Estevan M. Nieto is the Lab Manager of the Neuroplasticity and Motor Function Recovery (N’MORE) Lab and a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Rehabilitation Sciences in 2025 and was selected as the College of Health Sciences Undergraduate Student Marshal in recognition of his outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and service.

Estevan joined N’MORE as an undergraduate researcher and now coordinates laboratory operations, supports research studies, and trains and mentors new student researchers. His research spans upper-extremity motor recovery after stroke, wearable accelerometry, neuroplasticity, and noninvasive brain stimulation.

While an undergraduate, Estevan first-authored a peer-reviewed publication in Bioengineering (2025) examining the relationship between clinical motor capacity and real-world upper-extremity performance after stroke. He also presented research at the 2026 American Society of Neurorehabilitation (ASNR) Annual Meeting.

Most recently, Estevan is a co-author on three abstracts accepted for the 2027 APTA Combined Sections Meeting (CSM), spanning exercise-induced changes in motor-cortical physiology, transcranial alternating current stimulation and grip-force control, and accelerometry-based measurement of rehabilitation content. He is first author and will present “Exercise Priming Mechanisms: Concentric and Eccentric Cycling Differentially Modulate Motor-Cortical Physiology.”

Beyond the laboratory, Estevan founded the Art Supporting Stroke Initiative, bringing stroke survivors together through art and creative expression.

Read UTEP's feature on Estevan's selection as Undergraduate Student Marshal.