Reuben F. Burch V
Vice Provost of Research Texas Christian University
- Fort Worth TX
Dr. Burch has extensive experience in fostering collaborations, securing funding, and managing research priorities and infrastructure.
Media
Social
Biography
Dr. Burch has extensive experience in fostering collaborations, securing competitive funding, and managing research priorities and infrastructure. His career includes building successful programs from the ground up, encouraging a culture of innovation, and bringing together expertise from various fields to address complex problems and develop comprehensively applied solutions.
Burch previously was associate vice president for research, executive director and founder of the Athlete Engineering Institute, Jack Hatcher Endowed Chair in Engineering Entrepreneurship, and professor of industrial and systems engineering at Mississippi State University. He holds a B.S. in computer engineering from Mississippi State University, an M.E.M. in industrial and manufacturing system engineering from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from Mississippi State University.
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
Who’s Who of America
Marquis
Commander’s Public Service Award Medal
Department of the Air Force
Football Research Inc. Oversight Committee Advisor
National Football League (NFL)
Honorary Professorship Appointment
Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia)
Class of 2026
Dallas Innovates AI 75
Hilliard Distinguished Lecture in Human Performance
Huffines Institute, Texas A&M
Education
Mississippi State University
Ph.D.
Industrial & Systems Engineering
2014
Kansas State University
M.S.
Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering
2010
Mississippi State University
B.S.
Computer Engineering
2002
Affiliations
- Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
- American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE)
- Tau Beta Pi
- Alpha Pi Mu
- Phi Kappa Phi (Kansas State)
- Phi Kappa Phi (Mississippi State)
- Golden Key International Honor Society
Media Appearances
TCU’s Roach Institute of Athlete Engineering Launches With $10M Foundation Gift
Dallas Innovates online
2026-06-18
“Most universities have athletics, and many universities have research, but few intentionally bring those worlds together,” said TCU's Reuben F. Burch V, who founded the discipline of Athlete Engineering. “We view athletes as people first and believe the lessons we learn through research can improve lives far beyond the playing field.”
New TCU Certificate, Research Partnership Focus on Textiles, Soft-Goods Engineering
Texas Christian University online
2026-04-27
“This goes beyond research,” said Reuben F. Burch V, TCU’s vice provost for research. “This underlines TCU’s commitment to community engagement. The work of Dr. Freeman, Dean Tully and the College of Fine Arts is a reminder that TCU is not simply a research partner but — as the “University of Fort Worth” — a fully integrated innovation district capable of supporting pilot production, workforce scaling and commercialization pathways.”
International Leader in Sports Science Forms Research Partnership with TCU
Texas Christian University online
2026-03-26
“One of the first things I noticed coming to TCU was how human-centered we are. It’s a real strength,” Burch said. “A human-performance approach is about improving how we train, work and recover across the entire community.”
TCU Partners with Dell to Launch Major Campuswide AI Initiative
HPCwire online
2025-12-11
“AI² gives our faculty and students a world-class tool to foster interdisciplinary research partnerships and generate high-impact outcomes,” said Reuben F. Burch V, vice provost for research and professor of engineering. “TCU’s first major research investment being in AI shows our commitment to the future and equips our faculty and students with the tools to shape how AI accelerates their work and drives innovation at an unprecedented pace.”
Reuben Burch: Leading Texas Christian University to R1
Texas Christian University online
2025-11-04
“The office of research is going to be focused on strategizing, shaping and serving our faculty and students,” Burch said. “That’s exactly what a fullback used to do in the late 1990s, early 2000s — gets in front, takes a beating and gets our talented teammates to where they need to go, making sure they are successful.”
Higher Ed Footnotes: TCU hires an ‘athlete engineer’ as its next vice provost for research
Fort Worth Report online
2025-06-16
“TCU’s strategic plan reminds us that it’s important to ‘keep the main thing the main thing.’ The main thing for TCU is the students,” said Burch in a statement. “The main thing for my role as (vice provost of research) is to serve our faculty by providing them with world-class research opportunities and infrastructure from which all student experiences will benefit.”
TCU hires vice provost of research to lead efforts to become R1 university
Fort Worth Star-Telegram online
2025-06-10
“The main thing for TCU is the students; the main thing for my role as (vice provost of research) is to serve our faculty by providing them with world-class research opportunities and infrastructure from which all student experiences will benefit,” Burch said.
Patents
Mobile Markerless Motion Capture for Movement Data Collection in All Environments
US20250046077
2025-02-06
A method comprises: instructing a leader drone in a drone swarm to move to a first position; instructing a first follower drone in the drone swarm to move to a second position; instructing a first camera of the leader drone to record, while the leader drone is in the first position, a first video of an object; instructing a second camera of the first follower drone to record, while the first follower drone is in the second position, a second video of the object; wirelessly receiving the first video from the leader drone; wirelessly receiving the second video from the first follower drone; stitching together the first video and the second video to obtain a master video; and performing motion capture on the master video to obtain motion data of the object.
Wearable Devices for Courier Processing and Methods of Use Thereof
US11567534
2023-01-31
The disclosed embodiments include wearable devices and methods for performing courier services. In one implementation, the device includes a depth camera for detecting object depths in a field of view, a scanner for decoding visual codes, a speaker for producing audible sounds in response to an electrical signal, memory, and a processor. The processor may execute instructions to detect a scanning event based on a first signal received from the depth camera, determine a scan region associated with the scanning event, provide a second signal to the scanner causing the scanner to decode a visual code located within the scan region, generate scan data based on a third signal received from the scanner, and provide a fourth signal to the speaker causing the speaker to emit a notification sound. The wearable device may also capture signatures, dimension objects, and disable device functions based on time and place restrictions.
