Dr. Leon Foster MEng. PhD.
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Summary
Dr Leon Foster is a researcher at the Centre for Sports Engineering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, specialising in performance analysis systems. Leon has developed software and hardware for performance analysis tools for elite athletes. He has also become involved in the development of these technologies for use by the general public through a jointly funded European Union Interreg project called ProFit. Leon has a keen interest in testing sports equipment and has developed testing protocols to evaluate the safety of protective sporting equipment within the Centre for Sports Engineering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ laboratory. In addition to his research Leon lecturers within the MSc Sports Engineering course, and supervises several PhD students.
About
Dr Leon Foster is a researcher at the Centre for Sports Engineering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Prior to joining the group at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Leon graduated from the University of Bath with a MEng in Sports Engineering. Leon then completed his PhD at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in 2012, modelling the influence of technology on athletic performance in a range of different sports. Taking key elements from his PhD, Leon embarked on the 2012 Institute of Physics schools lecture tour titled " Physics and the Games: a Winning Formula". He was part of a team of three who were responsible for delivering and organising a series of lectures at schools and universities throughout the UK, including at the Royal Institution.
Leon's research specialises in performance analysis systems. He has developed software and hardware for performance analysis tools for elite athletes. He has recently become involved in the development of these technologies for use by the general public on a jointly funded European Union Interreg project called ProFit. Leon also has a keen interest in testing sports equipment and has developed testing protocols to evaluate the safety of protective sporting equipment within the Centre for Sports Engineering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ laboratory. In addition to his research Leon coordinates and manages the departments laboratory equipment, lecturers within the MSc Sports Engineering course, is part of the team developing the new BSc Sports and Exercise Technology course, and supervises several PhD students.
Areas of interest:
- Sports engineering
- Performance analysis
- Materials testing
- Systems development
Teaching
BSc Sports and Exercise Science:
- Technology and Innovation – Applications to Sport and Exercise.
MSc Sports Engineering:
- Mechanics of Sports Equipment
BSc Sports Technology (2018-19 start date):
- Technology and Innovation – Applications to Sport and Exercise.
- Sports Equipment Design
- Sports Mechanics (module leader)
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Ï㽶ÊÓƵ centre:
- Centre for Sports Engineering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (CSER)
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ theme groups:
Current research projects:
- EIS Innovation Partnership – developing athlete performance monitoring tools
- Auxetics for sports safety equipment – development of novel materials to improve the characteristics of sports safety equipment
- SETA - Modelling of Non-motorised mobility – Horizon 2020 research project
Collaborators and sponsors:
- Manchester Metropolitan Univeristy
- TU Delft
- National Centre for Sports Exercise Medicine (NCSEM)
- English Institute of Sport Innovation and Technology Partnership
Publications
Journal articles
Haid, D., Foster, L., Hart, J., Greenwald, R., Allen, T., Sareh, P., & Duncan, O. (2023). . Smart Materials and Structures, 32 (11).
Duncan, O., Foster, L., Allen, T., & Alderson, A. (2023). . European Journal of Mechanics - A/Solids, 99.
Haid, D., Duncan, O., Hart, J., & Foster, L. (2023). . Sports Engineering, 26 (1).
Duncan, O., Allen, T., Birch, A., Foster, L., Hart, J., & Alderson, A. (2020). . Smart Materials and Structures, 30 (1), 015031.
Duncan, O., Naylor, G., M, J.G., Allen, T., Foster, L., Hart, J., & Alderson, A. (2020). . Proceedings, 49 (1), e116.
Allen, T., Foster, L., Strangwood, M., & Webster, J. (2019). . Applied Sciences, 9 (24), e5272.
Duncan, O., Clegg, F., Essa, A., Bell, A., Foster, L., Allen, T., & Alderson, A. (2019). . physica status solidi (b), 256 (1).
Duncan, O., Shepherd, T., Moroney, C., Foster, L., Venkatramam, P., Winwood, K., ... Alderson, A. (2018). . Applied Sciences, 8 (6), 941.
Foster, L., Peketi, P., Allen, T., Senior, T., Duncan, O., & Alderson, A. (2018). . Applied Sciences, 8 (3), 354.
Duncan, O., Allen, T., Foster, L., Gatt, R., Grima, J.N., & Alderson, A. (2018). . Proceedings, 2 (6), 250.
Duncan, O., Allen, T., Foster, L., Senior, T., & Alderson, A. (2017). . Acta Materialia, 126, 426-437.
Duncan, O., Foster, L., Senior, T., Alderson, A., & Allen, T. (2016). . Smart Materials and Structures, 25 (5).
Allen, T., Shepherd, J., Hewage, T.M., Senior, T., Foster, L., & Alderson, A. (2015). . physica status solidi b, 252 (7), 1631-1639.
Foster, L., Gielen, M., Beattie, M., & Goodwill, S.R. (2014). . Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence, 8867 (8867), 100-107.
Foster, L.I., Haake, S., James, D.M., & Nevill, A.M. (2014). . Journal of Sports Medicine & Doping Studies, 4 (5).
Haake, S., James, D., & Foster, L. (2014). . Journal of Sports Sciences, 33 (3), 255-267.
