Dr Peter Theobald
BEng(Hons), PGCert, PhD, CEng, MIMechE, SFHEA

: Available for postgraduate supervision

Teams and roles for Peter Theobald

Reader
School of Engineering

I have over 20 years experience in sports medicine and biomechanics, and have worked collaboratively to attract more than £4M research funding. I lead the successful Medical Experiment, Design + Computational Laboratory (MED+CL), generating new knowledge to understand the relationship between biomechanics and the underlying anatomy & physiology, and vice-versa. We use a combination of experimental methods and computational techniques to characterise soft tissue behaviour, both in vivo and in vitro.

Our primary research area is the female athlete, aiming to generate new knowledge and understanding that provides an evidence-base for tailoring sports and exercise pathways, across the ages. Such pathways can include the delivery of female-specific policies, training programmes, equipment or rehabilitation protocols. Our current investigations encompass brain, breast, knee, lower limb, muscle and uterine physiology-biomechanics. We work in concert with local clubs, societies and governing bodies, and national and international industrial partners.

I also have a strong interest in orthopaedics and cardiac biomechanics, including a recently finished EPSRC-funded study investigating growth and remodelling, and have recently become involved in enhancing cancer-related diagnostics, by leveraging our recent EPSRC infrastructure investment to start developing new imaging phantoms.

Recent Work:

Fig 1. (a) Capturing heading kinematics, from Barnes-Wood et al., 2024. (b) Quantifying the biaxial response of cardiac tissue, from Ahmad et al., 2023. (c) The hexahedral guide used to create a honeycomb helmet liner, from Adams et al., 2023. (d) Variation in Houndsfield unit achieved when adopting different 3D printing methods, from Lacan et al., 2023.

Industrial Collaboration:

My group and I actively engage with a breadth of industries and Standards committees (in the UK and US), national and international governing bodies. Our efforts focus on researching and developing novel technologies that can be translated into new products. We have worked extensively across the personal protection sector (e.g. Charles Owen, Champion Hats, Sports Labs, SPORTTAPE), creating many co-supervised, co-funded research roles that have been valuable in generating industry-specific knowledge and understanding. An example is the secondment of Finlay Taggart, developing our fundamental work (MacFarlane et al., 2024) to produce an on-pitch method of assessing skin injury risk.

Fig 2. The launch of our new, laboratory-based device to assess skin injury risk, ahead of its adoption in the revised turf regulations. The event was attended by World Rugby (sponsors), FIFA, World Rugby Preferred Turf Producers and Accredited Test Institutes (April 2024).

Date
Type

2020

Soe, S. et al. 2020. Using FFF and topology optimisation to increase crushing strength in equestrian helmets. Presented at: 7th International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing KES-SDM 2020 Virtual 9-11 Sept 2020. Published in: Scholz, S. G. , Howlett, R. J. and Setchi, R. eds. Sustainable Design and Manufacturing 2020. Vol. 200.Springer. , pp.369-377. (10.1007/978-981-15-8131-1_33)
Townsend, S. et al. 2020. 3D printed origami honeycombs with tailored out-of-plane energy absorption behavior. Materials & Design 195 108930. (10.1016/j.matdes.2020.108930)

2019

Adams, R. et al. 2019. A novel pathway for efficient characterisation of additively manufactured thermoplastic elastomers. Materials and Design 180 107917. (10.1016/j.matdes.2019.107917)
Guan, D. et al., 2019. On the AIC-based model reduction for the general Holzapfel-Ogden myocardial constitutive law. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology 18 , pp.1213-1232. (10.1007/s10237-019-01140-6)
Kandasamy, J. et al. 2019. Can real-time feedback improve the simulated infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance of basic life support and lay rescuers?. Archives of Disease in Childhood 104 (8), pp.493-801. (10.1136/archdischild-2018-316576)
Malik, S. et al., 2019. An in-vitro animal bone model study to predict spiral fracture strength of long bones in the young infant. Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma 10 (4), pp.744-749. (10.1016/j.jcot.2018.10.001)
Robinson, M. et al. 2019. Mechanical characterisation of additively manufactured elastomeric structures for variable strain rate applications. Additive Manufacturing 27 , pp.-. (10.1016/j.addma.2019.03.022)

