Heather Driscoll

Heather currently divides her time between undertaking research and consultancy work at the Centre for Sports Engineering Research (CSER) and lecturing in engineering design at Sheffield Hallam University.

She completed her PhD in 2012 investigating shoe-surface interactions in football in collaboration with adidas-AG. Her PhD involved a range of specialist engineering skills including analytical and computational modelling, experimental and player testing, high-speed video analysis, image processing, data analysis and design. The PhD has lead Heather to become a specialist consultant for the International Rugby Board. She also is now supervising two PhD students studying in football boot traction and sports bra design.

In addition to lecturing and research, Heather also works on the UK Sport Innovation Partner project which involves developing software solutions for elite performance analysis.

Engaging schools in Science, Maths and Engineering played an important role in Heather's early work for CSER. Through the Institute of Physics she was involved in organising and delivering a series of lectures around the country to encourage students to study A-level physics. To support her work at CSER, Heather is the secretary of the International Sports Engineering Association, being the first female engineer to serve on the executive committee. She is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology. Prior to joining CSER, Heather graduated from University of Bath in 2008 with MEng (Hons) in Sports Engineering.