Dr Philip Graham-Smith has had a long and established career as a biomechanist working in academia, professional sport and private industry. Phil was the Head of Biomechanics and Innovation at Aspire Academy in Qatar for 10 years and prior to that Head of Department and Associate Head of School for Business and Engagement at the University of Salford. He is a Fellow and accredited member of BASES, a Chartered Scientist, an ISPAS Level 5 Accredited Performance Analyst, and a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (NSCA).
He provided biomechanical support to UK Athletics jumps squads for over 21 years prior to leaving for Qatar in 2013. In the 4 years leading to the London Olympics he was consultant Head of Biomechanics at the English Institute of Sport mentoring biomechanists working in the system. Through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership he was a consultant to the footwear company FitFlops from 2006 to 2013 where he helped translate biomechanical data into product design and marketing material.
With a keen interest in entrepreneurship and innovation Phil co-founded the sports technology company ForceDecks, a dual force platform system which has been adopted by over 2000 high performances sport institutes and professional sports teams worldwide.
His research interests and application have stemmed from his work with elite long and triple jumpers, understanding how they convert horizontal speed into vertical. This led naturally into changing direction and agility performance and the associated risk of injury.
He adopts a ‘performance solutions’ approach to research and engages with practitioners to form the right performance questions.
