School of Exercise and Sport Science (University of Sydney)

A/Prof Richard Smith (Biomechanics, Rowing, Gait)
Sports biomechanics, laboratory and field testing, rowing performance, footwear performance, computer modelling, international speaker and consultant.

Richard Smith has twenty years of experience working with athletes, coaches and teaching and researching sports biomechanics in a national and international context. He is Vice President of the peak world body, the International Society of Biomechanics in Sport. Invitations to speak, conduct collaborative sports biomechanics projects, host, sit on scientific committees and chair international biomechanics conferences has led to the formation of a wide range of international contacts in Asia, Europe, and North America. An internationally recognised sports biomechanist, he leads a program of basic research into the mechanics underlying effective and efficient human movement and applies the outcomes to the highest level of elite athlete performance.

Mr Michael Lee (Biomechanics, Spinal Manipulation, Physiotherapy)
Lecturer

Mr Lee has qualifications in both Engineering and Physiotherapy. He has conducted research on mechanics of spinal physiotherapy manipulative techniques.

Dr Damien O'Meara (Biomechanics, Balance & Stability)
Lecturer

Biomechanics of Human Movement.

Dr O'Meara's teaches Biomechanics within the School of Exercise and Sport Science. His research interests include:

• Grab rail assisted sit-to-stand
• Efficiency of assisted functional tasks
• Friction properties of palmer skin
• Muscle efficiency during the learning of a new gross motor    control task
• Balance & stability during gait & functional tasks

Dr Peter Sinclair (Sport Biomechanics, Muscle Mechanics)
University of Sydney Program Director to SKA

Sports biomechanics, athlete technique assessment, computer modelling of musculo-skeletal dynamics, exercise programmes for people with Spinal Cord Injury.

Peter Sinclair has taught Biomechanics of Sport within the Tertiary sector for the past 18 years. He has taught across the full range of programmes from first year undergraduate, to postgraduate coursework to PhD research supervision across a range of related departments including Exercise and Sport Science, Human Movement Education, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. As founding president of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Biomechanics, he has a strong reputation within the Australian Biomechanics community and has been invited to assist in the postgraduate examination process for eight different universities within Australia. In recent years, Peter has supervised a number of postgraduate research students that have successfully targeted employment opportunities within various national and state based Institutes of Sport by undertaking research programmes specific to the needs of those institutes.

Dr Benedicte Vanwanseele (Cartilage, Injury)
Lecturer

Dr Vanwanseele works in the field of Biomechanics of musculo-skeletal injuries. Some of her recent work includes:

• Quantifying Local Changes in Patellar Cartilage Morphology
• In Vivo Precision of Quantitative Shoulder Cartilage    Measurements
• Morphological Changes in Shoulder Articular Cartilage after    Spinal Cord Injury
• The Effect of Reduced Joint Loading and Movement on the    Articular Cartilage
• Long-Term Changes in Bones of the Upper and Lower Extremity    Following Spinal Cord Injury

Dr Mark Halaki (Motor Control)
Lecturer

Motor control
Dr Halaki has a background in Engineering and Motor Control.

School of Physics (University of Sydney)

A/Prof Rodney Cross (Tennis, Physics)
A/Prof Cross is interested in the physics of tennis ball impacts with racquets. This has been extended to other sports such as baseball.

Dr John O'Byrne (Physics)
Director of First Year Teaching in Physics

Dr O'Byrne is Unit coordinator of Sports Mechanics for B.Ed students. He lectures in this area, but primary research interests are not related to sport.

School of Aerospace, Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering (University of Sydney)

Dr Jane Z Liu (Soft Tissue Injury)
Biomedical Engineering Group
Works in the field of Biological Soft Tissue Injury.

A/Prof Steven Armfield (Fluid Mechanics)
Steven’s expertise is in Computational Fluid Dynamics. He is working with A/Prof Richard Smith from the School of Exercise and Sport Science on the fluid dynamic properties of rowing oars.

School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism (University of Sydney)

Mr Rob Bower (Tennis Biomechanics)
Lecturer

Before joining the School as a full-time member of staff in 1994, Rob Bower lectured part-time in the School and at the University of Sydney. He has a background in Physical Education and Exercise and Sport Science. Rob currently lecturers in the Human Movement and Sport and Exercise Management degrees.

Teaching Areas: mechanics, biomechanics; kinesiology; research design and statistics; human movement performance studies.

Research Areas: Biomechanics; sports coaching; elderly women and gait; sporting equipment design; motion analysis.