Biography

Dr. Mohammed Benalla earned his bachelor’s degree in Physics from Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, in 1995. In 2001, he completed an engineering to a master’s degree in Electrotechnics and Industrial Electronics at the Mohammadia School of Engineers in Rabat, Morocco. He subsequently earned a second master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the City College of New York (CCNY) in 2007.

In 2012, Dr. Benalla received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Graduate Center in Biomedical Engineering. His doctoral research focused on determining the lacunar-canalicular permeability of osteons harvested from human cortical bone and subjected to physiological loading conditions. His work involved developing and applying an analytical model of a saturated, compressible, poroelastic annular cylinder undergoing unconfined stress relaxation. The model predictions were compared with experimentally measured stress-relaxation responses to accurately determine the intrinsic permeability of human cortical bone.

Following the completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Benalla worked as a research associate in the CCNY Biomedical Laboratory in collaboration with the Department of Orthopedics at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Alongside his research activities, he taught as an adjunct professor at several institutions, including the New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn, LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Hostos Community College in the Bronx, and the City College of New York in Manhattan.

In August 2013, Dr. Benalla joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Southern University as a full-time faculty member. From fall 2015 through spring 2017, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. In fall 2017, he joined the Department of Engineering and Technology at Vaughn College in Flushing, New York, where he continued his academic career as Associate Professor and coordinator of the Electrical and computer science majors.

Dr. Benalla has published more than 20 research papers. Much of his recent work focuses on bioelectronics and assistive technologies, including a brain-controlled 3D-printed prosthetic arm, a smart cane for blind and visually impaired individuals, and a voice-controlled wheelchair.

From 2021 to 2026, Dr. Benalla served as the Principal Investigator (PI) of a $5 million Title III grant, leading initiatives to strengthen institutional research and development and advance related academic objectives.