CHASE G ROCK

Bio

I am currently a member of the Sensorimotor Learning Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. I joined the lab in January 2026 as a Post-doctoral Scholar under a T32 for training in the Neurobiology of Neurological Disease. Prior to joining the lab, I completed my Ph.D. in Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech, where I worked with Dr. Young-Hui Chang on understanding the cognitive and motor aspects of sensorimotor adaptation to altered gravity. Previously, I worked with Dr. Kota Takahashi at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where I investigated gait variability, energy expenditure, and prosthesis use, earning a M.S. in Exercise Science preceded by a B.S. in Neuroscience.

I am passionate about understanding how people gain motor expertise: whether it's an athlete becoming an elite player or a patient learning to walk in the way that's best for them. My projects combine principles and techniques from neuroscience, biomechanics, and psychology to evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of learning and predict who may become an expert in the future.

Future Plans

I am on the academic track: I love working in the lab and collaborating with fellow scientists to satisfy our shared curiosities and solve enigmatic problems. I also seek out opportunities to foster student scientists' research skills by promoting their active involvement in lab activities. I look forward to becoming a faculty member, studying the factors facilitating human motor learning as an independent researcher.