Karim Abdel-Malek is professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Iowa. He holds appointments in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Applied Mathematical and Computational Sciences. He served as director of the University of Iowa Technology Institute (formerly the Center for Computer-Aided Design) from 2005 to 2024. He is serving as interim director until a replacement is named.

An internationally recognized leader in the field of digital human modeling and simulation, he founded and directs the Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program, which produced the digital human model Santos. Santos is now being used by all branches of the US military and by many industry partners for various research projects and purposes. The VSR team has received international attention and continues to expand into applications in sports, medicine, and manufacturing.

Mission area: Human Modeling and Simulation

Center: Virtual Soldier Research Program

Publications: Google Scholar