Our Team

Darla M. Castelli, PhD, FNAK

Principal Investigator

Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences

Darla Castelli, PhD, is the Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences since 2024 and an internationally recognized expert in the well-being of children. A fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology and SHAPE America, she studies the effects of physical activity on cognitive and metabolic health in children and emerging adults.

Dr. Castelli has designed six federally-funded physical activity intervention programs to improve physical and cognitive health. Her research projects have received funding from sources including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United States Department of Education.

As a member of two Institute of Medicine Committees, Dr. Castelli helped generate new national guidelines for physical activity participation in schools. She has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications and five books. Dr. Castelli is currently the principal investigator of an NIH-funded study on obesity and metabolic risk factors among Latina mothers.

Email: d.castelli@northeastern.edu

Kirsten Yip

Research Coordinator

Kirsten Yip is the Research Coordinator for the BALANCE Lab. She has a BHSc in Health Sciences from McMaster University in Canada and an MS in Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences from Northeastern University. Kirsten’s interests center around how physical activity and behavioral factors can be modified to optimize health, recovery, and performance.

Email: ki.yip@northeastern.edu

Shawn Kweon, PT, DPT

PhD Student

Shawn Kweon, DPT, is a PhD student in Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences. His research explores technology-enhanced rehabilitation, focusing on augmented and virtual reality tools, wearable sensors, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to study balance and cognitive-motor integration. He investigates how postural and cognitive demands interact across age groups, with the goal of developing accessible, data-driven interventions to reduce fall risk and improve functional movement. Shawn also earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from Northeastern University, where he gained clinical experience in rehabilitation. His work bridges clinical practice with research innovation to advance rehabilitation science through technology-based solutions.

Email: kweon.s@northeastern.edu

Kumar Antee

PhD Student

Kumar Antee is a PhD student in Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences. His research interests explore the intersection of exercise physiology, biomechanics, mental health, and cognition. He previously earned his MS in the same program, completing a capstone project examining the sex differences in fitness, adiposity, and mental health among young adults using advanced statistical modeling. Kumar is affiliated with the BALANCE Lab and collaborates across interdisciplinary teams within CBH and I-HBN networks. In addition to his academic work, he is an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist and personal trainer, passionate about translating laboratory findings into community-based interventions that promote health and well-being.

Email: antee.m@northeastern.edu