Armita R. Manafzadeh
@armanafzadeh.bsky.social
Man-off-ZAH-deh. PhD. Donnelley Fellow & NSF PRFB postdoc @ Yale. From August 2026: Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech. How do joints work and where do they come from? manafzadeh.com
Looking forward to joining the @royalsociety.org Proceedings B editorial board in 2026 – send us your papers!
November 19, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Looking forward to joining the @royalsociety.org Proceedings B editorial board in 2026 – send us your papers!
Excited to have the opportunity to share my perspective on comparative biomechanics in a plenary at this year's SICB meeting. Grateful to my mentors/collabs/students for their support along the way, and very honored to receive the Gans Young Investigator Award!
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Excited to have the opportunity to share my perspective on comparative biomechanics in a plenary at this year's SICB meeting. Grateful to my mentors/collabs/students for their support along the way, and very honored to receive the Gans Young Investigator Award!
Happy to share 2 more patellofemoral papers out of Fulkerson group:
(1) On the importance of studying TTTG in 3-D to personalize treatment www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
(2) Dr. Fulkerson sharing his updated perspective on surgical planning for TTOs journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
(1) On the importance of studying TTTG in 3-D to personalize treatment www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
(2) Dr. Fulkerson sharing his updated perspective on surgical planning for TTOs journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
October 31, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Happy to share 2 more patellofemoral papers out of Fulkerson group:
(1) On the importance of studying TTTG in 3-D to personalize treatment www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
(2) Dr. Fulkerson sharing his updated perspective on surgical planning for TTOs journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
(1) On the importance of studying TTTG in 3-D to personalize treatment www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
(2) Dr. Fulkerson sharing his updated perspective on surgical planning for TTOs journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
An exciting update on the human joint side – we found that lateral patellar tracking and malalignment are correlated with progressive cartilage damage, and that the 3D metrics we've been developing to describe PF morphology can be used to quantify the risk.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
September 19, 2025 at 2:50 PM
An exciting update on the human joint side – we found that lateral patellar tracking and malalignment are correlated with progressive cartilage damage, and that the 3D metrics we've been developing to describe PF morphology can be used to quantify the risk.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Our paper on entry point-transition point angle elevation in patellofemoral instability patients, led by PhD student Johannes Sieberer and featuring his awesome Python/C# 3D curvature visualization tool (zenodo.org/records/1121...), is out now in OJSM: doi.org/10.1177/2325...
July 14, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Our paper on entry point-transition point angle elevation in patellofemoral instability patients, led by PhD student Johannes Sieberer and featuring his awesome Python/C# 3D curvature visualization tool (zenodo.org/records/1121...), is out now in OJSM: doi.org/10.1177/2325...
✨Some news✨: after finishing my postdoc, I’ll be starting my lab as an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech. Join us in Atlanta to study how joints work and where they come from!
July 2, 2025 at 12:53 PM
✨Some news✨: after finishing my postdoc, I’ll be starting my lab as an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech. Join us in Atlanta to study how joints work and where they come from!
A nice conceptual summary of what we’ve learned so far in the Fulkerson group about the importance of studying kneecaps in 3D, led by med student Nancy Park (who just matched ortho at Duke — congrats, Nancy!!), is out today in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review: journals.lww.com/sportsmedart...
March 27, 2025 at 12:59 PM
A nice conceptual summary of what we’ve learned so far in the Fulkerson group about the importance of studying kneecaps in 3D, led by med student Nancy Park (who just matched ortho at Duke — congrats, Nancy!!), is out today in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review: journals.lww.com/sportsmedart...
Our latest Fulkerson group paper, led by student J. Sieberer, is out in The Knee (my favorite journal name yet). We create & test an AI-driven workflow to automatically calculate patellar tilt in 3-D, facilitating clinical diagnosis of patellar instability. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
March 13, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Our latest Fulkerson group paper, led by student J. Sieberer, is out in The Knee (my favorite journal name yet). We create & test an AI-driven workflow to automatically calculate patellar tilt in 3-D, facilitating clinical diagnosis of patellar instability. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Our paper led by Mike Schindler is out #OA in @anatrecord.bsky.social. We explore how the craniofacial hinge joint balances mobility & stability in helmeted hornbills, birds w/ high-impact head-butting behavior. Thanks to Mason Dean for inviting me to join the fun! tinyurl.com/595v6dzz
March 3, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Our paper led by Mike Schindler is out #OA in @anatrecord.bsky.social. We explore how the craniofacial hinge joint balances mobility & stability in helmeted hornbills, birds w/ high-impact head-butting behavior. Thanks to Mason Dean for inviting me to join the fun! tinyurl.com/595v6dzz
So proud of Dr. @caleb-m-gordon.bsky.social, PhD for his successful dissertation defense yesterday. Listening to the way Caleb talks about his research reminds us all of why we got into this business to begin with. Congratulations, Dr. Gordon 🐬🦖
February 25, 2025 at 2:32 PM
So proud of Dr. @caleb-m-gordon.bsky.social, PhD for his successful dissertation defense yesterday. Listening to the way Caleb talks about his research reminds us all of why we got into this business to begin with. Congratulations, Dr. Gordon 🐬🦖
Finally took a trip on the ferry to hang out with the anatomy crew down at Stony Brook — thanks so much to Kimi Chapelle and Drew Moore for the invitation!!
