About
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). My work focuses on the function of the human foot and how it interacts with footwear and with the terrain to produce efficient gait. I am passionate about representing human diversity in biomechanics, so my lab work is complemented by field work in the UK but also with various indigenous populations in Asia and Africa. I have a great interest in how gait is affected during healthy ageing as well as in disease.
I strongly believe research and teaching go hand in hand and therefore I have established a new MSc programme in Musculoskeletal Biomechanics, where we are training the future generation of biomechanists. I am the Sustainability lead of my Institute and member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity panel.
Prizes or Honours
- Nike Research Award (Footwear Biomechanics Group (a technical group of the International Society of Biomechanics), Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2009)