About the NEMo Lab
The Neural Engineering & Modulation Laboratory employs a combination of neurophysiology, optogenetics, viral gene therapy, and optical imaging techniques to develop novel neuro-prosthetic and gene-therapy approaches to alleviate motor deficits caused by conditions such as spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
NEMo Lab Research
Investigators
Principal Investigator
The NEMo Lab is directed by Dr. Jordan Williams, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Williams received both of his terminal degrees from Washington University—St. Louis in 2013, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh's Systems Neuroscience Institute in 2019. He joined the Marquette-MCW Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering in August of 2019.
Investigative Collaborators
Dr. Jordan Williams and investigators at the NEMo Lab work closely with collaborative investigators from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Medical College of Wisconsin specializing in Biomedical Engineering, Neurosurgery, Neurobiology, and Ophthalmology.
NEMo Lab Facilities
Housed on the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center Campus, the NEMo Lab has access to a wealth of technical and clinical resources designed to support basic science and translational investigations into electrophysiological and optogenetic applications to spinal cord injury and disease.
NEMo Lab Funding
The NEMo lab is grateful for the generous contributions of past and current sponsors. For more detailed information on recent grants activity, visit Dr. Williams' MU-MCW profile.
Visit Dr. Williams' MU-MCW profile
Recent News
- The NEMo Lab received an official Notice of Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) for receiving our first R01 award. The 5-year grant, titled "Viral-mediated optogenetic techniques for peripheral nerve stimulation of motor function”, will provide $1.73 million to continue our work refining viral optogenetic techniques in peripheral nerves toward motor rehabilitation in motor deficits such as spinal cord injury. (June 16, 2026)
- Emma Moravec was selected to give a 3-minute data blitz podium presentation of her work at the National Neurotrauma Symposium in Milwaukee this week. Her poster, titled "Optogenetic Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Motor Rehabilitation in Rodent Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Models”, was selected as one of the top 20 finalists for student posters. Congrats, Emma! (June 15, 2026)
- Logan Read presented his first poster as a PhD student at a national conference at the National Neurotrauma Symposium, titled "Botulinum-toxin enhanced expression of an intramuscularly injected optogenetic AAV vector." (June 2026)
- Our lab was recently featured in the spring Marquette Alumni magazine and Marquette Today for our recently awarded Craig H. Neilsen Foundation grant to use peripheral optogenetic nerve stimulation to restore paralyzed forelimb function in rodent models of spinal cord injury. Read the story here.
- NEMo Lab published a new manuscript in Bio-Protocol titled “Stimulation-Guided AAV Delivery and Longitudinal Assessment of Optogenetic Expression in Rat Motor Nerves.” You can find the open-access article here. (December 2025)
- PhD student Emma Moravec presented a podium talk at the 12th Annual International Conference on Neural Engineering (NER) in San Diego on November 11–14, titled “Identification of Optical H-reflex Activation Using Optogenetic Tibial Nerve Stimulation." Emma’s contributed paper received a silver award in the student paper competition. (November 2025)
Get Involved with the NEMo Lab
Advanced Degrees
Students interested in pursuing advanced degrees in neural engineering, optogenetics, viral gene therapy, and brain-computer interfaces are invited to explore educational opportunities provided by the Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, as well as the Neuroscience Doctoral Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Research Opportunities
The NEMo Lab is proud to sponsor graduate, undergraduate, and high-school students in research programs designed to expose the next generation of physicians, scientists and engineers to the world-class research practices employed by Marquette and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Medical School Summer Research Program
Open Positions
The team at the Neural Engineering & Modulation Laboratory is always looking for individuals with an interest in working to develop science and technologies that advance our understanding and treatment of spinal cord injury and disease. For more information on joining the NEMo Lab, contact Dr. Jordan Williams.