Dr Kris D'Aout PhD, etc.

Personal Statement

I'm a biomechanist with a zoology background (Antwerp University, Belgium), and with a long standing interest in human locomotion. I work in the Evolutionary Morphology & Biomechanics Group of the Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences of the University of Liverpool. I am equally interested in ultimate questions (how did walking on two legs evolve?) and in proximate questions (how do things work here-and-now). Currently my work focuses on taking human locomotion research beyond the simplified conditions we have usually focused on, i.e. walking in a straight line on a flat substrate. These are not the conditions in which we evolved and these are also not the conditions we encounter in day-to-day activities. Projects include lab work on complex substrates and turning manoeuvres, the effect of footwear on walking, and field work with UK and various indigenous populations. I have a great interest in how gait is affected during healthy ageing as well as in disease.

Prizes or Honours

• Nike Research Award (Footwear Biomechanics Group (a technical group of the International Society of Biomechanics), Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2009)