Dr Jonathan Roberts

Jon initially studied Mechanical Engineering at Nottingham University, before joining the Sports Technology Research Group at Loughborough University in 1998.

His early research studied the ‘feel’ of a golf shot and he worked in collaboration with Callaway Golf for 8 years. He completed his PhD in 2002 and started his first academic post in 2006. He has conducted research in collaboration with many leading equipment manufacturers (adidas, HEAD, PING, Wattbike), governing bodies and international sports federations (FIFA, FIH, ITF).

He also teaches on both the Sports Technology and Mechanical Engineering degree programs and performs a number of administrative roles. He is currently Head of the Sports Technology Research Group.

Jon’s main research interests are in the use of both subjective and objective approaches to study the interactions between an athlete and their equipment.

Jon has considerable expertise in the evaluation of users’ subjective perceptions of sports equipment using a wide range of sensory methods. Concurrent measurement of sensory stimuli, the physical properties of the equipment and the performance of the athlete using the equipment have enabled relationships to be identified with the users’ perceptions. Recent projects have investigated subjective concepts such as the ‘feel’ of golf clubs and tennis rackets, the ‘comfort’ and ‘fit’ of footwear, PPE and apparel, and the perceived suitability of balls and artificial surfaces for football and futsal.

Jon is also interested in equipment customization to optimize athlete performance. Recent studies in cricket and golf have used biomechanical assessments to investigate changes in athlete kinetics, kinematics and consequently performance outcomes, as properties of the equipment are changed. This approach has enabled design recommendations to be made or product properties to be optimised for an individual athlete.

Underpinning Jon’s research is the development of advanced measurement technologies, test devices, experimental designs and statistical techniques to generate and analyse high quality data. In particular, he is interested in optical or image based technologies and has experience in motion capture, digital image correlation, laser Doppler vibrometry and fibre optic sensing. A number of his projects have either developed bespoke measurement systems or validated commercially available systems.

Further information about Jon’s research interests, the projects that he has been involved in and the papers he has published can be found on his website.

Jon primarily contributes to the measurement theme that is a core part of both the Sports Technology UG and Sports Engineering MSc degree programs.

He is the module leader for a first year module entitled ‘Measurement Principles’ (WSA700) which aims to introduce students to the subject of instrumentation and measurement for evaluating both equipment and human performance.

In the second year, he contributes to a module entitled ‘Measurement and Experimental Design’ (WSB701) where he focuses on how athletes’ subjective perceptions of sports equipment can be analysed and used in the design process to satisfy user requirements.

On the Mechanical Engineering program, he teaches acoustics as part of an elective module on ‘Vibration and Noise’ (WSC101) and runs tutorial sessions on ‘Statics and Dynamics’ (WSA101).

He also supervises several laboratory sessions and numerous final year projects each year in areas aligned to current research interests.

Current administrative responsibilities

• Head of the Sports Technology Research Group 
• Deputy Director of the Sports Engineering and Human Factors Research Hub 
• Admissions Tutor for the Sports Technology UG degree 
• Member of the Ethics Review Sub-Committee