2018

Ahmad, F. et al. 2018. Region-specific microstructure in the neonatal ventricles of a porcine model. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 46 (12), pp.2162-2176. (10.1007/s10439-018-2089-4)
Ahmad, F. et al. 2018. Biomechanical properties and microstructure of neonatal porcine ventricles. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 88 , pp.18-28. (10.1016/j.jmbbm.2018.07.038)
Thangaraj, R. , Jones, M. D. and Theobald, P. 2018. Changes in frictional coefficient with increased tendon surface tear?An experimental animal model. Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma 9 (S1), pp.S19-S25. (10.1016/j.jcot.2017.08.003)

2017

Jabi, W. et al. 2017. Enhancing parametric design through non-manifold topology. Design Studies 52 , pp.96-114. (10.1016/j.destud.2017.04.003)
Jones, M. et al. 2017. Development and validation of a physical model to investigate the biomechanics of infant head impact. Forensic Science International 276 , pp.111-119. (10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.03.025)
Robinson, M. et al., 2017. Developing elastomeric cellular structures for multiple head impacts. Presented at: 2017 IRCOBI Conference Antwerp, Belgium 13–15 September 2017.

2016

Alqhtani, R. S. et al., 2016. Investigating the contribution of the upper and lower lumbar spine, relative to hip motion, in everyday tasks. Manual Therapy 21 , pp.268-273. (10.1016/j.math.2015.09.014)
Hughes, J. et al., 2016. Biomechanical characteristics of head injuries from falls in children younger than 48 months. Archives of Disease in Childhood 101 , pp.310-315. (10.1136/archdischild-2014-306803)
Jones, M. D. , Oates, B. and Theobald, P. 2016. Quantifying the biotribological properties of forehead skin to enhance head impact simulations. Biosurface and Biotribology 2 (2), pp.75-80.
Soe, S. , Jabi, W. and Theobald, P. 2016. Evaluating innovative CAD techniques in the creation of conformal cellular structures. Presented at: 3rd International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing (SDM-2016) Heraklion, Greece 4-6 April 2016. Published in: Setchi, R. et al., Sustainable Design and Manufacturing 2016. Vol. 52.Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies Springer International. , pp.387-397. (10.1007/978-3-319-32098-4_33)
Swaminathan, R. et al. 2016. The prediction of neck extensor force using surface electromyography. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation 29 (2), pp.279-285. (10.3233/BMR-150626)
Swaminathan, R. et al. 2016. Does the new rugby union scrum sequence positively influence the hooker's in situ spinal kinematics?. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2 (1) e000064. (10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000064)

2015

Alqhtani, R. S. et al., 2015. Correlation of lumbar-hip kinematics between trunk flexion and other functional tasks. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 38 (6), pp.442-447. (10.1016/j.jmpt.2015.05.001)
Alqhtani, R. S. et al., 2015. Reliability of an accelerometer-based system for quantifying multiregional spinal range of motion. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 38 (4), pp.275-281. (10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.12.007)
Jones, M. D. et al. 2015. Development of a computational biomechanical infant model for the investigation of infant head injury by shaking. Medicine, Science and the Law 55 (4), pp.291-299. (10.1177/0025802414564495)
King, P. et al., 2015. Design, calibration and validation of a novel surface imaging tool for medical endoscopic applications. Presented at: 2015 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC) Pisa, Italy 11-14 May 2015. 2015 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC 2015). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). , pp.1342-1348. (10.1109/I2MTC.2015.7151468)
Okhiria, D. et al. 2015. In vivo monitoring of orthopaedic implant wear using amorphous ribbons. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics 51 (1) 4002303. (10.1109/TMAG.2014.2356715)
Singh, R. et al., 2015. Motocross biking for competition and for recreation: a prospective analysis of 423 injured riders. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 1 (1) e000019. (10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000019)
Soe, S. et al. 2015. Feasibility of optimising bicycle helmet design safety through the use of additive manufactured TPE cellular structures. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 79 (9), pp.1975-1982. (10.1007/s00170-015-6972-y)
Soe, S. et al. 2015. Energy absorption characteristics of additively manufactured TPE cellular structures. Presented at: Second International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing Seville, Spain 12-14 April 2015.
Swaminathan, M. et al., 2015. A kinematic analysis of the spine during rugby scrummaging on natural and synthetic turfs. Journal of Sports Sciences 34 (11), pp.1058-1066. (10.1080/02640414.2015.1088165)

