Kingston University London

Overview

Dr Nicola Swann's current research interests include the effects of growth and development on biomechanics and injury mechanisms during athletic activities. In sports biomechanics, the laws of mechanics are applied in order to gain a greater understanding of athletic performance and to reduce sports injuries

After completing her PhD, which used the ostrich for modelling an athletic musculoskeletal system during growth, Nicola spent two years working as a research biomechanist and part-time lecturer at McTimoney College of Chiropractic. 

Therefore with the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics fast approaching, she is well-placed to comment authoritively on all aspects of sports performance and sports injury, including helping us understand how some people become such amazing athletes and what happens when such sports people need to recover from injury.

She is also able to talk about how disabled sports men and women use prosethics or how army personnel rehabilitate after facing severe limb injury. Gait analysis is another area that Nicola has a keen interest in.