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Jon Wheat

Professor

School of Science & Technology

Staff Group(s)
Sport

Role

Professor of Biomechanics in the Department of Sport Science and Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement (SHAPE) research centre. Research Department Chair and Impact Champion for REF Unit of Assessment 24.

Career overview

Jon spent the first 23 years of his career at Sheffield Hallam University. In this time, Jon held various research leadership positions in his research centre, department and Faculty/College, including Deputy Head of Research Centre, Postgraduate Research Tutor, REF Unit of Assessment 24 Coordinator, Faculty Head of Research Degrees and Departmental Head of Research. More latterly, Jon was for five years Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences at SHU. Jon joined NTU in March 2024 as Professor of Biomechanics. He is also a Visiting Professor at Sheffield Hallam University and Adjunct Professor at La Trobe University, Melbourne.

Research areas

Jon’s biomechanics research is influenced by the Ecological Dynamics approach to motor learning. He has worked on the development, validation and application of biomechanics measurement systems that can be used outside of the laboratory in more representative environments. Jon has studied the functional aspects of within-individual variability with work across sport and health domains; for example, the gait of stroke survivors, postural control during balance tasks, motor development in children and the coordination of a rider with their horse in dressage. Recent work related to movement variability has also been in a military/defence context. This has included projects for the Australian Defence Science Research Group and the Australian Human Performance Research Network, helping to understand the demands and injury risk associated with load carriage during marching in military personnel. In sport, Jon has a significant track record of knowledge exchange activity related to golf biomechanics, and his work in cycling – some in collaboration with British Cycling and the UK Sports Institute - studies the effects of riding position on pedalling biomechanics.

Publications

Recent journal articles:

  1. Slattery; P., Cofré Lizama, L.E., Wheat, J.S., Gastin, P., Dascombe, B. and Middleton, K. (2024). The Agreement between wearable sensors and force plates for the analysis of stride time variability. Sensors, 24, 3378.
  2. van Gelder, L.M.A., Barnes, A., Wheat, J.S., Heller, B. (2023) Runners’ responses to a biofeedback intervention aimed to reduce tibial acceleration differ within and between individuals. Journal of Biomechanics, 157, 111686.
  3. Vauclin P., Wheat J.S., Wagman J.B., Seifert L. (2023) A systematic review of perception of affordances for the person-plus-object system. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 30, 2011-2029.
  4. Dunn, M., Kennerley, A., Murrell-Smith, Z., Webster, K., Middleton, K. and Wheat, J.S. (2023). Application of video frame interpolation to markerless, single-camera gait analysis. Sports Engineering, 26, 22.
  5. Gatt, I., Allen, T. and Wheat, J.S. (2023). Effects of using Rigid Tape with Bandaging Techniques on Wrist Joint Motion during Boxing Shots in Elite Male Athletes. Physical Therapy in Sport. 61, 82-90.
  6. Hoolihan, B., Dascombe, B., Wheat, J.S., Vickery-Howe, D. and Middleton, K. (2023). The effect of external loads and biological sex on coupling variability during load carriage. Gait and Posture, 100, 236-242
  7. Snowdon, N., McLean, S., Piercy, H., Brodie, M.A. & Wheat, J.S. (2023): Orthotic shorts for improving gait and walking in multiple sclerosis: a feasibility study, Disability and Rehabilitation, 45, 3000-3011.
  8. Cofre-Lizama, E., Wheat, J.S., Slattery, P. and Middleton, K. (2023) Can handling a weapon make soldiers more unstable? Ergonomics, 66, 1246-1254.
  9. Bullas, A., Choppin, S., Heller, B. and Wheat, J.S. (2022). Comparison of Complex and Simple Anthropometrics in the Descriptive Anthropometric Assessment of Male Cyclists. International Journal of Kinanthropometry, 2, 13-27.
  10. Jones, L. and Wheat, J.S. (2022). Green and Pleasant Lands: The affective and cerebral hemodynamic effects of presence in virtual environments during exercise. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 130, 826-843.
  11. Burnie, L., Barrett, P., Davids, K., Worsfold, P. and Wheat, J.S. (2022) Quantifying the hip-ankle synergy in short-term maximal cycling. Journal of Biomechanics, 142, 111268.
  12. Burnie, L., Barratt, P., Davids, K., Worsfold, P., & Wheat, J.S (2022). Effects of strength training on the biomechanics and coordination of short-term maximal cycling. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40, 1315-1324.
  13. Wilkins, C.A., Wheat, J.S., Protheroe, L., Nankervis, K., Draper, S.B. (2022). Coordination variability reveals the features of the ‘independent seat’ in competitive dressage riders. Sports Biomechanics (online)
  14. Middleton, K., Vickery-Howe, D., Dascombe, B., Clarke, A., Wheat, J.S., McClelland, J., Drain, J. (2022). Mechanical differences between men and women during overground load carriage at self-selected walking speeds. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 3927.
  15. Thelwell, M., Bullas, A., Kuehnapfel, A., Hart, J., Ahnert, P., Wheat, J.S., Loeffler, M., Scholz, M., Choppin, S. (2022) Modelling of human torso shape variation inferred by geometric morphometrics. PlosOne, 10, e0265255.
  16. Gatt, I., Allen, T. and Wheat, J.S. (2021). Quantifying Wrist Angular Excursion on Impact for Jab and Hook Lead Arm Shots in Boxing. Sports Biomechanics, (online).
  17. Burchell, V.J., Wheat, J.S., Buckley, D., Arblaster, G. (2021). Is a Depth Camera in agreement with an Electromagnetic Tracking Device when Measuring Head Position? British and Irish Orthoptic Journal, 17, 142-149.
  18. Rowley, L., Churchill, S., Dunn, M., Wheat, J.S. (2021). Effect of hurdling step strategy on the kinematics of the hurdle clearance technique. Sports Biomechanics (online)
  19. Jongerius, N., Wainwright, B., Wheat, J.S., Bissas, A. (2021). Prevalence and functional implications of Soleus and Tibialis Anterior activation strategies during cycling. Journal of Sport Sciences, 39, 2485-2492.

    20. Snowden, N., Booth, S., Mclean, S., Wheat, J.S., Piercy, H. (2021). The meaning of fabric orthoses to long-term users with multiple sclerosis: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Prosthetics & Orthotics International, 45, 246-253.