2014

Howieson, A. J. , Jones, M. D. and Theobald, P. 2014. The change in energy absorbed post removal of metalwork in a simulated paediatric long bone fracture. Journal of Children's Orthopaedics 8 (5), pp.443-447. (10.1007/s11832-014-0606-z)
Rodger, M. P. , Theobald, P. and Giddins, G. 2014. Vein grafts to augment flexor tendon repairs: a biomechanical study on strength and gap resistance. Journal of Hand Surgery: European Volume 40 (7), pp.695-699. (10.1177/1753193414564902)
Singh, R. et al., 2014. Ankle fractures: a literature review of current treatment methods. Open Journal of Orthopedics 04 (11), pp.292-303. (10.4236/ojo.2014.411046)
Soe, S. et al. 2014. Feasibility of using Duraform® flex lattice structures and additive manufacturing for optimising bicycle helmet design safety. Presented at: SDM'14: International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing Cardiff, Wales 28-30 April 2014. Sustainable Design and Manufacturing: SDM-14: Pre-Proceedings. Vol. 1.Vol. 1. England: KES International. , pp.278-290.
Williams, J. , Theobald, P. and Jones, M. D. 2014. Does the presence of a vertical barrier influence sagittal spinal curvature or range of motion in young females?. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation 27 (1), pp.71-75. (10.3233/BMR-130421)

2013

Biggs, P. et al. 2013. Development of a methodology for the standardisation and improvement of 'Smartphone' photography of patterned bruises and other cutaneous injuries. Science & Justice 53 (3), pp.358-362. (10.1016/j.scijus.2013.05.001)
Khan, I. M. et al. 2013. In vitro growth factor-induced bio engineering of mature articular cartilage. Biomaterials 34 (5), pp.1478-1487. (10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.09.076)
Martin, P. S. et al. 2013. Do chest compressions during simulated infant CPR comply with international recommendations?. Archives of Disease in Childhood 98 , pp.576-581. (10.1136/archdischild-2012-302583)
Martin, P. S. et al. 2013. Does a more "physiological" infant manikin design effect chest compression quality and create a potential for thoracic over-compression during simulated infant CPR?. Resuscitation 84 (5), pp.666-671. (10.1016/j.resuscitation.2012.10.005)
Martin, P. S. et al. 2013. Real-time feedback can improve infant manikin cardiopulmonary resuscitation by up to 79%- A randomised controlled trial. Resuscitation 84 (8), pp.1125-1130. (10.1016/j.resuscitation.2013.03.029)
Theobald, P. 2013. Fat pad lubrication properties. In: Wang, Q. J. and Chung, Y. eds. Encyclopedia of Tribology. Springer. , pp.1022-1026. (10.1007/978-0-387-92897-5_1274)

2012

Martin, P. S. et al. 2012. Increased incidence of CPR-related rib fractures in infants - is it related to changes in CPR technique? [Letter]. Resuscitation 83 (4), pp.e109. (10.1016/j.resuscitation.2011.08.034)
McGonagle, L. et al., 2012. Lubrication properties of commercially available anti-adhesive agents used in tendon repair [Abstract]. Orthopaedic Proceedings: a supplement of Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (British) 94-B (SXVIII), pp.60-60.
McGonagle, L. J. et al. 2012. The bio-tribological properties of anti-adhesive agents commonly used during tendon repair. Journal of Orthopaedic Research 30 (5), pp.775-780. (10.1002/jor.21569)
Theobald, P. et al. 2012. Tribological characteristics of healthy tendon. Journal of Biomechanics. 45 (11), pp.1972-1978. (10.1016/j.jbiomech.2012.05.005)
Theobald, P. , Jones, M. D. and Williams, J. M. 2012. Do inertial sensors represent a viable method to reliably measure cervical spine range of motion?. Manual Therapy 17 (1), pp.92-96. (10.1016/j.math.2011.06.007)
Theobald, P. , Qureshi, A. and Jones, M. D. 2012. Biomechanical investigation into the torsional failure of immature long bone. Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma 3 (1), pp.24-27. (10.1016/j.jcot.2012.02.001)