February 24, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Finally took a trip on the ferry to hang out with the anatomy crew down at Stony Brook — thanks so much to Kimi Chapelle and Drew Moore for the invitation!!
Had a lovely time chatting with The Parrot Club of Connecticut about avian joints from beaks to toes last night 🦜🦴
February 19, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Had a lovely time chatting with The Parrot Club of Connecticut about avian joints from beaks to toes last night 🦜🦴
Fun to see our recent work on the landing page for Research at Yale today!
February 6, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Fun to see our recent work on the landing page for Research at Yale today!
10 yrs ago (oof), a real grown-up scientist™️ (Sarah Werning) came to my first talk and made me feel like I could make it in science. I still haven't decided whether to forgive her. It's fun/weird to be back at #SICB2025 a whole decade later. Catch my talk tomorrow (Saturday) @ 2:45pm.
January 4, 2025 at 3:52 AM
10 yrs ago (oof), a real grown-up scientist™️ (Sarah Werning) came to my first talk and made me feel like I could make it in science. I still haven't decided whether to forgive her. It's fun/weird to be back at #SICB2025 a whole decade later. Catch my talk tomorrow (Saturday) @ 2:45pm.
Shab-e Yalda Mobarak! || Happy Solstice! 🍉❄️
شب یلدا مبارک
شب یلدا مبارک
December 21, 2024 at 2:17 AM
Shab-e Yalda Mobarak! || Happy Solstice! 🍉❄️
شب یلدا مبارک
شب یلدا مبارک
In the end, we discovered that fibular reduction is far from a developmental artifact. This transformation ushered in a transition to long-axis-rotation-dominated 3D limb control, profoundly altering the course of theropod locomotor evolution.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
In the end, we discovered that fibular reduction is far from a developmental artifact. This transformation ushered in a transition to long-axis-rotation-dominated 3D limb control, profoundly altering the course of theropod locomotor evolution.
Birds in our #XROMM studies used extreme knee long-axis rotation to turn, maneuver, and evade obstacles. We suspect it's also involved in navigating arboreal substrates & foot-propelled diving, plus in crucial non-locomotor behaviors like preening, courtship & prey capture.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
Birds in our #XROMM studies used extreme knee long-axis rotation to turn, maneuver, and evade obstacles. We suspect it's also involved in navigating arboreal substrates & foot-propelled diving, plus in crucial non-locomotor behaviors like preening, courtship & prey capture.
Reduction of the fibula enabled mobilization of the midshaft intracrural articulation – permitting the “rolling” fibular kinematics we see in birds and, as articular surface curvature increased, setting the stage for the evolution of extreme knee long-axis rotation.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
Reduction of the fibula enabled mobilization of the midshaft intracrural articulation – permitting the “rolling” fibular kinematics we see in birds and, as articular surface curvature increased, setting the stage for the evolution of extreme knee long-axis rotation.
But it wasn’t until the fibula was reduced – and effectively liberated from the ankle joint – that avialans like Rahonavis and Ichthyornis could really spin their knee joints using the same mechanism retained by birds today.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
But it wasn’t until the fibula was reduced – and effectively liberated from the ankle joint – that avialans like Rahonavis and Ichthyornis could really spin their knee joints using the same mechanism retained by birds today.
Moving up the line to birds, paravians like Deinonychus gained some low level of knee LAR potential through the reacquisition of tibial articular surface curvature.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
Moving up the line to birds, paravians like Deinonychus gained some low level of knee LAR potential through the reacquisition of tibial articular surface curvature.
Taken together with straightened tibial articular surfaces, this drumstick rigidification meant dinosaurs like Allosaurus were probably stuck with hinge-like knees.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
Taken together with straightened tibial articular surfaces, this drumstick rigidification meant dinosaurs like Allosaurus were probably stuck with hinge-like knees.
This trend *away* from knee LAR was taken to an extreme in early tetanurans like Allosaurus, which had ~no intracrural mobility. The crus was further stiffened by an expansion of tibial bone called the fibular crest, which created a mid-shaft connection between the tibia/fibula.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
This trend *away* from knee LAR was taken to an extreme in early tetanurans like Allosaurus, which had ~no intracrural mobility. The crus was further stiffened by an expansion of tibial bone called the fibular crest, which created a mid-shaft connection between the tibia/fibula.
Did knee LAR potential increase steadily on the line to birds? Not so simple. In dinosauriforms like Marasuchus, decreased ankle mobility limited intracrural mobility, in turn lowering knee LAR potential.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
Did knee LAR potential increase steadily on the line to birds? Not so simple. In dinosauriforms like Marasuchus, decreased ankle mobility limited intracrural mobility, in turn lowering knee LAR potential.
The ancestral reptile likely had knee LAR potential similar to that retained by living lizards and gators. Big tibias and fibulas that connected to both the knee and ankle + blobby joint surfaces allowed some modest rotation.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
The ancestral reptile likely had knee LAR potential similar to that retained by living lizards and gators. Big tibias and fibulas that connected to both the knee and ankle + blobby joint surfaces allowed some modest rotation.
So how/when did bird knees get to be the way they are? Cue the fossils.
November 20, 2024 at 4:15 PM
So how/when did bird knees get to be the way they are? Cue the fossils.