Occupational Safety & Health Research Center
Sol Lim as New OSHRC Director
Welcome to OSHRC
The Occupational Safety and Health Research Center (OSHRC) is devoted to discovering and disseminating innovative ways to separate humans from hazards in the occupational environment, through research and training, and focusing on applications that reduce fatalities, injuries, illnesses, and accidents.
We are delighted to congratulate OSHRC Director Dr. Sol Lim on two exciting milestones! She has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure, and has been named the inaugural Vinod and Ranjana Chachra Faculty Fellow in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department — a wonderful recognition of her outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and mentoring. Congratulations, Sol! (June 2026)
Sol Lim named Chachra Faculty Fellow (5/11/2026 on Virginia Tech News)
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OSHRC Core Faculty, Maury A. Nussbaum received the David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), presented at the IISE Annual Conference and Expo in Arlington, Texas. This lifetime achievement award honors outstanding researchers whose work has made significant contributions to academia and industry. You can watch his brief acceptance speech, in which he expressed his gratitude to his colleagues, industry partners, and students. Congratulations, Maury! (June 2026)
Maury A. Nussbaum receives David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award (6/15/2026 on Virginia Tech News)
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New article Vision-language models for occupational physical exposure assessment: Classification and temporal segmentation of manual material handling tasks by Sunwook Kim and Maury Nussbaum was published in Applied Ergonomics. (June 2026)
The following 2 new articles were published in Applied Ergonomics (May 2026):
- Evaluating model-estimated shoulder muscle activity during overhead work with varied task demands and exoskeleton use by Sunwook Kim and Maury Nussbaum
- Passive back- and arm-support exoskeletons have effects on physical demands and user perceptions in simulated manual mining tasks that are generally beneficial but are both device- and task-specific by Sunwook Kim and Maury Nussbaum
The following 2 new articles were published in Applied Ergonomics (April 2026):
- Effectiveness and usability of a trunk posture feedback system: A longitudinal field study for up to six weeks in a distribution center by Sunwook Kim, Sol Lim, and Maury Nussbaum
- Evaluating the accuracy and feasibility of a commercial AI-powered ergonomic assessment system for automotive assembly work by Sunwook Kim, Maury Nussbaum, and Sol Lim
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Sol Lim, Assistant Professor in Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) and OSHRC Core Faculty member, has accepted the role of OSHRC Director. Congratulations, Dr. Lim!
We also extend our sincere appreciation to Dr. Maury Nussbaum, John Grado Professor in ISE and long-time OSHRC Director, for his years of service. (March 2026)
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New article Use of wearable sensors for continuous field monitoring of upper arm and trunk postures among construction workers by Sol Lim and Maury Nussbaum was published in Ergonomics (February 2026).
New article Rigid and soft back-support exoskeletons affect biomechanical and perceptual demands, but in different ways, during simulated shingle installation by Sunwook Kim and Maury Nussbaum was published in Applied Ergonomics. (February 2026)
New article Muscle synergy analysis of short-term adaptation to arm-support exoskeletons during pseudo-static and dynamic overhead tasks by Maury Nussbaum was published in Journal of Biomechanics. (December 2025)
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OSHRC Research Areas
OSHRC members are involved in a broad range of Research Areas that are within diverse disciplines and/or address one or more occupational sectors. Many projects have Research-to-Practice (R2P) components.
Sectors
- Agriculture
- Forestry & Fishing
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Manufacturing
- Mining
- Cross Sector
Disciplines
- Industrial Hygiene
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Safety
- Slips/Trips/Falls
- Work Organization