Weir Awarded Hans Gros Biomechanics Emerging Researcher Award

Gillian Weir
Gillian Weir

Kinesiology postdoctoral researcher Gillian Weir has been awarded the 2020 Hans Gros Emerging Researcher Award by the International Society Biomechanics of Sport (ISBS). The award, given annually to an individual who "embodies the ISBS philosophy of applied science,” recognizes excellence in early career research.

Weir has served as a postdoctoral research fellow in professor emeritus Joseph Hamill’s Biomechanics Laboratory since 2016.

"Dr. Gillian Weir came to the Biomechanics Laboratory from the University of Western Australia,” says Hamill. “Her performance has been exceptional. She has published papers, mentored both M.S. and honors’ students, and taught an undergraduate class. I cannot say enough about her performance. She has been the model of what a post doc should be.”

As winner of the Hans Gros Emerging Researcher Award, Weir has been invited to present a keynote lecture at the ISBS annual meeting currently scheduled to be held in Liverpool, U.K., in July.

“It’s truly an honor,” says Weir. “ISBS has been incredibly supportive during my early career. I have been extremely lucky to present my research at their annual conference over the past 6 years and have met and collaborated with some great people and researchers as a result. I am very excited to present the research I have been working on with Dr. Hamill during my postdoc at UMass and some of my Ph.D. research from the University of Western Australia.”

Weir’s research in the Biomechanics Laboratory has focused on injury prevention and optimizing athletic performance in applications ranging from running footwear biomechanics to traumatic knee injuries in team sports. The work she will present as part of her keynote will encompass biomechanically informed injury prevention strategies for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in team sports. Weir has performed this research in conjunction with a number of professional teams in the U.S. and Australia along with the UMass field hockey and men’s soccer teams.