2011

Jones, M. , Cory, C. Z. and Theobald, P. 2011. Validation of the MADYMO facet human body model to simulate blunt ballistic impacts to the thorax. Presented at: International Society of Biomechanics Congress XXIII Brussels, Belgium 3-7 July 2011. Proceedings of the International Society of Biomechanics Congress XXIII, Brussels, Belgium, 2011. International Society of Biomechanics
Jones, M. D. , Cory, C. and Theobald, P. 2011. Validation of the MADYMO facet human body model to simulate blunt ballistic impacts to the thorax. Presented at: International Society of Biomechanics Congress XXIII Brussels, Belgium 3-7 July 2011.
Jones, M. D. , Dickson, J. and Theobald, P. 2011. Does wearing a cycle helmet increase the risk of a child sustaining a rotational head injury?. Presented at: International Society of Biomechanics Congress XXIII Brussels, Belgium 3-7 July 2011.
Jones, M. D. and Theobald, P. 2011. The potential effects of floor impact surfaces on infant head injury outcome during a short fall. Medicine, Science and the Law 51 (4), pp.203-207. (10.1258/msl.2011.011006)
Martin, P. et al. 2011. Chest compression quality during infant CPR. Presented at: International Society of Biomechanics Congress XXIII Brussels, Belgium 3-7 July 2011.
Martin, P. S. et al. 2011. Chest compression performance during infant CPR [Abstract]. Archives of Diseases in Childhood 96 (S1) A86. (10.1136/adc.2011.212563.200)
Martin, P. S. et al. 2011. Computational simulation of head accelerations generated by the 'Shaken Baby Syndrome'. Presented at: ESB2010: 17th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics Edinburgh, UK 5-8 July 2010.
Martin, P. S. et al. 2011. Do chest compressions, during paediatric CPR, cause thoracic trauma?. Presented at: International Society of Biomechanics Congress XXIII Brussels, Belgium 3-7 July 2011.
Qureshi, A. et al. 2011. The influence of strain rate on the angle of spiral fracture in paediatric long bone. Presented at: 12th European Congress of Trauma and Emergency Surgery Milan, Italy 21-30 April 2011.
Qureshi, A. et al. 2011. The influence of strain rate on the angle of spiral fracture in paediatric long bone. Presented at: 12th European Congress of Trauma & Emergency Surgery Milan, Italy 27-30 April 2011.
Theobald, P. and Jones, M. D. 2011. Does the potential adoption of IRB Regulation 22 expose soccer players to an increased risk of head injury?. Presented at: International Society of Biomechanics Congress XXIII Brussels, Belgium 3-7 July 2011.
Theobald, P. , Jones, M. D. and Williams, J. 2011. The use of attitude sensors to measure cervical spine ROM. Presented at: International Society of Biomechanics Congress XXIII Brussels, Belguim 3-7 July 2011.
Theobald, P. , Qureshi, A. and Jones, M. D. 2011. Can the rotational speed to cause spiral fracture be estimated from the fracture pattern?. Presented at: Bone Research Society and British Orthopaedic Research Society Meeting Cambridge, UK 27-29 June 2011.
Thomas, J. M. C. et al., 2011. The bio-tribological characteristics of synthetic tissue grafts. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine 225 (2), pp.141-148. (10.1243/09544119JEIM796)

2010

Landham, P. R. et al., 2010. Friction as a potential cause of paratenonitis [Abstract]. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 92-B (I 59)
Martin, P. S. et al. 2010. Development of a 9 month old model for the computational simulation of traumatic injuries to infants. Presented at: 17th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB2010) Edinburgh, UK 5-8 July 2010.
Qureshi, A. et al. 2010. Biomechanical investigation into the torsional failure of paediatric long bone. Presented at: 17th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB2010) Edinburgh, UK 5-8 July 2010.
Qureshi, A. et al. 2010. The influence of strain rate on the angle of spiral fracture in paediatirc long bone [Abstract]. European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery 36 (S1), pp.141.
Stokes, O. D. et al., 2010. Panoramic ultrasound to measure in vivo teno Achilles strain. Foot and Ankle International 31 (10), pp.905-909. (10.3113/FAI.2010.0905)
Theobald, P. et al. 2010. The biomechanical consequence of removing the periosteum from paediatric bone exposed to spiral fracture. Presented at: 17th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB2010) Edinburgh, UK 5-8 July 2010.
Theobald, P. et al. 2010. The predicted risk of head injury from fall related impacts on to third-generation artificial turf and grass soccer surfaces: A comparative biomechanical analysis. Sports Biomechanics 9 (1), pp.29-37. (10.1080/14763141003690245)
Theobald, P. et al. 2010. Using head injury criterion (HIC) to assess the risk of concussion following head impact. Presented at: 17th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB2010) Edinburgh, UK 5-8 July 2010.
Thomas, J. M. et al., 2010. The lubrication of synthetic tissue grafts and healthy tendon. Presented at: 17th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB2010) Edinburgh, UK 5-8 July 2010.