Haake, S., Foster, L., & James, D. (2014). . Journal of Sports Sciences, 32 (7), 610-622.
Allen, T., Foster, L., Carré, M., & Choppin, S. (2012). . Sports Engineering, 15 (4), 221-226.
Conference papers
Dawber, W., Foster, L., Senior, T., & Hart, J. (2024). . In Carfagni, M., Furferi, R., Di Stefano, P., Governi, L., & Gherardini, F. (Eds.) Third International Conference on Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering, ADM, Florence, Italy, 6 September 2023 - 8 September 2023 (pp. 169-176). Springer Nature Switzerland:
Haid, D., Duncan, O., Hart, J., & Foster, L. (2023). . 2023 IRCOBI Conference Proceedings, 23 (123), 972-973.
Allen, T., Duncan, O., Foster, L., Senior, T., Zampieri, D., Edeh, V., & Alderson, A. (2017). . In Snow sports trauma and safety: proceedings of the International Society of Skiing Safety. International Society for Skiing Safety:
Foster, L., Heller, B., Williams, A., Dunn, M., Curtis, D., & Goodwill, S. (2016). . In Garcia, C.R., Caballero-Gil, P., Burmester, M., & Quesada-Arencibia, A. (Eds.) Ubiquitous computing and ambient intelligence : 10th International Conference, UCAmI 2016, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, Spain, November 29 – December 2, 2016, (pp. 458-468). Springer:
Duncan, O., Foster, L., Senior, T., Allen, T., & Alderson, A. (2016). . Procedia Engineering, 147, 384-389.
McInerney, C., Foster, L., Choppin, S., Stone, J., & Goodwill, S. (2016). A review of spatio-temporal metrics in invasion game sports. In World Congress of Performance Analysis of Sport XI.
Mcinerney, C., Goodwill, S., Foster, L., & Choppin, S. (2016). . In ISPAS 2016 International Workshop, Institute of Technology, Carlow, 22 March 2016 - 23 March 2016.
Allen, T., Martinello, N., Zampieri, D., Hewage, T., Senior, T., Foster, L., & Alderson, A. (2015). . Procedia Engineering, 112, 104-109.
Foster, L., Heller, B., Goodwill, S., & Curtis, D. (2014). . Procedia Engineering, 72 (72), 168-173.
Foster, L.I., Haake, S.J., James, D.M., & Nevill, A.M. (2014). A Method To Objectively Gauge The Influence Of Drug Testing Procedures On Athletic Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 46, 893.
Foster, L., James, D., & Haake, S. (2012). . Procedia engineering, 34, 712-717.
Foster, L., James, D., & Haake, S. (2010). . Procedia engineering, 2 (2), 3183-3189.
Book chapters
Nickel, L., Haid, D., Duncan, O., Hart, J., & Foster, L. (2024). Reliability of a Test Method to Assess Ice Hockey Head Impacts. In Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. (pp. 152-160). Springer Nature Switzerland:
Haid, D., Duncan, O., Hart, J., & Foster, L. (2024). Proof-of-Concept of an Adaptable Mechanical Metamaterial for Ice Hockey Helmet Liners. In Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. (pp. 161-168). Springer Nature Switzerland:
Theses / Dissertations
Haid, D.M. (2024). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Foster, L., Duncan, O., & Hart, J.
Presentations
Mcinerney, C., Foster, L., Choppin, S., Stone, J., & Goodwill, S. (2016). . Presented at: XI World Congress of Performance Analysis of Sport, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain, 2016
Mcinerney, C., Foster, L., Choppin, S., Stone, J., & Goodwill, S. (2016). . Presented at: XI World Congress of Performance Analysis of Sport, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain, 2016
Postgraduate supervision
Current supervised PhD student:
- Duncan, O., Auxetics Sport Safety Applications
Completed supervised PhD students:
- McInerney, C., Modelling successful plays in hockey, July 2017
Media
Dr Leon Foster is a researcher at the Centre for Sports Engineering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, specialising in performance analysis systems. Leon has developed software and hardware for performance analysis tools for elite athletes. He has also become involved in the development of these technologies for use by the general public through a jointly funded European Union Interreg project called ProFit. Leon has a keen interest in testing sports equipment and has developed testing protocols to evaluate the safety of protective sporting equipment within the Centre for Sports Engineering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ laboratory. In addition to his research Leon lecturers within the MSc Sports Engineering course, and supervises several PhD students.
The Centre for Sports Engineering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (CSER) is led by Dr David James. It is the world's largest academic group in sports engineering and an internationally renowned centre of excellence for research and knowledge transfer. The centre's work is based on four research disciplines; applied computing, biomechanics, design engineering, and skill acquisition. In each area, researchers develop fundamental knowledge and deliver applied solutions to enhance athletic performance, reduce injury and promote physical activity.
CSER works in partnership with many sport, health and commercial organisations. We are immensely proud of our work with Team GB Olympic, and Paralympic athletes, and we enjoy research partnerships with global organisations such as the International Tennis Federation, FIFA, and Adidas.
Areas of interest:
- Sports engineering
- Performance analysis
- Materials testing
- Systems development
Notable media coverage:
- CSER Blog -
- CSER Blog -