Scott Gayzik, PhD

About Scott Gayzik

Scott Gayzik, PhD, completed a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and then earned a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences. He joined the School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences in 2008 and became a member of the biomedical engineering department of Wake Forest School of Medicine in 2011.

In his research, Gayzik applies computational and experimental injury biomechanics research to develop and validate human body computational models. His expertise includes dynamic, nonlinear finite element analysis, geometric morphometrics, biomedical phantom development, and imaging applications in model development and validation.

As part of the industry-funded Global Human Body Models Consortium, Gayzik and his team develop realistic, virtual body models for automotive crash tests that help evaluate the potential for injury and identify injury mechanisms in order to improve early stage vehicle design, concept evaluation and safety regulations. Based on these body models, he helped found Elemance, a Wake Forest spin-off company that licenses these body models to companies and academic institutions.

In creating human body computation models, Gayzik works extensively with imaging techniques and applications to develop the blueprints for the body models. He uses scaling and morphing techniques to construct body models that are representative of specific cohorts of interest and that reflect the variation within human populations and anatomies.

Gayzik also conducts government-sponsored research to develop a suite of body models that reflect the range of anthropometries found in the modern military in order to assess injury risk. He is also co-investigator on government-sponsored research that seeks to develop a manikin to study vertical loading.

Gayzik’s other research interests include medical device evaluation, novel model validation approaches and the biomechanics of heat transfer. Recently, his lab has focused on developing hydrogel based biofidelic phantoms to as a testbed device design, researching hyperthermia and hypothermia applications in particular. He is particularly interested in collaborating with medical device manufacturers to evaluate prototypes and fixation techniques in his body models.

Gayzik believes that Wake Forest Baptist is on the forefront of body modeling and offers valuable resources and expertise to industry partners for a wide range of applications. The combination of world-class computational capabilities, a core competency in body models, imaging technologies and biomechanical expertise makes Wake Forest Baptist a unique setting for exploring the potential of human body computational models. Gayzik’s deep expertise in creating these models uniquely positions him to collaborate on such groundbreaking projects.