Meet our Lab Members

Emmanuel Bonney, PhD

Principal Investigator

Short Bio: Dr Bonney earned his BS in Physical Therapy from the University of Ghana and his PhD from the University of Cape Town. He later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development.

Current Research: Dr Bonney’s research examines the development, coordination, and acquisition of motor and behavioral skills in typical and atypical populations, with the goal of advancing more effective assessments and interventions.

Stella Lawerteh, MS

Doctoral Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Stella Lawerteh is a pediatric physical therapist who specializes in early detection and intervention. She earned her BS in Physical Therapy from the University of Ghana and her MS from the University of Cape Town.

Current Research: Stella is passionate about early interventions for childhood disabilities. Her current work focuses on understanding how early developmental milestones predict later motor outcomes and uncovering the mechanisms underlying conditions like developmental coordination disorder and autism.

Ramous Azawornu, BS

Master’s Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Ramous is a physical therapist with experience treating children and adults with a wide range of motor disorders across diverse clinical settings.

Current Research: Ramous’ research leverages machine learning and virtual reality to investigate how children move, explore and learn.

Jason Bongard, BS

Master’s Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Jason earned his BS in Exercise Science from Winona State University and is a dedicated coach specializing in powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting.

Current Research: Jason’s research interests focus on quantifying movement variability and how motor behavior affects development in early infancy and childhood. His interest is driven by promoting the motor competence of infants and children affected by delays, disorders or disabilities. He seeks to identify stable, reliable motor strategies in these populations that are otherwise misclassified as error or noise.

Rylee Ramberg

Undergraduate Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Rylee is in her final semester of the BS in Kinesiology program at the University of Minnesota. She then will be attending Occupational Therapy school starting Fall 2026, to obtain her Doctorate.

Current Research: Rylee’s research explores how virtual reality tools technologies can be used to better understand postural control in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Jenaya Gerrard

Undergraduate Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Jenaya is a senior in the BS in Kinesiology program at the University of Minnesota and plans to pursue a doctorate in Occupational Therapy so she can better support families of children with pediatric motor disorders.

Current Research: Jenaya’s research centers on how children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) perceive and act on movement opportunities (affordances). She is passionate about raising awareness of DCD and collaborating with her team to bring evidence-based assessments into clinical rehabilitation practice.

Madelyn Luke

Undergraduate Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Madelyn is a third-year student at the University of Minnesota, studying Kinesiology.

Current Research: She is particularly interested in leveraging virtual reality systems to investigate balance performance in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and complex conditions. She is encouraged by the kids she nannies to support individuals with ASD, because the second youngest daughter was diagnosed at 3. She is Madelyn’s pride and joy, and she cannot wait to work with kids similar to her.

Sofie Stendahl

Undergraduate Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Sofie is a junior studying Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and plans to pursue a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Her interest in PT was inspired by time spent in a nursing home setting, where she observed residents navigating the challenges of daily living firsthand.

Current Research: She is interested in understanding how children explore their environment and develop behaviors to support their daily functioning. She is particularly curious about how motor development connects to real-world outcomes, and hopes to bring this knowledge into her future clinical practice as a physical therapist.

Tate Tourtillott

Undergraduate Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Tate is currently a junior at the University of Minnesota, studying Kinesiology. When he is not studying, he enjoys being active like going on runs, working out, and playing sports like hockey, basketball, and soccer. He also enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Current Research: Tate is interested in learning about motor and brain development in infants and toddlers. He is currently involved with the children’s affordance perception study. Within this study he is looking forward to working with kids to learn more about DCD in hopes to promote more awareness and potentially inspire clinical intervention programs.

NuNu Xiong

Undergraduate Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: NuNu is a third-year undergraduate student in the Kinesiology program. Once he graduates, he plans to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree where he hopes to specialize in pediatrics and cardiovascular conditions. He is fascinated in how the body is able to heal itself, which has been the driving factor in his work to becoming a PT.

Current Research: NuNu is interested in studying how motor functions influence behaviors in other developmental domains.

Emily Petree

Undergraduate Student in Kinesiology

Short Bio: Emily is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Kinesiology. After finishing her bachelor’s degree, Emily plans to attend PT school to get her Doctor of Physical Therapy. She has always been interested in how the body works, especially how movement, development, and rehabilitation connect.

Current Research: Overall, she is looking forward to continuing to learn more in the MIND lab and building skills that will help her in PT school and in her future career!

Collaborator: Yu-Ting, PhD

Associate Professor, National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.

Dr Yu-Ting's research focuses on motor control and somatosensory functions in children with specific concentration on developmental coordination disorder (DCD), integrating behavioral and neurophysiological approaches.