Mark Schall

Mark Schall is the Daniel F. & Josephine Breeden Professor and Director of the Center for Occupational Safety, Ergonomics, and Injury Prevention at Auburn University's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iowa. His research focuses on ergonomics, occupational safety, musculoskeletal disorders, and wearable technologies. Key projects include developing the Lifting Fatigue Failure Tool (LiFFT) and Distal Upper Extremity Tool (DUET) for risk assessment, advancing school bus emergency evacuation systems, and investigating biomechanical factors in agriculture and manufacturing.

Dr. Schall has received prestigious awards such as the Breeden Professorship and National Safety Council's Rising Star of Safety. He leads interdisciplinary teams addressing workplace safety challenges, integrating wearable sensors, fatigue failure modeling, and human factors engineering. His work bridges academia and industry, with grants from NIOSH, DOD, and private sectors. He collaborates on improving telework safety during pandemics, optimizing job rotation strategies, and enhancing worker acceptance of new technologies.

• Research Interests: Ergonomics/Human Factors, Wearable Technologies, Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention
• Key Contributions: LiFFT and DUET tools, school bus safety redesign, fatigue failure theory applications
• Funding: $8.9M DOD grant for smart manufacturing safety initiatives

His lab emphasizes translational research, with over 150 peer-reviewed articles. Current efforts explore AI-driven intent recognition in manufacturing and cognitive demands in automated systems. He mentors early-career researchers through NIOSH-funded training programs and collaborates internationally on occupational health standards.