Graduate has sights set on career in biomechanics research
A MSc Sport and Exercise Biomechanics graduate has combined her love for Taekwon-do with a new found passion for research that she plans to pursue in a career as an academic.
Having practiced Taekwon-do since the age of five, Phoebe Grandfield, 26 from Bristol, focused on pedagogy within the sport in her undergraduate Sport Coaching degree before completing a Masters at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Her undergraduate dissertation was published at the end of 2022.
During her degrees, Phoebe realised her interest in research and now intends to register for a PhD. She said: “I am really passionate about research and sharing information, especially about under-represented areas such as Taekwon-do and martial arts which doesn’t have lots of biomechanics research to date. Being able to bring something I enjoy as a hobby into my studies has been mutually beneficial, as I now have a greater understanding of the sport in practice as a player, but also from the side lines which helps when I umpire.”
Beyond her studies, Phoebe has thrown herself into extracurricular activities which have seen her speak at multiple conferences including the International Martial Arts and Combat Sports Scientific Society (IMACSSS) International Conference at the University of Rzeszów where she was awarded the Young Researcher Award. She’s also presented her biomechanics research findings at Jan Dlugosz University in Poland, as well as at the 3rd World Scientific Congress.
Earlier this year, Phoebe attended the annual British Association of Sport and Exercise Science student conference at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, where she co-chaired a Biomechanics and Motor Control session and was awarded the overall postgraduate Student Free Communication prize.
Phoebe has autism and worked closely with personal tutors in her first year at Cardiff Met to develop flexible ways of working that would allow her to thrive in higher education. At the start of her postgraduate degree, she secured and completed a Sports Biomechanics internship within Cardiff Met, which was supported by Santander Universities and Ambitious About Autism, the national charity for children and young people with autism.
Dr Ian Bezodis, Reader in Sports Biomechanics, and Phoebe’s internship and dissertation supervisor said: “Phoebe has developed considerably as a biomechanists during her internship and MSc studies and has been a reliable member of the laboratory team. She has shown a real determination to apply her new skills to gain a greater understanding of her passion, Taekwon-do, and in doing so has completed a study that she can be proud of.”