Background
Zoe Palmer is a PhD researcher at Loughborough University, based across the Sports Technology Institute and the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, specifically the Peter Harrison Laboratory within the Centre for Para and Disability Sport Innovation, where she forms part of the Vice-Chancellor's ParaFit 2032 research cluster.
She graduated from Nottingham Trent University with distinction in her MSc in Medical Engineering, where her project involved the design and manufacture of a C-shaped running blade with integrated IMU sensors for performance, structural, and health analyses of both the athlete and the blade.
She previously completed a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Exeter, and before this studied a Level 3 Extended BTEC in Sport and Exercise Science at Hartpury College, where she specialised in biomechanics alongside an additional A-level-equivalent mathematics qualification.
Following her BSc, she worked at Howden Life and Health, gaining valuable experience in medical insurance and the professional working environment before returning to postgraduate study. This progression, from an applied sport science foundation through industry experience and on to postgraduate engineering, has given her a background spanning both the physiological and mechanical sides of athlete performance.
Zoe's research investigates the athlete-equipment interface across seated para-sports, with a particular focus on the athlete-seat interface. Rather than concentrating on a single sport, her work looks across categories such as court sports, water sports, and others to identify the multi-sport trends that underpin the interaction between athlete and equipment.
Sports equipment is critical to an athlete's performance, yet equipment for para-athletes is often only lightly modified from conventional designs rather than developed around their needs from the outset. Her research provides the underpinning mechanical engineering science to inform equipment designed specifically for para-athletes by monitoring and analysing contact pressure, surface contact distribution, and friction and movement patterns, enabling personalised adjustments to both equipment and training.
The project forms part of the Vice-Chancellor's ParaFit 2032 research cluster and is conducted in collaboration with the UK Sports Institute (UKSI). By establishing this underpinning science, Zoe's work aims to inform the design of better-tailored, performance-enhancing equipment for para-athletes, supporting both their performance and long-term health in the build-up to Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032.