Sport and exercise science is an applied and interdisciplinary subject. Biomechanics and engineering are closely related disciplines that are often integrated to address injury, performance, rehabilitation, and participation questions. As physical sciences, biomechanics and engineering offer the opportunity to understand causal mechanisms of such questions, as well as develop tools and interventions to action findings.

Measurement technologies of appropriate sensitivity have been limited to laboratories. It is known that laboratory settings limit environmental stimuli and in turn, influence emergent behaviour being studied. Developments in wearable- and vision-based technologies offer the opportunity to address research questions outside of laboratory settings and have become popularised owing to their ease-of-use. However, whilst many of these technologies are capable of more complex movement analyses, they are limited by a lack of applied evidence and analysis techniques. To progress the utility of biomechanics and engineering research in sport and exercise, and to consider the multi-scale nature of research questions and the confluence of constraints, there is a need to address experimental design and the growth in technologies capable of complex movement analyses.

My research integrates biomechanics and engineering to develop and apply bespoke measurement technologies in real-world and representative settings. These range from simple and immediately actionable sport performance tools to complex analyses of joint function and neuromuscular health. My research spans two thematic areas: ‘specialised sport industry problems’ and ‘future movement health challenges’.

My research focuses on applied measurement in representative and real-world settings, to advance the understanding of human movement in sport and health applications. My PhD research was sponsored by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and developed a markerless (non-invasive), single-camera system to automatically measure player movement and step parameters during elite, match-play tennis. This technology was translated into real-world athletic training and hospital settings, to aid understanding of sprint performance and neurological disorders, respectively. My research has addressed applied measurement solutions for international sports governing bodies (e.g., ITF, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB)), international sports companies (e.g., Adidas, New Balance Athletics, Babolat), elite sports teams (e.g., British Triathlon, British Cycling), sports infrastructure and test laboratory companies (e.g., TenCate Grass, Labosport Ltd.), and NHS Health Trusts (e.g., Sheffield Teaching Hospitals).

The industry-focussed nature of my research has informed real-world change in international football (i.e., 2018 International Match Standard for wearable devices, prepared on behalf of FIFA), developed international industry research partnerships (e.g., Adidas, FIFA), and secured industry match-funded PhD scholarships (e.g., FIFA, TenCate Grass). Recently, my research has addressed biomechanical analyses for field- and clinic-based applications using consumer technologies. This addresses a vast growth in technologies capable of complex human movement analysis but limited by a lack of applied evidence and analysis techniques. I was recently identified as a future academic leader conducting commercialisable research and awarded a limited place – funded by Innovate UK – on the Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research programme (world leading technology entrepreneur incubator).

I am a past Director of the International Sports Engineering Association. I have acted as a reviewer for the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office, for industry body policy statements, and for numerous academic journals. I led and am lead editor of the Topical Collection on Football Research I and Topical Collection on Football Research II, respectively. I have developed and led numerous applied measurement science courses at different UK institutions. I have examined six PhD candidates (internally and externally) and have had the pleasure to supervise six PhD candidates to completion and currently supervise five PhD candidates.

Internal responsibilities:

• PGR Lead for Sport.
• Programme Director: MSc by Research Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences.
• EGIS Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Committee member.