I am interested in understanding the optimisations and compromises in animal locomotion from a mechanical perspective. Animals have evolved neither wheels nor propellers, and yet many are proficient at terrestrial, arboreal and aerial locomotion. Should the biological solutions to mechanical challenges – specifically propulsion and weight support – be considered superior, equivalent but alternative, or inferior to the conventional engineered options? I investigate these questions with innovative experimental techniques and with novel applications of traditional engineering analyses.

I am part of the Structure and Motion Lab at The Royal Veterinary College. My research has mainly been funded by The Wellcome Trust, with further projects supported by BBSRC, EPSRC and AFOSR.

The aim of these web pages is to introduce some of my scientific ideas and research. They do not cover everything I have done and fail to acknowledge the contributions of others; my formal papers are more appropriate for this and can be found at google scholar.