When Hillel Chiel was about 10 years old, he took apart a mechanical clock that wasn’t working. Looking at the pieces scattered around, he realized his mother would not be happy with the mess, so he put them back together—and the clock functioned! The experience sparked a lifelong enthusiasm for learning how things operate.
A professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biology —with secondary appointments in the departments of neuroscience and biomedical engineering—Chiel is now being recognized as a 2024 Distinguished University Professor, Case Western Reserve’s highest designation for faculty.
Chiel’s impact is most felt through his extensive collaborative interdisciplinary research. His work is widely recognized for helping scholars understand the mechanisms of adaptive behavior through the use of computational modeling and experimental approaches to the research.
“I feel a great sense of gratitude,” Chiel said, reflecting on his latest recognition. “There were years earlier in my career during which my attempts to convince my fellow neuroscientists to focus on biomechanics and modeling were regarded as somewhat strange. I am happy to see that many others are now pursuing research that incorporates both the brain and the body.”
Chiel believes collaborations are critical to tackling difficult problems. He set the standard for this in 1997 when the prestigious journal Trends in Neurosciences published, “The Brain Has a Body: Adaptive Behavior Emerges from Interactions of Nervous System, Body and Environment,” a groundbreaking review he co-authored with computer scientist Randall Beer.
“Collaborators must be treated as close friends, with mutual respect, trust and enthusiasm for each other’s interests and goals,” Chiel said.
In other projects, Chiel worked with biomedical and mechanical engineers to develop a sequence of increasingly realistic models of soft-bodied structures. They created the first model of a muscular hydrostat—structures such as tongues, trunks and tentacles—using the tongue of a reptile. This work led to a turning point in the development of soft robots (biorobotics), as well as flexible-legged robots that can traverse complex terrains.
In his most recent paper published in PNAS Nexus, Chiel—along with CWRU’s Roger Quinn, Greg Sutton from University of Lincoln (England) and Nick Szczeciński from West Virginia University—developed a framework for understanding how the four major forces acting on animal limbs are used during locomotion as a function of limb length and speed. He describes the new analysis as a single quantity that can capture essential features of locomotion for animals ranging in size from fruit flies to elephants.
“Dr. Chiel is a consummate scholar, a deep thinker, an influential writer, a dedicated mentor, an inspiring teacher, a selfless advocate for the goals of the university, and—above all—an outstanding scientist,” said Lee Thompson, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
“I hope that my focus on taking things apart and trying to put them back together again—using both analysis and synthesis—inspires other investigators to do the same,” Chiel said. “I also hope that my ideas about how important it is to consider the nervous system in the context of the body will continue to influence others for some time to come.”