WILLIAM DECKER

Virtual Occupant Safety . PhD . CAE Engineer

About Me

Safety Performance Integration Engineer, PhD in Biomedical Engineering with 10 years of experience in computational numerical simulations, expertise in human body modeling development and application, sports and motorsports safety, occupant and pedestrian safety. I'm passionate about pushing the field of occupant safety to a virtual future, using innovative tools to better evaluate and streamline product development.

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Projects

Experience in computational modeling ranging from fully body human models (GHBMC) to football helmet models.

Skills

Dynamics / simulation, pre and post processing, CAD development, image analysis, programming.

Publications

Publications in Traffic Injury Prevention and IRCOBI; prodium presentations at Enhanced Safety of Vehicles, IRCOBI, World Congress of Biomechanics, CARHS.

Education

WHERE I'VE STUDIED

2015 – 2020
Virginia Tech – Wake Forest University Center of Injury Biomechanics
Doctor of Philosophy
Biomedical Engineering

2015 – 2018
Virginia Tech – Wake Forest University Center of Injury Biomechanics
Master of Science
Biomedical Engineering

2010 – 2015
University of South Carolina – Columbia, SC
Bachelor of Science
Biomedical Engineering

Projects

WHAT I'VE DONE

Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC)

Senior student at the Full Body Model Center of Expertise

  • Assist in development and maintenance of the family of GHBMC models (13 models)
  • Experience simulating and extracting data through a variety of simplified and full-vehicle impact scenarios including Lateral and Frontal NCAP, and the EuroNCAP pedestrian protocol
  • Developed new time-efficient techniques for obtaining detailed human body model response
  • Compiled quarterly progress reports and monthly presentations for the GHBMC models
  • Designed time efficient and accurate positioning techniques for detailed human body models

Finite Element Football Helmet Model​

Senior student in the development and validation of the Schutt Air XP Pro finite element model
  • Developed the model through a multi-step process including CAD development, finite element meshing, simulation, data analysis, and validation.
  • Validated the model at the material, component, and full helmet levels
  • Helmet model was fit onto both the Hybrid III and NOCSAE head
  • Full helmet validation was performed through a total of 81 impact scenarios comparing kinematics and kinetics of the simulations versus experimental data

Skills

WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE

DYNAMICS / SIMULATION
LS - Dyna
Comsol
PRE / POST PROCESSING
LS - PrePost
Hypermesh
Oasys Primer
CAD DEVELOPMENT
Geomagic Studio
Rhinoceros
IMAGE ANALYSIS
Mimics
PROGRAMMING
Matlab

Publications | Presentations

Publications

Decker W, Baker A, Ye X, Brown P, Stitzel J, Gayzik FS. Development and Multi-Scale Validation of a Finite Element Football Helmet Model. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2019. 1-13.

Decker W, Koya B, Pak W, Untaroiu CD, Gayzik FS. Evaluation of finite element human body models for use in a standardized protocol for pedestrian safety assessment. Traffic injury prevention, 2019. 1-5.

Decker W, Koya B, Gayzik FS. Validation of Detailed Organ Modularity in a Simplified Human Body Model. IRCOBI conference, 2018. IRC-18-59.

Decker W, Koya B, Davis ML, Gayzik FS. Modular use of human body models of varying levels of complexity: validation of head kinematics. Traffic injury prevention, 2017. 18(sup1): p. S155-S160.

Podium Presentations

Decker W, Koya B, Davis ML, Gayzik FS. “Modular use of human body models of varying levels of complexity: validation of head kinematics.” Accepted for podium presentation at the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles Conference (ESV), Detroit MI, June 2017. 

Decker W, Koya B, Gayzik FS. “Use of Finite Element Human Body Models in a Standardized Evaluation Protocol for Pedestrian Safety Assessment.” Accepted for podium presentation at the World Congress of Biomechanics, Dublin Ireland, July 2018. 

Decker W, Koya B, Gayzik FS. “Validation of Detailed Organ Modularity in a Simplified Human Body Model.” Accepted for podium presentation at the International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury (IRCOBI) Europe, Athens Greece, September 2018. 

Decker W, Koya B, Tushak S, Shin J, Choi HY, Gayzik FS. “Application of the EuroNCAP Pedestrian Protocol using the GHBMC Family of Pedestrian Models: Verification across Three Dynamic FEA Solvers.” Invited speaker at the CARHS Human Modeling and Simulation in Automotive Engineering, Berlin Germany, October 2018. 

Contact Me

    • willdecker15@gmail.com
    Download CV

    I typically reply to all email inquiries within 24 hours.