Sports Engineering Research Group

The Sports Engineering Research Group (SERG) is part of the Sport and Physical Activity Research Centre (SPARC) at Sheffield Hallam University and is the world's largest academic group in sports engineering. We (SERG) are internationally renowned as a centre of excellence for research and knowledge transfer and our work is based on four research themes: sports analytics, biomechanics, design engineering and human morphology. In each area, our researchers develop fundamental knowledge and deliver applied solutions to enhance human performance, reduce injury and promote physical activity.

The core of SERG staff is located at Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC). As part of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, the AWRC is a world‐leading £15 million research centre funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, Sheffield Hallam University and with support by the European Regional Development Fund. The AWRC’s mission is to prevent and treat chronic disease through co-designed research into physical activity and the facilities provide us with the ideal environment to build on our existing research themes and create knowledge that will benefit our research partners.

We are immensely proud of our work with our Olympic, and Paralympic athletes. We develop measurement and data analysis systems that optimise the performance of our athletes and help maximise the probability of medal success. It is widely covered in the media that the extraordinary performances by our athletes at Tokyo 2020 has inspired a new generation to take up different sports and become more physically active. This demonstrates how SERG’s work aligns with one of the core principles of the AWRC, to translate research and innovation from elite sport to the benefit of public health and wellbeing.