2009

Ghazzawi, A. A. et al. 2009. Quantifying the motion of Kager's fat pad. Journal of Orthopaedic Research 27 (11), pp.1457-1460. (10.1002/jor.20900)
Theobald, P. et al. 2009. Medical engineering at Cardiff University. Part 1: undergraduate programmes of study. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine 223 (4), pp.425-430. (10.1243/09544119JEIM533)
Theobald, P. et al. 2009. Medical engineering at Cardiff University. Part 2: postgraduate programmes of study. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine 223 (4), pp.431-435. (10.1243/09544119JEIM534)

2008

Landham, P. R. et al. 2008. A bio-tribological analysis of paratenonitis. Presented at: STLE/ASME 2008 International Joint Tribology Conference (IJTC2008) Miami, FL, USA 20-22 October 2008. Proceedings of the STLE/ASME 2008 International Joint Tribology Conference (IJTC2008), October 20–22, 2008 , Miami, Florida, USA. ASME Conference Proceedings New York, NY: ASME. , pp.131-133. (10.1115/IJTC2008-71158)

2007

Pullin, R. et al. 2007. Numerical determination of acoustic emission sensor response in plates using dispersion curves. Presented at: 7th International Conference on Damage Assessment of Structures (DAMAS 2007) Turin, Italy
Theobald, P. et al. 2007. The Potential Frictional Significance of Kagers Fat Pad. Presented at: 53rd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society San Diego, USA
Theobald, P. et al. 2007. Lubrication regime of the contact between fat and bone in bovine tissue. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of engineering in medicine 221 (4), pp.351-356. (10.1243/09544119JEIM176)

2006

Theobald, P. 2006. Biomechanical analysis of the Achilles tendon enthesis organ. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Theobald, P. et al. 2006. The functional anatomy of Kager's fat pad in relation to retrocalcaneal problems and other hindfoot disorders. Journal of anatomy 208 (1), pp.91-97. (10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00510.x)

2005

Theobald, P. et al. 2005. Review of the vascularisation of the human Achilles tendon. Injury 36 (11), pp.1267-1272. (10.1016/j.injury.2005.02.012)

Contracts

Title	People	Sponsor	Value	Duration
Upgrading the small equipment base for early career researchers in the Engineering and Physical Sciences	Holford K, Whatling G, Lees J, Anderson P I, Brousseau E, Cipcigan L M, Pullin R, Bigot S, Theobald P, Simpson R N, Kawashita L F, Clarke A	EPSRC	498k	01/11/2012 - 31/03/2013
Using 'digital' materials to establish a novel investigation platform for cardiac arrest	Theobald P	Ser Cymru NRN Sweasea	57k	01/07/2014 - 30/06/2017
Validating the use of piezoelectric materials for novel application in bio-mechanical engineering	Theobald P	Royal Society	15k	01/04/2013 - 31/03/2014
Optimising Impact protection through additive manufacturing	Theobald P	EPSRC via Nottingham University	3k	15/08/2014 - 14/03/2015
Putting the 'Spark' Back into Electrical Engineering (Ingenius Public Engagement Grant)	Theobald P	Royal Academy of Engineering	30k	01/04/2014 - 31/07/2015
Increasing the acceptance of safety headwear within the climbing	Theobald P	Welsh European Funding Office	40k	01/03/2013 - 28/02/2014
Can providing 3D printing be used to enhance cardiopulmonary resucitation techniques?	Theobald P, Clarke A	Welsh Crucible	10k	01/12/2013 - 31/08/2014
Biomechanical analysis of dual bridge plating	Theobald P, Jones M	Biomet Manufacturing LLC	25k	01/06/2014 - 15/02/2015
The use of novel materials to enhance motorcyclist safety in developing countries	Theobald P, M. Alves (Fellow)	Royal Society - Newton Fund	12k	01/11/2015 - 31/07/2017
New and novel materials to reduce head injury	Theobald P, Soe S	EPSRC IAA	20k	15/06/2015 - 30/09/2015
Developing novel materials to enhance motorcycle safety	Theobald P, Soe S	KESS II	80k	01/01/2016 - 31/12/2019
Quantifying probable region-specific microstructural and biomechanical variations In mature porcine tissue	Theobald P	EPSRC via Glasgow University	6k	1/10/18 – 30/4/19
Growth and remodelling in the porcine heart – pushing mathematics through experiments	Theobald P, Soe S, Yang X (in collaboration with Glasgow and Swansea Universities)	EPSRC	£341k (£800k total)	01/05/2019-30/04/2022
Novel, rate-dependent material to enhance helmet liner performance	Theobald P, Soe S	Football Research Inc	£80k	01/03/2019-15/07/2020
Novel test device for the standardised measurement of skin friction on synthetic surfaces	Theobald P	World Rugby	£57k	01/07/2019-30/06/2022
Developing advanced protective materials via an enhanced understanding of brain injury	Theobald P	KESS II	£82k	01/10/2019-30/09/2022
Strategic investment in Cardiff University's functional material capabilities	Graham K, Theobald P, Ladak S	EPSRC	£577k	01/11/2020- 30/04/2022
Soccer heading and head health	Theobald P	EPSRC IAA	£14k	01/11/2020 - 31/10/2021
Improving equestrian helmet performance	Theobald P	Innovate UK/KTP	£278k	01/01/2021-30/06/2023
Improving equestrian helmet performance	Theobald P	Welsh European Funding Office	£22k	01/01/2021-30/06/2023
Enhancing the adoption of a new test method for synthetic surfaces	Theobald P	EPSRC IAA	£50k	01/11/2023 - 31/12/2024