Systems and methods for improved cargo dolly for remote cargo holding pins for a cargo dolly.
US11433935
2022-09-06
An improved cargo dolly for transporting cargo is described having a mobile dolly frame, a main shaft on the frame, a lever proximate to a first part of the frame (where the lever is movable relative to the frame and in responsive commu nication with the main shaft), a first set of transfer sprockets mounted to the main shaft, a secondary shaft rotatably disposed at a second part of the frame (where the first part is remote from the second part), a second set of transfer sprockets mounted to the secondary shaft, a chain disposed about the first set of transfer sprockets and the second set of transfer sprockets, and a locking pin having a first end fixed to the secondary shaft and a second end configured as an angled latch. Rotation of the lever responsively causes the locking pin to remotely rotate at the second part of the frame.
Research Grants
TACTIC: Texas Advanced Certificate in Textiles for Innovation & Composites – Building an Interdisciplinary Workforce Pipeline for Aerospace, Defense, and Space Systems
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA)
1/1/26 – 12/31/26
AiM UP 4.0: Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program (AiM UP)
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations Act (Department of Labor)
4/1/26 – 3/31/29
Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program (AiM UP at HindsCC Phases 1 – 4.5)
AccelerateMS
4/1/25 – 3/31/27
Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program (AiM UP at NWMCC Phases 1 – 4.5)
AccelerateMS
4/1/25 – 3/31/27
FANUC Educational Software Donation for Two Additional AiM UP Locations (HindsCC & NWMCC)
FANUC
4/1/25 – 3/31/27
Articles
Examining the relationship between foot size and measurement error of pressure sensor-embedded socks for countermovement jump performance metrics compared to force plates
Journal of Sport and Human PerformanceJacob Hurwitz, David Saucier, Carver Middleton, Harish Chander, Charles Freeman, Reuben Burch, Zachary Gillen
2026-07-13
Wearable technology has enhanced the ability to monitor human performance in applied settings, providing practical alternatives to laboratory-based assessments. Pressure sensor-embedded socks represent a portable and cost-effective tool for assessing countermovement jump (CMJ) performance metrics; however, factors influencing their measurement error relative to force plated are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between shoe size and the measurement error of CMJ performance metrics derived from pressure sensor-embedded socks compared to force plates.
Validation of Soft Wearable Sensors for Wrist and Elbow Kinematics During Simulated Industrial Tasks
ElectronicsPurva Talegaonkar, David Saucier, Laith Bani Khaled, Erin Tillery, Alana J Turner, Russell Lowell, James Weinstein, John E Ball, Harish Chander, Brian K Smith, Reuben F Burch V
2026-06-03
Accurate and unobtrusive measurement of upper-limb kinematics is critical for advancing wearable sensing technologies used in industrial ergonomics, human–machine interaction, and real-time biomechanics monitoring. This study evaluates the performance of two soft, flexible wearable sensors—BendLabs biaxial angular displacement sensors and StretchSense capacitive stretch sensors—for quantifying wrist and elbow motions during simulated dynamic industrial tasks. Wrist flexion–extension and radial–ulnar deviation were measured using BendLabs sensors mounted on the dorsal hand, while elbow flexion–extension was captured using StretchSense sensors positioned along the elbow joint.
Happiness at Work and the Shifting Work Landscape Due to COVID-19-a Comparative Literature Review
Engineering Management JournalSalpy Tovar, Brian K Smith, Lesley Strawderman, Reuben F Burch, Charles Freeman
2026-03-27
This study provides a comparative review of existing research on happiness at work before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines to ensure comprehensive retrieval of relevant literature. The study sourced articles from various academic databases, resulting in 27 publications from 2009 to 2019 (the decade preceding the pandemic) and 61 publications from 2020 to 2023 (after the onset of COVID-19). This was subsequently complemented by a narrative review to extract qualitative thematic insights pertaining to organizational, leadership, employee, and work-level factors
Examining prior injury relative to anterior cruciate ligament tears in National Basketball Association players
Research in Sports MedicineAdam J Petway, Reuben F Burch, David N Saucier, Zachary M Gillen, Ernest Rimer, Scott Epsley, Randy Forbes
2026-03-04
The purpose of this study is to determine the prior injury patterns in relationship to the subsequent new injuries of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears within the National Basketball Association (NBA). A systematic search was performed of two publicly available online sources to aggregate the injury history of athletes who sustained anterior cruciate ligament tears within the National Basketball Association. To examine previous injury trends by mechanism of injury, each injury was then further sub-classified into three previously identified mechanisms: 1) single leg casting; 2) bilateral pro-hop; 3) single-leg landing after contact. One hundred and twenty-five occurrences of ACL injuries were reviewed between 1981 and 2023.
Validating a Wearable VR Headset for Postural Sway: Comparison with Force Plate COP Across Standardized Sensorimotor Tests
ElectronicsDavid Saucier, Kaitlyn McDonald, Michael Mydlo, Rachel Barber, Emily Wall, Hunter Derby, Jennifer C Reneker, Harish Chander, Reuben F Burch, James L Weinstein
2025-10-23
This study seeks to determine the efficacy of a novel, virtual reality (VR)-based sensorimotor assessment tool, VIST Neuro-ID, in comparison to the gold standard. This was achieved through computing common postural sway metrics, as well as comparing these metrics across population groups including sex and age (50–60 vs. 61–75). Sensorimotor assessments were conducted within the VIST Neuro-ID VR software while participants stood on a force plate. A proxy for center-of-pressure measurement was developed using the six-degree-of-freedom data collected from the head-mounted display used with the VR system. Moderate-to-high (r = 0.542–0.906) Pearson’s correlations were found between VIST Neuro-ID and the force plate for all eight postural sway metrics that were computed.
