The Exeter Biomechanics Research Team (ExBiRT), based in Sport and Health Sciences within the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, includes expertise in the study of lower limb injury mechanisms and in the interaction of humans with sports shoes and surfaces. The Team includes academic and postdoctoral researchers, a dedicated technician and several research students.
Exeter Biomechanics Research Team collaborates closely with medical practitioners and industry to perform research projects aiming to optimise performance and reduce the likelihood of injury in sports and exercise. Projects are funded by research councils (eg. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, EPSRC), through PhD studentships or on a consultancy basis. Small investigatory projects can be performed as part of undergraduate dissertations, and often provide pilot data to support larger project proposals.
Recent projects funded by EPSRC include an investigation into the engineering of sustainable sports surfaces (in collaboration with Cranfield University) and the study of shoe-surface traction in sports (in collaboration with the University of Sheffield). All research projects have involvement from industry partners, informing the direction of the project and aiding appropriate dissemination of project findings.