I teach a range of subjects that consider musculoskeletal biomechanics, and how the implementation of innovative design can add to this valuable area. These modules include:

EN2451 - Biomechanics 1, focussing on the fundamentals of the musculoskeletal system.
EN3450 - Biomechanics 2, considering the implementation of emerging technologies to design and manufacture patient-specific surgical guides.
EN4119 - Ergonomics, introducing a novel intervention that can improve and/or protect musculoskeletal functionality, with efficacy tested on a participant population.

I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate individual projects, and am a Personal Tutor to undergraduate Medical Engineering students. I am also a Senior Fellow at Advanced HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy).

My research focusses on the interface of engineering and medicine, particularly applied to the female athlete. Alongside my team, we aim to identify new and novel solutions to reduce the risk of mortality, morbidity and injury. Our research is of both a fundamental and applied nature, meaning we work with a range of academic, clinical and industrial collaborators within the UK and overseas. Internally, I hold memberships in both the High Value Manufacturing, and Medical Engineering, research groups.

My research team are primarily focussed on increasing inclusivity, or removing barriers to participation, in sport. We use our understanding of engineering and biology to better understand the anatomy and physiology of healthy and at-risk soft tisues, to then propose interventions that further enhance athlete participation. Under-represented populations, including the female and youth athlete, are special interests. We perform fundamental science, whilst engaging with policy makers and industry, to maximise the impact of our unique knowledge and expertise.

My research also includes a wider spectrum of engineering applied to medicine, meaning we work with a range of clinical colleagues and academic collaborators within the UK and overseas. I am active in orthopaedics - especially looking at how additive manufacturing can improve patient care. We have also worked investigating how the biomechancial behaviour of cardiac tissue changes with age, included the recently ended project funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, alongside the prestigious SoftMECH centre (University of Glasgow) and Swansea University.

My career started in 2003, graduating in Medical Engineering from the University of Bradford (1st Class (Hons)), at the time being one of very few universities to offer such a programme. I moved to Cardiff School of Engineering to read my PhD in soft tissue biomechanics, focusing on the tendo Achilles insertion site. I performed a series of biomechanical and anatomical analyses, revealing the complex interaction between adjacent tissues that ensures the interface can withstand such high loads. I was supervised by Professor Len Nokes (School of Engineering), the late Professor Mike Benjamin (School of Biosciences) and the late Professor Colin Dent (School of Medicine).

I am now a recognised expert in the Medical Engineering field and frequently review grants and papers, and examine students, across the UK and internationally.

