BIG Event 2026

Organising Committee

Prof Athanassios Bissas (Division Committee)
Dr Theodoros Bampouras (Division Committee)
Dr Ivan Jukic (Local Committee)

Division Members

View the full CASES Biomechanics and Motor Behaviour Division members here. 

If you are interested in sponsoring BIG26 please contact the division on cases.biomech@gmail.com or the Local Committee Dr Ivan Jukic: i.jukic@abertay.ac.uk

Keynote Speakers

Bas Van Hooren, PhD

Title: Quantifying loading and reducing running injuries using wearable sensors

Description

Wearable sensors have the potential to transform how mechanical loading is monitored during running, yet current approaches largely rely on external measures such as acceleration, ground contact characteristics, or activity classification, which provide only limited insight into the loads experienced by specific musculoskeletal tissues.

In this keynote, Bas van Hooren will first discuss the limitations of current wearable-based approaches for estimating internal loading at common injury locations. He will then introduce an approach that combines musculoskeletal modelling, machine learning, and wearable sensors to estimate tissue-level mechanical loading outside the laboratory for the Achilles tendon, tibia, and patellofemoral joint. Finally, he will address the crucial question of whether quantifying internal loading can actually help reduce injury risk, presenting findings from a randomized controlled trial evaluating a wearable-based approach to personalized injury prevention.

The presentation will highlight the opportunities and challenges of moving from measuring movement to quantifying tissue loading, and ultimately using this information to reduce running injuries in the real world.

Bio

Bas Van Hooren, PhD is an assistant professor, sport science consultant, strength and conditioning specialist and elite athlete. He obtained his PhD on injury prevention and performance enhancement in running-based sports at Maastricht University in 2024. Bas has been involved as a sport science consultant for various professional organizations and has been active as a strength and conditioning coach at the Dutch Olympic committee. As an athlete he has won several medals at the Dutch national championships between 2011-2026, and is current Dutch national champion half-marathon. He is currently working as an assistant Professor at Maastricht University.

Bas combines his theoretical knowledge as a sport scientist/researcher with practical experiences from being an athlete and S&C coach to translate complex theoretical concepts into useful and evidence-based practical applications. He has published over 80 journal articles on topics ranging from biomechanics to exercise physiology and has given multiple workshops on sport science related topics for a variety of audiences throughout Europe.

Dr Steffi Colyer

Title: The Markerless Revolution? Principles, Progress and Pitfalls.

Description: In this presentation, Dr Colyer will introduce the principles behind markerless motion capture and showcase the rapid progress that has been made in sports biomechanics. Through real-world examples from her research group, she will demonstrate how these technologies are being used beyond the laboratory to answer applied performance questions. The session will also provide a balanced perspective on the challenges that remain, identifying current limitations and exciting opportunities for future research.

Bio 

Steffi is a Senior Lecturer in Biomechanics at the University of Bath. In her research, Steffi analyses the motion and forces produced by athletes to try to unpick the biomechanical factors underlying the most elite performances and how these can be improved. Additionally, Steffi has research interests in understanding the load experienced during different tasks for training monitoring or rehabilitation purposes, and developing markerless motion analysis techniques to enable athletes to be analysed 'in the wild'.

Dr Carina Price

Title: Translating biomechanics into footwear: from real-world research to real-world impact

Description: The presentation will explore how real-world biomechanics research has been translated into footwear design, development and selection across a range of wearers. Drawing on projects involving standing workers, school-aged children and patients with Diabetes, it will explore how biomechanical data have been implemented to better meet footwear requirements. It will reflect the collaborative nature of the footwear biomechanics field, highlighting example partnerships with varied funding routes, researcher involvement and impacts.

Bio 

Dr Carina Price is an Associate Professor and Theme Lead for Foot Health and Footwear Research at the University of Salford. A biomechanist by background now specialising in foot and footwear research, she has worked at the intersection of biomechanics, clinical evidence and product innovation since 2009. Her research integrates laboratory and real-world methods including plantar pressure analysis, motion capture, wearable sensors, 3D/4D scanning and qualitative methods, to understand how footwear interacts with wearers.

Carina holds degrees from the University of Bath and Loughborough University, a CMI Diploma, and completed her PhD by publication in footwear biomechanics at Salford. She has led numerous industry collaborations with organisations including FitFlop, Clarks Kids, ON (Running), Scholl and WearerTech. Through these, contributing to footwear designed for children, adults, clinical groups and workers in demanding environments. She was a core academic on Great Foundations, a landmark multi-year programme exploring infant foot development and early walking, producing influential evidence on paediatric gait and footwear needs.

Her research now spans paediatric movement, diabetic foot assessment, personalised footwear design, and the socio-cultural dimensions of footwear choice, fit and comfort. Current projects explore foot health in workers who are over 50 years and the role of footwear in users of lower limb prosthetics. She supervises PhD researchers across biomechanics, allied health and engineering and previously led the national Versus Arthritis AHP Internship Programme, supporting clinical academic career development.

Carina is active in the international biomechanics community as a steering committee member for i-FAB, a long-standing member of the Footwear Biomechanics Group, an invited conference speaker, journal reviewer and PhD examiner. With over 70 publications and significant industry-facing research translation, her work aims to advance innovative methodologies, improve clinical and industry practice, and ensure footwear research reflects both biomechanical evidence and real-world user needs in wearers who have specific foot health needs.

Abstract submission is open and work can be submitted for oral or poster presentation; submission deadline is Monday 16 November at 23.59. 

As in previous years, any work in Biomechanics relating to sport, exercise, clinical or theoretical applications, is suitable. A formatting template is provided here and submission is via e-mail to cases.biomech@gmail.com .

You can register your place now: 

Booking page

Prices

CASES Members - FREE

Non-Members

Student - £10*

Graduate - £20*

Professional - £40*

*plus VAT

Please note that all our Division Days are free to CASES Members. If you would like to join CASES you can find out full details of our membership packages here and benefit from the Division Day and a large number of benefits.

For detailed directions and travel information, please follow the link below:

www.abertay.ac.uk/visit/how-to-find-us/

• LinkedIn - Division of Biomechanics and Motor Behaviour

• X - @CASES_Biomech
• Bluesky - @cases-biomech.bsky.social
• Email - cases.biomech@gmail.com

Visit Dundee City Region Convention Bureau's guide designed specifically for delegates on the BIG26 conference: 

Dundee City Region Convention Bureau - CASES Biomechanics and Motor Behaviour Division Day Guide

Two outstanding pre-conference workshops will be taking place at Abertay University on Thursday 3 December from 15.00-18.00.

The workshops will provide hands-on learning experiences from industry-leading experts in biomechanical measurement.

To find out more and to book on this event go to Eventbrite. 

Please note that bookings for this event are completely separate to the registration process for BIG26.