Biomechanics researcher focused on footwear, gait, and translational research to improve human performance.

I am a PhD candidate in the Musculoskeletal & Orthopedic Biomechanics Lab (PI: Katherine Boyer, PhD) at UMass Amherst. My research combines biomechanics, physiology, engineering, and data science to understand how gait mechanics and performance change in response to footwear, fatigue, pathology, and altered sensory input. By combining my passions for footwear, running, and biomechanics, I aim to optimize the efficacy of footwear across individuals and performance contexts.

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Justin Matties, MS

Doctoral training

My current training includes graduate coursework in kinesiology and statistical and computational data science at UMass Amherst, teaching assistantships in biomechanics and anatomy and physiology, and research within the Musculoskeletal & Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory and the Donahue Research Lab (biomedical engineering). My research assistantships have included training on aging and clinical biomechanics, biomedical image processing, 3D printed shoe development, and customer discovery for translational research.

Research themes

Footwear Biomechanics

Examining how “super shoes” influence running mechanics and energetics, and how habituation to novel footwear technologies may further optimize performance.
Developing and testing 3D printed control and variable stiffness walking shoes with a bio-inspired lattice structure for individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Human Movement and Neurophysiology

Studying gait mechanics in runners, older adults, and clinical populations to improve performance, mobility, and pain.
Exploring how sensorimotor function and experimentally altered plantar sensation impact neuromechanics and footwear responses.

Applied Data Science

Creating reproducible and efficient biomechanics and biomedical image data processing and analysis pipelines.
Using advanced statistical techniques to analyze large datasets.

Background

Passionate about running, biomechanics, footwear, and human performance.

I started biomechanics research as a collegiate runner at Cal State East Bay interested in the long-term effects of using advanced footwear technology in training. With support from the Nike Sport Research Lab and internal funding from Cal State East Bay, I conducted two 8-week intervention studies with collegiate and competitive cross-country runners. At UMass Amherst, I have expanded my biomechanics and computational toolbox while working on NIH-funded aging research, applied my footwear biomechanics and prototyping knowledge in the development and testing of 3D printed footwear iterations, and for my dissertation will explore how plantar sensory input may influence clinical footwear responses.

Justin Matties standing in a biomechanics laboratory

What you can find here

Curriculum Vitae

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Publications

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Research Portfolio

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