Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences>Staff>Sophie Burton

Sophie Burton

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Senior ​​Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics

Email: sburton@cardiffmet.ac.uk

Twitter: @​sophieburton

ResearchGate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Sophie-Burton-3



​​​Sophie is a Senior Lecturer and researcher in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics within the School of Sport and Health Sciences. Sophie holds a 1st class (Hons) BSc in Sport and Exercise Science and is currently undertaking her MPhil-PhD in Sport Biomechanics at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Sophie is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Academic Practice. She is a member of the Schools Athena Swan Team and International Society of Biomechanics in Sports Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee.

Sophie's research focuses on the biomechanics, motor control and non-linear dynamics of movement, specialising in artistic gymnastics. In collaboration with British Gymnastics, Sophie's research involves enhancing sports performance and understanding technique across gymnast age groups to aid with coaching practice, individualised performance understanding and insight into gymnast's capacity to adapt to changing skill complexity. Her projects incorporate elements of marker-based motion capture (3D kinematics) and kinetics (internal and external) alongside kinathropometry and field-based markerless capture options.


Research / Publications

Highlighted Academic Journal Publications

Kean, C.O., Burton, S., Janssen, I., Brackley, V., & Atack, A.C. (2024). Empowering women in sports biomechanics: exploring the impact of mentor circles. Sports Biomechanics, 30, 1-15. DOI: 10.1080/14763141.2024.2388586​.

Verheul, J., Robinson, M.A. & Burton, S. (2024). Jumping towards field-based ground reaction force estimation and assessment with OpenCap. Journal of Biomechanics, DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2024.112044​

Burton, S., Newell, K.N., Exell, T., Williams, G.K.R., & Irwin, G. (2023). The Evolving High Bar Longswing In Elite Gymnasts Of Three Age Groups. Journal of Sport and Exercise Sciences, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2023.2259201

Burton, S., Vicinanza, D., Exell, T., Newell, K.N., Irwin, G. & Williams, G.K.R. (2021). Attractor dynamics of elite performance: the high bar longswing. Sports Biomechanics, DOI: 10.1080/14763141.2021.1954236​

International Peer Reviewed Conference Abstracts

Burton, S., Newell, K.N., Vicinanza, D., Exell, T., Irwin, G. & Williams, G.K.R. (2020). Dynamics of a Cyclist Task Before and After a Change in Task Constraint: Horizontal Bar Longswing. In M. Robinson, M. Lake, B. Baltzopoulos & J. Vanrenterghem (Eds.), Proceedings of the 38th International Society of Biomechanics in Sport Conference, Article 166. Liverpool, UK.

Burton, S., Vicinanza, D., Exell, T., Williams, G.K.R., Newell, K.N. & Irwin, G. (2019). Limit Cycle Dynamics across Elite Male Artistic Gymnasts. In M. Walsh, M. Stutz & S. Breen (Eds.), Proceedings of the 37th International Society of Biomechanics in Sport Conference, Article 35. Ohio, USA.

Burton, S., Needham, L., Exell, T., Farana, R. & Irwin, G. (2017). Wrist-Elbow Coordination in Technique Selection: Influence of Hand Position during the Back Handspring. In W. Potthast, A. Niehoff & S. David (Eds.), Proceedings of the 35th International Society of Biomechanics in Sport Conference, Article 39. Cologne, Germany.

Needham, L., Burton, S., Exell, T. & Irwin, G. (2017). Elbow Loading during the Back Handspring: Influence of Hand Position. In W. Potthast, A. Niehoff & S. David (Eds.), Proceedings of the 35th International Society of Biomechanics in Sport Conference, Article 86. Cologne, Germany.

Burton, S., Needham, L., Exell, T., Farana, R. & Irwin, G. (2016). Injury Risk in Technique Selection: Influence of Hand Position in the Back Handspring. In M. Ae, Y. Enomoto, N. Fujii & H. Takagi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th International Society of Biomechanics in Sport Conference, pp. 235-238. Tsukuba, Japan.

Teaching and Supervision

Module Leadership

  • SSP4122 Biomechanics of Human Movement


Module Contributions

Level 4

  • SSP4100 Research and Scholarship
  • SSP4122 Biomechanics of Human Movement
  • SSP4116 Foundations of Sport and Exercise Science


Level 5

  • SSP5100 Research Design and Practice
  • SSP5104 Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sport and Health
  • SSP5127 Sport and Exercise Biomechanics
  • SSP5130 Issues in Sport and Exercise Science


Level 6

  • SSP6100 Final Project
  • SSP6125 Interdisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science
  • SSP6126 Sports Biomechanics


Level 7

  • SSP7100 Dissertation Project
  • SES7291 Advanced Theory for Sport and Exercise Biomechanics
  • SES7294 Contemporary Issues in Sport and Exercise Science
  • SCR7277 Sport Rehabilitation


Supervision

Sophie supervises many students at undergraduate level, specialising in Sports Biomechanics. Recent projects centred around gymnastics landing strategies, general drop landing injury risk characteristics, trunk and lower limb injury risk and performance mechanics during cutting manoeuvres and using field-based tools and software as screening options for injury risk during cutting manoeuvres.​

Qualifications and Awards

Education and Qualifications

  • BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science (1:1) - Cardiff Metropolitan University (2015)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Academic Practice (2021)
  • Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (2021)
  • International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry Level 1 Practitioner (2022)
  • First Aid at Work and Safeguarding (2023)
  • Disability Inclusion Training (2019) and Current DBS Certification (2023)
  • MPhil-PhD Biomechanics - Cardiff Metropolitan University (Expected Completion: 2024)


Awards

  • Best Presentation Award - Cardiff Met Doctoral Researcher Conference (2023)
  • Part-time PhD Fees Funding - British Gymnastics & Cardiff Metropolitan University (2017)
  • Human Kinetics Poster Award - Biomechanics Interest Group BASES Conference (2016)​

External Links

Current Membership of Professional Bodies

  • International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (ISBS)
  • International Society for the Advancement of Kinathropometry (ISAK)
  • The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES)
  • Higher Education Academy


Journal Reviewer

Sophie is a peer reviewer for the following international journals:

  • Journal of Sport and Exercise Sciences
  • Sports Biomechanics​


I have ongoing collaborative links with members from the following institutions/bodies:

United Kingdom

  • University of Exeter
  • University of Portsmouth
  • Anglia Ruskin University
  • St Mary's University
  • British Gymnastics


Rest of the World

  • University of Georgia (USA)
  • University of Ostrava (CZ)
  • Central Queensland University (AUS)
  • Victorian Institute of Sport (AUS)
  • National Sports Centre Papendal (NL)​