Hi Yann Kai, Can you summarise your PhD project and its goals for someone unfamiliar with the field?

My project is working on understanding the biomechanical requirements for female distance runners to compete and race at the highest level. Biomechanics is the study of how human and animals generate movement. In particular, I’m looking at how middle- and long-distance female runners (800 metres and above) achieve the speed and pacing of their events. If we can understand how those at the top of the game do it so well, this can be translated to all levels of runners, including recreational running – so everyone can run to the best of their ability.

We’re very lucky here in Leeds that we have access to a great range of high-level athletes to work with in our research!

What inspired your interest in this area, and how did you decide that a PhD was the next step for you?

Whilst there have been huge advances in gender equality and sport, research is far behind and still mainly focuses on male athletes. This is one of the things that generated my interest. I love running myself but found that the knowledge about the biomechanical traits of female athletes was lacking. Most of the time, I ended up reading research on males or research that compares females to males, so for me, the goal is to establish a knowledge base around how women runners run and perform at the level they do.

I didn’t do many sports when I was younger, but started running to get healthy whilst working in the finance industry. I later worked in high-performance custom sports apparel, where we tailored kit for each member of a UCI world tour racing team as well as the USA national cycling team. Whilst we aspired to have a men and women’s line, there were times that I felt changes could be made. Rather than making small adjustments and “sizing down” men’s products, I wanted to do better by designing kit made specifically for women.

I decided to do a Masters degree in Sport and Exercise Science, and chose Leeds Beckett, because there is a significant focus on practical application. After working in the sports industry and appreciating the value of learning on the job, Leeds Beckett really stood out to me as a place where our research could deliver immediate practical benefits. With my Masters, I found my passion in biomechanics. I’ve always liked endurance sports and athletics, so it made sense to research a topic I’m interested in.

After my Masters, I considered going back into industry, but – the more you know, the more you realise how little you know, and I felt that I wanted to do more research to help people run better, and address that research gap for women. My Masters, and now PhD supervisors, Dr Brian Hanley and Dr Catherine Tucker gave me a lot of guidance and supported me in designing the PhD study.

How did you find the first few months of your PhD? What helped you shape your research focus?

Once I knew my PhD proposal was accepted, I was excited and keen to start. In the first few months, I spent a lot of time considering the different approaches I could take to my research, and read widely as well as discussed my options with my supervisors. You realise there is so much you can do but it is important to be focused and make sure that important questions are answered well.

I believe the best way to approach a PhD is looking at it like a job – and bring that level of professionalism with you. The support of the biomechanics department and our learning support officers have also been a great help. We are very fortunate at Carnegie School of Sport that we have a state-of-the-art sports science lab, but it is important to learn how to operate equipment appropriately and navigate all the different challenges and issues, e.g., ensuring appropriate health and safety clearance to position video cameras for my research!

Reflecting on your first year, what have been some of the standout milestones so far, and how have they shaped your research journey?

Coming from a different background, I feel like I never know enough but I am always encouraged and supported by my supervisors. I went to the BASES (British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences) Biomechanics Conference in Loughborough two months into my PhD, and presented my Master’s research and I received a prize for the presentation, which was really encouraging. I did have prior experience of presenting, but in a very different context. I then also presented some findings of my work at the European Endurance Conference and how it was being applied to the athletes in the Leeds Talent Hub, combining science and practice to support elite middle- and long-distance female runners. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with elite athletes and coaches, such as Dr Andi Drake, Andrew Henderson, and Laura Weighman, who are very open to working with us to progress our joint knowledge. It’s a circle, feeding back what’s working in practice and validating and developing our research.

I’ve also met some amazing athletes – I never thought I’d meet Olympians and national record holders who are at the pinnacle of the sport, and yet are the most down to earth and humble individuals.

What have some of the challenges been? and how have you worked through them?

With biomechanics, you collect and work with large amounts of data, recorded at high frequency, e.g. 200 to 1000 Hz, to capture a detailed breakdown of an individual’s movements. The data collected will also have unwanted noise. This can be caused by various factors, e.g., environmental conditions such as the vibration of the building and movement from the treadmill belt. This needs to be removed to get an accurate dataset.

You have to be methodological and rigorous when working through the data, which can take up most of the data analysis process. It is important to make sure your data processing is efficient, and I make sure that I do every step myself, rather than using templates, as I need to understand the data fully to be able to defend and explain it.

How has your research progressed so far? Have you come across anything surprising or unexpected along the way?

In research, you often see the key findings being a significant correlation between variables, and that can be important. However, when looking at sports, in particular the top performers, they don’t always fall into the boxes. In fact, it is perhaps the fact that they are the outliers that makes them the best.

In terms of progress, it is not unusual that you take a few steps forward, and then get knocked back. I always feel that there is more I can do, and I want to be further ahead than where I am. My supervisors will remind me that a PhD is a marathon, not a sprint – so pacing is important!

How has the support of your supervisor and School of Sport academic team helped to advance your research so far?

My Director of Studies, Dr Brian Hanley, Supervisor, Dr Catherine Tucker, and Adviser, Dr Andi Drake, have all been supportive at every stage -from my initial application to providing me guidance on how to approach designing my research. It’s been very useful to have them asking me important questions which helps me reflect on what I want to achieve, and if the research is actually going to be useful! Whilst it is great to be passionate about my subject, it is important for me that it in some ways contributes to women’s athletics.

What resources and support - whether formal or informal - have helped you navigate your first year?

Having the Talent Hub to work with has been a great resource for participants in my research. Olympian and LBU alumna Laura Weightman is now coaching here as well, and she has been extremely helpful in sharing her experiences and time for discussion, on top of encouraging athletes to come in and participate in our studies. She and the other coaches are very open to looking at the data and more importantly, how the knowledge can be applied to help improve the athletes. More often than not, it is the top-level athletes who keep wanting to be better and are striving to improve!

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their PhD at LBU?

Make sure you research something you’re passionate about – as you’ll spend a lot of time on it! It is also normal to have strong views, backed by strong data, evidence, and research in our area, but I believe a good researcher should also always be open to new ideas, even the potential that you can be proven wrong.

Set milestones along the way to guide your progress. Try to achieve them, but if you don’t, it’s ok to take time recalibrating and readjusting as you will have setbacks along the way.

Always have a support network – your supervisors, family, and friends. It is good to talk about your research – I always talk to my friends and family and try to explain my research to them. If they don’t understand, then either I don’t understand fully yet or I’m not communicating it well enough. The best way to know whether you really know something is to try to explain it!

Find out more about our Health and Performance Hub at Leeds Beckett University.