Carlo J. De Luca

Professor De Luca was a pioneer in the use and advancement of muscle recordings (Electromyography) for the study of human movement.

Prof. De Luca started his career at Liberty Mutual Research Center, serving as Project Director for over 20 years. He was later appointed to the faculties of MIT and Harvard Medical School where he founded the NeuroMuscular Research Laboratory. He then joined Boston University, where he held the titles of Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Founder and Director of the NeuroMuscular Research Center, Research Professor of Neurology, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Professor of Physical Therapy. He served as Dean ad interim of the College of Engineering from 1986 to 1989. In 2015 he was appointed Professor Emeritus of Boston University College of Engineering. Committed to the practical translation of technology from the lab to the marketplace, Professor De Luca founded Delsys Inc., where he served as its President and CEO from 1993 to 2016. Under his leadership, Delsys and its research arm Altec Inc. grew from a small technology-transfer company to the global leader in the design and manufacture of electromyographic sensors for studying human movement.

Prof. De Luca is widely recognized for introducing engineering principles to the field of Neurophysiology and more recently for combining principles of Motor Control with the fundamentals of Biomechanics. His research has made breakthroughs on the frontiers of neuromuscular control, signal processing, and electromyographic sensor technology. He authored 122 peer-reviewed articles, 21 book chapters, and 26 patents. His writings have been cited over 21,000 times. His body of work includes “Muscles Alive”, often referred to as the “bible of electromyography”.

Prof. De Luca’s accomplishments are well recognized. He was appointed a Fellow of the International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology (ISEK) in 2016. He received the 2012 Borelli Award (American Society of Biomechanics); the 2006 Tibbetts Award (Small Business Technology Council of the USA); the 1999 Isabelle and Leonard H. Goldenson Technology Award (United Cerebral Palsy Foundation); and the 1989 International Volvo Award on Low Back Pain Research (International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine).

A greatly loved teacher, he trained more than forty M.S. and Ph.D. students. Many of these individuals are now leading researchers and engineers in the field.

Professor De Luca believed strongly in providing opportunities for both young and established investigators in the field. With this mission in mind, he established the Neuromuscular Research Foundation, now called the De Luca Foundation as an homage to its founder.