilitation programmes, and improve patient outcomes.
My work is highly collaborative, bringing together researchers from neuroscience, physiotherapy, engineering, medicine, biomechanics and health sciences as well as patients, healthcare professionals, and industry partners.
Links
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7801-2544
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandra-aranceta-garza-phd-4972633b/
- Young Academy of Scotland: https://www.youngacademyofscotland.org.uk/members/alejandra-aranceta-garza/
Qualifications
- PgDip in Advanced Academic Studies (for FHEA), 2016
- PhD in Biomedical Engineering, 2015