Professional memberships

Chartered Engineer (IMechE)
Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Senior Fellow of the Advanced HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy)
ASTM (American Society for Testing & Materials) Member for F08: Sports equipment and facilities, including F08.53: Helmets
British Standards committee member (Helmets for Equestrian Activities)

Academic positions

2020 - Present: Reader, School of Engineering, Cardiff University
2015 - 2020: Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Cardiff University
2007 - 2015: Lecturer, School of Engineering, Cardiff University
2006 - 2007: Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Engineering, Cardiff University

Committees and reviewing

Review Editor (Biomechanics)	Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology	2022 - present
Editorial Board Member	Biosurface & Biotribology	2020 - present
Editorial Board Member	Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology	2020 - present
Associate Peer Review College membership	EPSRC	2018 - present
Advisory Board Member	Journal of Sports Science	2017 - present
International Faculty Member	International Congress of Joint Reconstruction (Middle East)	2016 - present
Programme Chair	Sustainable Design & Manufacturing	2015 - 6

Journal Reviewer:

Acta Physiologica
J Biomech
J Med Eng Tech
Sports Biomech
J Tribol
J Orthop Res
Friction
J Eng Med
J Sport Sci
J Sci Med Sport
Mat & Design
Cardiology
Bio Mod in Mech
Med Eng Phys
J Sports Eng Tech

My research group focuses on areas including:

Inclusivity in sport, by focussing on under-represented athletes, including female and youth
Head protection
Injury prevention
Light-weighting
Energy absorption
Additive manufacturing for medical application
Orthopaedics

Please contact me using the above details should your interests lie within these areas

My current research students and their topics include:

Title	Student	Status	Degree
ACL injury in the female athlete	ZHAO, Xuan	Current	PhD
Using tape to increase inclusivity in sport	BUTCHER, Freya	Current	PhD
Investigating the risk of anterior cruciate ligament rupture in female athletes	ZHANG, Xinkai	Current	PhD
Using finite element analysis as a platform to investigate osteoarthritis progression in the human hand	WEI, Han	Current	PhD
Correlating the structural characteristics and aging of brain tissue	XU, Lanxi	Current	PhD
Correlating the biomechanical characteristics and aging of brain tissue	LEI, Rujing	Current	PhD
Enhancing head protection and brain health in sports impacts	BARNES-WOOD, Meg	Current	PhD
Using patient-specific approaches to minimise radiation exposure when surgically stabilising distal radial fractures	AL-NEHAYAN, Mansoor	Current	PhD
Multiphysical solutions for safety helmets	STOFF, Jasmin	Writing up	PhD
Developing advanced protective materials via an enhanced understanding of brain injury	MCCLOSKEY, Hugh	Writing up	PhD

Current supervision

Hugh McCloskey

Mansoor Alnehayan

Xinkai Zhang

Freya Butcher

Xuan Zhao

Han Wei

PhD Student

Past projects

My past PhD graduates and projects include:

Dr Max MacFarlane, PhD graduate 2024:	The skin injury device: a tribological analysis of rugby turf to enhance player welfare
Dr Rhosslyn Adams, PhD graduate 2022:	On a finite element based approach to the design and optimisation of elastomeric additively manufactured cellular structures for impact mitigation in helmets
Dr Benjamin Hanna, PhD graduate 2021:	Development of a metamaterial for use in Americal football head protection.
Dr Michael Robinson, PhD graduate 2020:	Developing novel materials to enhance motorcyclist safety.
Dr Faizan Ahmad, PhD graduate 2018:	Establishing the material parameters of the neonatal porcine ventricular myocardium
Dr Jeyapal Kandasamy, PhD graduate 2018:	Can infant CPR performance be improved through the provision of 'real time' feedback
Dr Ghaidaa Khalid, PhD graduate 2018:	A coupled physical-computational methodolgy for the investigation of short fall related infant head impact
Dr Samar Shaabeth, PhD graduate 2018:	Establishing a FSI platform for investigating infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Dr Raee Alqhtani, PhD graduate 2016:	Developing a methodology to perform measurements of multi-spinal regions and lumbar-hip complex kinematics during dominant daily tasks
Dr Ramesh Swaminathan, PhD graduate 2016:	An investigation to establish how the evolution of rugby influences the risk of spinal injury during scrummaging
Dr Jonathon Hughes, PhD graduate 2014:	Biomechanics of skull fracture and intracranial injury in young children as a consequence of a low height fall
Dr Philip Martin, PhD graduate 2013:	Engineering an improvement in chest compression quality during simulated infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Contact Details

[email protected]
+44 29208 74726
Queen's Buildings - South Building, Room S/2.10, 5 The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA

Research themes

Specialisms

Injury prevention
Biomedical engineering
Biomechanics

Brain injury prevention research wins funding

15 January 2019

3D tech saves international sports star

11 April 2018

Dr Peter Theobald BEng(Hons), PGCert, PhD, CEng, MIMechE, SFHEA

Teams and roles for Peter Theobald

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2021