William Marras

Class of 2014-15

The Ohio State University
National Academy of Engineering
American Association for the Advancement of Science
International Ergonomics Association

William Marras is the Honda Chair Professor in the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering at The Ohio State University.

He conducts research to understand the role of biomechanics in spine disorder causation and its role in the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of spine disorders. His projects include epidemiologic studies, laboratory biomechanics studies, mathematical modeling, and clinical studies.

At Ohio State, Marras is the executive director and scientific director of the Spine Research Institute, the executive director of the Center for Occupational Health in Automotive Manufacturing, and the executive director of the Institute for Ergonomics. He holds joint appointments in the departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Physical Medicine, and Neurosurgery.

Marras is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. In addition, he is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the Ergonomics Society (United Kingdom), and the International Ergonomics Association.

He has written numerous books and book chapters, including his most recent book, The Working Back: A Systems View. He has presented a TEDx talk “Back Pain and Your Brain.”

He earned his bachelor’s degree in system engineering/human factors engineering from Wright State University in 1976, a master’s degree from Wayne State in industrial engineering in 1978, and a doctorate from Wayne State in bioengineering and ergonomics in 1982.

Marras’s work has attracted international recognition. He is a two-time winner (1993 and 2002) of the prestigious Swedish Volvo Award for Low Back Pain Research, has won Austria’s Vienna Award for Physical Medicine and the Liberty Mutual Prize for Injury Prevention Research. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo (Canada) for his work on the biomechanics of low back disorders.

Marras has chaired numerous National Research Council committees and boards including the Committee on Human Factors, the Committee on Human Systems Integration, and the Board on Human Systems Integration. He currently serves as deputy editor of the journal Spine and was the previous editor-in-chief of Human Factors.

He is the president of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society.

As a TIAS Fellow, Marras will work with faculty and students in the Department of Industrial And Systems Engineering, Dwight Look College of Engineering.

For more updated information: https://spine.osu.edu/people/marras.1

Students

Julie Hammett – 2015-16